Every year Hospitality Technology magazine has presented the MURTEC Breakthrough Awards to restaurant companies for their outstanding achievement, vision, and leadership in technical innovation.

Technology's impact continues to expand and now touches nearly every transaction along the guest journey, and every aspect of restaurant operations.
 

The MURTEC Breakthrough Awards will take place on October 21-23, 2024 at the MURTEC Executive Summit at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, Calif.

Finalists will be notified and announced in September 2024, and winners will be announced live at MURTEC Executive Summit!

More than ever before, restaurant executives in a wide range of roles are involved in the technology ideation process.

Technologists are joined by leaders in marketing, revenue management, guest experience and more to source, architect, and optimize business solutions that drive revenue, improve operations, deliver winning guest experiences, and empower the workforce.

To recognize these inspiring stories from across the industry, the MURTEC Breakthrough Awards have two categories.
 

These awards recognize the restaurant operator’s work in the last 18 months. Submissions can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party (including PR firms, agencies and vendor partners.) Vendors are not eligible to receive these awards but are able to nominate their restaurants for consideration.

See eligibility for additional information. 

Enterprise Innovator 

This is presented to the company that has leveraged a specific strategy or technology beyond standard practice to improve overall restaurant operations. 

Areas of innovation can include but are not limited to:

Infrastructure: For technologies that improve hotel operations across the enterprise and/or back-office applications. Technologies can include, but are not limited to, POS, CRS, network infrastructure, data & analytics, etc.

Human Resources: For innovations in the use of technology to empower, recruit, optimize or otherwise manage the workforce. Areas can include but should not be limited to hiring, scheduling, tipping, payroll, training, workforce communications, etc.

Sales & Marketing: For innovations in the use of sales and/or marketing technology to boost brand awareness, customer satisfaction, occupancy, and/or revenue. Examples include customer relationship management (CRM), loyalty programs, email marketing campaigns, social media marketing, Web3, digital menu boards, and upsell technology.

Sustainability: For a technology initiative that contributes to a restaurant brand’s overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. This can be at a corporate level or at a location level. Examples include improvements in food waste and non-food waste, energy conservation, and/or water conservation.

Customer Engagement Innovator 

This is presented to the company that has leveraged a specific strategy or technologies to improve the guest experience, increase guest satisfaction, loyalty, and/or brand reputation.

Potential concepts can include but are not limited to: 

Digital Ordering: For a technology initiative related to the ordering and delivery of food including mobile apps, kiosks, websites, mobile wallet, and loyalty.
 
Guest Experience: For the innovative use of technology to improve the guest experience during any phase of their journey. Examples could include guest-facing communication and engagement solutions, location-based services, AI voice assistants, mobile apps, loyalty, social media, Web3 and personalization solutions. 
 
Guest-Facing Technology: For technology initiatives that are specifically guest-facing. This may include, but is not limited to kiosks, tableside ordering/ payment, voice assistants, digital menu boards, etc.