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Digital Dining On Display At National Restaurant Show

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The leading plate pleasers in the country are in Chicago this week for the National Restaurant Show.

CBS 2's Vince Gerasole received an inside look at the high-tech innovations that could have you dining out more easily. He says for restaurants in the digital age, the right taste is just as important as the right tech.

Microsoft has a new program that allows restaurants to upload just about everything, from menus to reservation information, ingredients and even parking.

It takes the restuarant about 30 minutes to complete the process.

Once the information is uploaded, artificial intelligance takes over, and easily responds in conversational language to a diner's questions in the Bing search engine.

For example, a query "Do you have vegetarian options?" would return vegetarian menu items.

The service is free.

Kelly Stewart of Advanced Data Systems says her company connects restaurants with technology.

Tech "has to be fast and it has to take the burden off the in-house staff," she says.

Processing orders faster is a top demand.

New software also integrates a restaurant's menu into Amazon Echo, allowing diners to order a pizza and even handle the billing.

Bot systems can free up staff to perform other duties.

Microsoft is also working on technology that could recognize your license plate in the parking lot or your face at the door. Then, the restaurant could suggest meal options based on your order history at the establishment.

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