Culinary hi-tech is served - Zaedo Musa

Now is an exciting time in Scotland. With the pandemic seemingly in the rear view, high streets are busy again, night clubs are bouncing and cafes are full once more.

For restaurants in particular, this is a welcome return. Over the last few years, Scotland’s culinary scene burgeoned to the extent that it now stands on par with some of Europe’s more established gastronomic capitals. While still retaining much of the traditional authenticity that makes the Scottish restaurant scene unique, Scotland is now home to a menagerie of diverse and high-quality restaurants.

When deciding where to launch in the UK, Scotland was the obvious choice. Superb has reached Scotland intending to assist the development of the UK’s, and arguably Europe's, most exciting culinary scene. Edinburgh has rapidly forged a reputation as Scotland’s home of fine dining, boasting four of the country’s ten Michelin Star restaurants. Glasgow, traditionally Edinburgh's livelier cousin, has also established a vibrant culinary scene. Rife with student-populated bars as well as refined dining options such as The Gannet (which hosted Leonardo DiCaprio during November’s COP26 summit), areas like Finnieston are now considered amongst Europe’s gastronomic hotspots.

Both cities have now found their groove - with foodies, bloggers and critics all flocking to experience their flourishing culinary offerings first-hand. As the Scottish hospitality sector enters another challenging period, ensuring restaurants are properly equipped to effectively manage their workloads will be critical to their success.

Zaedo Musa, CEO and Founder of the Danish guest experience management (GXM) platform Superb (www.superbexperience.com)

Cancellations and staff shortages have had crippling effects on bars and restaurants throughout the UK this year, and restaurant tech played a crucial role in helping European restaurants remain afloat during the pandemic.With crowds come complications. An enormous influx of customers is of course essential for restaurants, but with that comes organisational headaches. The pandemic has provided the perfect opportunity for restaurants to reassess their management systems, and embracing new technology should be an essential part of this. Dining out is, above all, an experience - technology can make this experience more bespoke for both hosts and guests alike.

Restaurant tech has an integral role to play in the growth of Scottish hospitality, so it is fitting that Superb arrives in Scotland at a time when tech scale-ups are also massively on the rise. For too long, the hospitality industry has been reliant on sub-par and underperforming technology. This is now changing, and, helped in part due to the available talent through the city’s university, Edinburgh has seen a 31% increase in tech employment since 2018. With a growing number of start-ups and scale-ups now based in the capital, Edinburgh has been earmarked as a potential destination for many of the UK’s future unicorns. Already home to juggernauts like Skyscanner, there is room for an influx of tech talent - not just in Edinburgh, but nationwide.

Being home to an incredibly dynamic tech and culinary scene, our Scottish rollout came at the perfect time. Despite hospitality feeling the bite of the cost of living crisis, both sectors remain vibrant and full of potential. Scotland is in the early stages of a tech and culinary revolution; one that Superb is excited to help facilitate and be part of.

Zaedo Musa, CEO and Founder of the Danish guest experience management (GXM) platform Superb (www.superbexperience.com)