Autec's food delivery system uses a food-safe conveyor belt to transport prepared dishes automatically from the kitchen directly to seated guests.

We reached out to industry insiders to garner their insights on what issues have impacted the industry over the last five years and what issues they feel will impact restaurants in the years to come.

Consider the sushi conveyor belt. That wondrous, autonomous carrying mechanism that brought delicious bits of salmon, toro and more, right to your seat. While this used to be a kind of fun novelty (here in the U.S. anyway), with the pandemic forcing restaurants to re-think their operations, could we see more conveyor belts once we eat out again?