Over 65% of restaurant owners using AI and robots for labor-saving investments report improved operating profit margins due to redeployment of human resources!

MM International Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shuichi Hashimoto) conducted a "Survey on the Management Impact of AI and Robot Adoption in the Restaurant Industry" targeting restaurant owners (men and women in their 20s to 60s). The survey revealed the current status of AI and robot utilization by restaurant owners, the effects of their introduction on management, and their intentions for future labor-saving investments.

Background Amidst structural changes such as continuous minimum wage increases and chronic labor shortages, labor-saving investments in the restaurant industry, such as the introduction of self-checkout systems and delivery robots, are gaining attention as management strategies that go beyond "cost reduction." In particular, restaurant owners who have been early adopters of AI and robots, which have recently garnered significant interest, may be achieving "creation of new value" through the redeployment of human resources, not just labor cost reduction. However, there has been no previous survey to clarify the actual situation of such pioneers. Therefore, MM International Co., Ltd. conducted the "Survey on the Management Impact of AI and Robot Adoption in the Restaurant Industry" targeting restaurant owners.

Survey Summary - Over 15% of restaurant owners are "utilizing" or "considering utilizing" AI and robots as labor-saving investments in their operations. - The main operations where AI and robots are being utilized or considered for labor-saving investments are "sales promotion/SNS management" and "sales analysis." - The most common task for redeployment or planned redeployment of human resources created through labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption is "qualitative improvement of customer service." - Over 65% of restaurant owners who utilize AI and robots for labor-saving investments reported that "their company's operating profit margin improved" as a result of implementing these investments and redeploying human resources. - Among restaurant owners who utilize or are considering utilizing AI and robots for labor-saving investments, over 60% believe that restaurants that do not implement such labor-saving investments will "maintain their current status or grow" in the future, while over 25% believe that such restaurants will "decline or be eliminated." - The top three business areas where restaurant owners want to further strengthen labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption in the future are: 1st place, "Sales Analysis/Demand Forecasting"; 2nd place, "Inventory Management/Ordering"; and 3rd place, "Shift Management/Labor Management."

Survey Overview Survey Period: June 26, 2026 - June 29, 2026 Survey Method: Internet Survey Target Audience: Restaurant Owners (Men and Women, 20s-60s) Number of Respondents: 720 Monitor Provider: RC Research Data * Since the response ratios are rounded to the second decimal place, the sum of response ratios may not be 100.0%.

Over 15% of restaurant owners are "utilizing" or "considering utilizing" AI and robots as labor-saving investments in their operations. First, in response to the question "Do you utilize AI (generative AI such as ChatGPT, AI customer support tools, SaaS with AI functions, etc.) or robots (delivery robots, cooking robots, etc.) in your operations as labor-saving investments?", the results were: 1st place, "Not utilizing" with 83.2%; 2nd place, "Considering utilization" with 9.4%; and 3rd place, "Utilizing" with 7.4%. Although "Not utilizing" was the most common answer, the combined percentages of the 2nd and 3rd place responses were 16.8%, revealing that over 15% of restaurant owners are "utilizing" or "considering utilizing" AI and robots in their operations as labor-saving investments.

The main operations where AI and robots are being utilized or considered for labor-saving investments are "sales promotion/SNS management" and "sales analysis." Next, to the question "What operations are you utilizing or considering utilizing AI and robots for as labor-saving investments?", asked to restaurant owners who are utilizing or considering utilizing AI and robots, the results were: 1st place, tied between "Sales Promotion/SNS Management (e.g., AI-generated text and image creation)" and "Sales Analysis (e.g., AI-driven visualization of sales trends)" with 40.5%; and 3rd place, "Reservation Acceptance/Inquiry Handling (e.g., AI chatbots)" with 33.9%. These results indicate that the main operations for which AI and robots are being utilized or considered as labor-saving investments are "sales promotion/SNS management" and "sales analysis."

The most common task for redeployment or planned redeployment of human resources created through labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption is "qualitative improvement of customer service." Subsequently, to the question "What tasks are human resources created through labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption being redeployed to, or planned to be redeployed to?", asked to restaurant owners who are utilizing or considering utilizing AI and robots, the results were: 1st place, "Qualitative Improvement of Customer Service" with 47.1%; 2nd place, "Planning and Development of New Menu Items" with 35.5%; and 3rd place, "SNS Management/Sales Promotion Planning" with 30.6%. This indicates that the most common task for redeployment or planned redeployment of human resources created through labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption is "qualitative improvement of customer service."

Over 65% of restaurant owners who utilize AI and robots for labor-saving investments reported that "their company's operating profit margin improved" as a result of implementing these investments and redeploying human resources. Furthermore, to the question "What changes have occurred in your company's operating profit margin as a result of implementing labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption and redeploying human resources?", asked to restaurant owners who utilize AI and robots for labor-saving investments, the results were: 1st place, "Slightly improved (less than 5%)" with 43.4%; 2nd place, "No change" with 30.2%; and 3rd place, "Significantly improved (5% or more)" with 22.6%. The combined percentages of the 1st and 3rd place responses were 66.0%, revealing that over 65% of restaurant owners who utilize AI and robots for labor-saving investments reported that "their company's operating profit margin improved" as a result of implementing these investments and redeploying human resources.

