Technology can also assist restaurant owners to streamline their on-premises operations, and Toast, one of two of the main American players in this space, takes the small Irish market seriously.

After all, technology has had a huge impact on the restaurant business, especially in terms of food-to-go, with intermediaries such as JustEat and Deliveroo eating into the profit margin.

Square is the other major US player, and it and Toast both provide point-of-sale systems designed specifically for restaurants, and more besides. Square is part of NYSE-listed Block Inc.

Like so many US tech unicorns, the Block share is under the cosh, down to $73 recently from $250 a year ago. The market cap is still $39bn, still a premium rating, as net profit in 2021 was $160m.

Toast is more firmly embedded in Ireland as a corporate presence. The Boston company established its first international technology and product development centre in Dublin in 2017, and recently officially opened a new office on St Stephen’s Green.

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Toast says it is on track to create 100 jobs in 2022 in software development, sales and customer support, and other functions.

The new office space, the company says, has ‘flexible neighbourhoods to support growth’, a reception design inspired by an open market, and ‘a community gathering area designed to resemble a restaurant’ — a cafeteria.

Unlike Square, Toast’s sole focus is restaurants. The cloud-based digital technology platform encompasses point of sale, operations, digital ordering and delivery, marketing and loyalty, and team management.

Revenue more than doubled in 2021 to $1.7bn though the operating loss was similar to the previous year, at $280m. Investors chipped in $2 billion in fresh capital last year to assist further expansion, and the share price has plunged from $65 to $17 in the past year.

Like Square, Toast is well resourced, so its tech deserves consideration by restaurant operators. One interesting innovation is Toast Mobile Order and Pay, which was rolled out in the US earlier this year.

This encourages diners to order their meal from their table, and to settle their bill, without an attending waiter. The restaurant can also customise the digital menu by service area.

Toast chief executive Chris Comparato explains: “Restaurants may be able to increase sales and tips, collect valuable data on each transaction to build guest loyalty, and navigate the labour shortage with a more efficient service model. They can also introduce more dynamic menus and pricing in the face of rising supply costs and inflation.”