Why Australia's Hospitality Industry May Be Entering a Technology Upgrade Cycle
Insights from GoTab Australia General Manager Nathan Merriman Following His Recent Dynamic Business Interview
A recent Dynamic Business article explored how Australia's 2026 Federal Budget could help accelerate technology investment across the hospitality sector. The article featured insights from Nathan Merriman, General Manager of GoTab Australia, who discussed why many venue operators are reaching a tipping point when it comes to technology adoption.
From rising award wages and compliance requirements to ongoing labour shortages and changing guest expectations, hospitality businesses across Australia continue to face significant operational pressure. At the same time, Federal Budget measures designed to encourage business investment may provide operators with an opportunity to modernise their technology stack and improve long-term profitability.
As Merriman explained, the venues best positioned for growth are increasingly viewing technology not as an expense, but as a strategic investment in guest experience, operational efficiency, and business resilience.
For pubs, clubs, breweries, restaurants, food halls, hotels, and entertainment venues across Australia, that shift could have a significant impact over the next several years.
A Perfect Storm Driving Hospitality Modernisation
Australia's hospitality industry continues to navigate a challenging operating environment.
Venue operators are balancing rising wage costs, increasing compliance obligations, ongoing staffing shortages, and guests who expect more convenience and flexibility than ever before. At the same time, many businesses are competing for a share of increasingly cautious consumer spending.
These pressures are forcing operators to look closely at how they can improve productivity, streamline operations, and deliver better guest experiences without simply adding more labour.
This is creating what Merriman described as a significant opportunity for operators willing to modernise their technology stack.
The question is no longer whether hospitality technology should play a larger role in venue operations.
The question is which technology investments will have the greatest impact.
Why This Matters for Australian Operators
Australian hospitality businesses face a unique combination of challenges that make technology investment increasingly attractive.
Many operators are balancing:
- Rising award wages and labour costs
- Continued staffing shortages across hospitality
- Pressure to improve productivity without reducing service quality
- Higher guest expectations around convenience and speed
- Increasing competition for discretionary consumer spending
- Complex venue operations that often combine food, beverage, entertainment, events, and retail experiences
For venue owners, the challenge is finding ways to do more with existing resources while continuing to deliver the hospitality experiences that Australian guests expect.
This is where technology can create meaningful operational leverage.
Technology Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
Historically, hospitality technology was often viewed as a back-office necessity.
A POS system processed transactions. A reservation platform handled bookings. A loyalty solution managed guest communications.
Today's leading operators view technology differently.
Technology has become a strategic tool for increasing guest spend, improving operational efficiency, reducing friction, and strengthening guest loyalty.
The venues seeing the strongest results are investing in platforms that help them:
- Serve more guests efficiently
- Improve throughput during peak periods
- Increase average guest spend
- Reduce operational complexity
- Gain better visibility into performance
- Create more personalised guest experiences
- Build stronger long-term guest relationships
The result is a shift from technology as a cost centre to technology as a growth driver.
Flexible Technology for Modern Australian Hospitality
As GoTab GM Merriman noted in the Dynamic Business article, operators are increasingly looking for technology platforms that can adapt to their business rather than forcing them into rigid workflows.
That flexibility is particularly important in Australia, where venues often operate across multiple service models.
A guest might order from the bar, open a tab on their phone, order food via QR code, attend a ticketed event, and make additional purchases throughout the venue during a single visit.
Traditional hospitality systems were not designed for this level of flexibility.
Modern hospitality platforms need to support a wide range of operating models, allowing venues to evolve as guest expectations and business needs change.
This is especially important for:
- Pubs and hotels
- Registered clubs
- Breweries and taprooms
- Restaurants and hospitality groups
- Food halls and multi-vendor venues
- Sporting venues
- Entertainment precincts
- Resorts and destination venues
The Rise of Hybrid Ordering
One of the most significant trends emerging across hospitality is the growth of hybrid ordering.
Hybrid ordering combines multiple ordering methods into a single guest experience, including:
- QR ordering
- Mobile order and pay
- Staff-assisted ordering
- Kiosks
- Handheld POS devices
- Traditional counter service
Guests gain greater convenience and control over how they interact with a venue.
Operators gain flexibility, efficiency, and the ability to serve more guests without creating unnecessary bottlenecks during peak periods.
For high-volume pubs, breweries, food halls, entertainment venues, and hospitality precincts, hybrid ordering can become a meaningful competitive advantage.
Rather than replacing hospitality, it gives guests more choice while allowing staff to focus on delivering exceptional service.
Looking Ahead
The broader message from the Dynamic Business article is that Australian hospitality operators may be entering an important technology investment cycle.
Economic pressures are unlikely to disappear. Guest expectations will continue to evolve. Competition will remain intense.
The businesses that thrive will be the ones that use technology strategically to create better guest experiences while operating more efficiently and profitably.
As Merriman shared in the article, the operators who view technology as an investment in long-term business performance rather than simply another expense will be best positioned to capitalise on the opportunities ahead.
The venues that embrace flexibility, efficiency, and guest-centric innovation today will be better equipped to navigate whatever comes next.
Request a Demo
Want to learn how leading hospitality operators are using technology to improve efficiency, increase guest spend, and create more flexible guest experiences?
Whether you operate a pub, brewery, club, restaurant, food hall, hotel, entertainment venue, or hospitality group, GoTab's open and flexible hospitality commerce platform can help you streamline operations, reduce friction, and grow more profitably.
Request a demo with the GoTab Australia team today and discover how modern hospitality technology can help future-proof your business.