High-tech postsecondary dining operations boost student experience: Editorial

In an editorial in , Lauren Coffey profiles how the use of technology in student dining operations”from pizza-hauling robots to self-checkouts”can improve the postsecondary experience. Specifically, the author highlights how automation in postsecondary dining operations can save worker time, boost bottom lines, and meaningfully serve a “tech-savvy student body.” Coffey explains that many automated food delivery services were rolled out on postsecondary campuses during the pandemic to meet distancing requirements. Self-checkouts and order kiosks have been used to help reduce bottlenecks and improve worker efficiency, while food lockers were introduced to reduce student travel time. Coffey argues that the need for these technologies remains, as they can combat declining dining revenue while improving the experiences of students and campus workers.