• "There's a misconception that AI is going to replace hospitality workers, but in reality, it's there to protect the hospitality aspect of restaurants," he says.

Zoom in: Local chain Mattenga's Pizzeria is an early adopter. Co-owner Hengam Stanfield uses Owner.com for what she calls their "digital storefront" — handling the restaurant's website, online ordering and a custom app while automating marketing and review requests.

• After each online order, the platform sends automatic texts asking customers to leave a review. Stanfield tells Axios that's helped their Google ratings climb.
• "Now all of our locations are 4.5 plus," she tells Axios.

Between the lines: Stanfield says tight margins and chronic labor shortages are pushing restaurants toward AI.

• "The model that we have here is how can we do more with less," she says, adding that they leverage AI wherever they can so staff can spend more time serving guests in front of them.

What's next: TRA is positioning itself as an "AI-driven" association, from guest-facing tools to back-of-house analytics, Knorr says.

• He adds that SpotOn's Profit Assist, a point-of-sale tool that uses AI to analyze menu costs and inventory, is something that's on the horizon.