Among restaurant owners who utilize or are considering utilizing AI and robots for labor-saving investments, over 60% believe that restaurants that do not implement such labor-saving investments will "maintain their current status or grow" in the future, while over 25% believe that such restaurants will "decline or be eliminated." Next, to the question "What do you think will happen to the business continuity of restaurants that do not implement labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption?", asked to restaurant owners who are utilizing or considering utilizing AI and robots, the results were: 1st place, "I think they will maintain their current status" with 33.1%; 2nd place, "I think they will grow" with 29.8%; 3rd place, "I think they will gradually decline" with 20.7%; and 4th place, "I think they will eventually be eliminated" with 5.8%. The combined percentages of the 1st and 2nd place responses were 62.9%, indicating that over 60% of restaurant owners who utilize or are considering utilizing AI and robots for labor-saving investments believe that restaurants that do not implement such labor-saving investments will "maintain their current status or grow" in the future. On the other hand, the combined percentages of the 3rd and 4th place responses were 26.5%, revealing that over 25% believe that such restaurants will "decline or be eliminated."

The top three business areas where restaurant owners want to further strengthen labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption in the future are: 1st place, "Sales Analysis/Demand Forecasting"; 2nd place, "Inventory Management/Ordering"; and 3rd place, "Shift Management/Labor Management." Finally, to the question "In which business areas do you want to further strengthen labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption in the future?", asked to restaurant owners who are utilizing or considering utilizing AI and robots, the results were: 1st place, "Sales Analysis/Demand Forecasting" with 41.3%; 2nd place, "Inventory Management/Ordering" with 38.0%; and 3rd place, "Shift Management/Labor Management" with 35.5%. These results show that "Sales Analysis/Demand Forecasting" was the most frequently mentioned area for future strengthening of labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption.

Conclusion This survey revealed that over 15% of restaurant owners are "utilizing" or "considering utilizing" AI and robots in their operations as labor-saving investments. Furthermore, the main operations for which AI and robots are being utilized or considered are "sales promotion/SNS management" and "sales analysis," and the most common task for redeployment or planned redeployment of human resources created through labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption is "qualitative improvement of customer service." Additionally, over 65% of restaurant owners who utilize AI and robots for labor-saving investments reported that "their company's operating profit margin improved" as a result of implementing these investments and redeploying human resources. Moreover, it was found that among restaurant owners who utilize or are considering utilizing AI and robots for labor-saving investments, over 60% believe that restaurants that do not implement such labor-saving investments will "maintain their current status or grow" in the future, while over 25% believe that such restaurants will "decline or be eliminated." Lastly, the top three business areas for which restaurant owners want to further strengthen labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption in the future were identified as: 1st place, "Sales Analysis/Demand Forecasting"; 2nd place, "Inventory Management/Ordering"; and 3rd place, "Shift Management/Labor Management."

In response to the finding from this survey that "redeployment of human resources created through labor-saving investments such as AI and robot adoption leads to improved operating profit margins in restaurants," MM International Co., Ltd.'s commercial small cleaning robot "JINNY20" supports the reform of restaurant revenue structures by saving labor in cleaning operations. Optimization of cleaning operations using JINNY20 enhances flexibility in staffing and achieves operational efficiency. This allows for the redeployment of created resources to core operations such as customer service and cooking, contributing to the resolution of labor shortages in the restaurant industry, improvement of service quality, and enhancement of store profitability.

Supervised by MM International Co., Ltd. President and CEO, Shuichi Hashimoto (Shuichi Hashimoto) After working at a patent firm, he joined Maruhan Corporation in 1996. He started his career as a floor staff member at a pachinko hall and progressed through roles such as store manager, area manager, and sales department manager. Recognized for his high achievements in on-site operations and organizational management, he was appointed President and CEO of MM International Co., Ltd., a company engaged in building maintenance, in 2011. Upon his appointment, he initiated reforms to the business structure, which had been heavily reliant on its parent company for sales. By promoting organizational culture reform and strengthening sales capabilities, he achieved a transition to self-reliant management through the expansion of the external sales business. Currently, he advocates "Cleaning 3.0" to address the challenges of labor shortages and productivity improvement in the cleaning industry. He disseminates new approaches to cleaning where humans and robots collaborate, and works towards the realization of a sustainable cleaning industry through the promotion of its in-house developed commercial small cleaning robot "JINNY20" and the advancement of DX in cleaning sites.

Survey Conducted by MM International Co., Ltd. Location: Hulic Kanda-bashi Building 7F, 1-21-1 Kanda-nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0054 President and CEO: Shuichi Hashimoto Business Activities: Cleaning management of buildings and various ancillary facilities, equipment maintenance management, integrated management of various facilities, sales of sanitary supplies and cleaning equipment, robotics business (JINNY), etc. URL: https://mmin-net.co.jp/

JINNY20 "JINNY20," which advocates "Cleaning 3.0 ~A Society Where Humans and Robots Collaborate~" and boasts cumulative sales of over 2,000 units nationwide, is a commercial small cleaning robot developed by professionals in comprehensive building maintenance who have mastered the use of robots. While having a compact size comparable to household robots, it is equipped with functions unique to commercial-grade equipment and supports the optimization of cleaning operations in various facilities. By optimizing cleaning operations using JINNY20, it contributes to solving various management challenges such as resolving labor shortages in cleaning sites, improving operational efficiency, and reducing costs. For details, please see here. JINNY20: https://mmin-net.co.jp/jinny/