Feasibility of using business intelligence and artificial intelligence tools in catering businesses

Abstract

This research aims at exploring the importance and challenges of integrating Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence tools in catering businesses to enhance the decision making and general efficiency. There are certain challenges that that currently hinder the firms from incorporating this technology in their routine operations. Using such technology can help with inventory management, demand forecasting, personalized customer service, etc. problems which the caterers often face. The scope of the thesis includes a dive into the current scenario of usage of BI and AI tools in the catering businesses, and interviews with 5 catering business owners in Ahmedabad to understand their perspective and openness to integrating AI and BI tools in their businesses. The research used a mixed methods approach for research. After doing a thorough literature review about the current applications of BI and AI tools in the catering businesses, I delved deeper into the actual importance of implementing it in the business and certain challenges that come along the way. As an example of usage of BI tools for forecasting the revenue, a timeseries analysis has been done to find the trend, seasonality and residual values in the given data. When that is combined with the interviews with catering business owners and managers, it provides insights into the reasons behind the said variations, like weather conditions and an auspicious time, also called “Mahurat”. The research is concluded by the affirmation by firm owners that there is resistance among them to implement BI and AI tools in their businesses, despite their transformational capabilities. The main reasons for resistance include cost, complexity, and need to hire experts in the field. Future research in the field can explore the various tools that can be used and the scalability of these said tools.