Beyond the transation: Why 2026 is the Year of the Individual

We have spent the last decade digitising the dining experience, yet much of the conversation remains stubbornly reductive. We still hear debates about whether kiosks “dehumanise” service or if digital ordering is “killing” hospitality.

In my view, these arguments miss the mark because they focus on the how rather than the who. The “Holy Grail” for 2026 isn’t just about having the latest tech; it is about achieving a level of personalisation that treats every guest not as a data point in a homogeneous block, but as an individual with a unique relationship with your brand.

To understand where we are going, we must look at how the most successful brands are evolving. Take diverse brands like Coco di Mama, Wasabi, Pizza Express and Ottolenghi as prime examples. They have transitioned from being a collection of restaurants to a true “food retail brand.” They exist in bricks-and-mortar sites, on delivery apps, in supermarket aisles, and on bookshelves.

The future belongs to the operators who can bridge these silos. The goal for 2026 is a truly omnichannel existence where a brand is recognised and resonant across every touchpoint. However, the real magic happens when you bring the data from those disparate channels into one place. When you can see that a customer visits your London Bridge site twice a month, orders a Friday night delivery once a quarter, and buys your branded sauce at Sainsbury’s, you finally unlock the Single Customer View.

Most hospitality marketing is still a blunt instrument—broad promotions blasted to a database in the hope that something sticks. In 2026, this must become a relic of the past.
With a clean, unified data set, we move into the era of propensity. We aren’t just looking at what a customer bought; we are looking at their propensity to pay and their propensity to engage at a specific time. We can begin to use price elasticity modeling not just at a product level, but at a consumer level; a clear mission for our team at Openr right now.

If we know a guest values convenience on a Tuesday lunchtime but seeks an experience on a Saturday night, our communication should reflect that. We should be offering the right information, the right product, and the right price at the exact moment it becomes relevant to them.

The friction often cited between technology and hospitality usually stems from a “brand-first” rather than a “consumer-first” mentality. If an operator introduces a kiosk purely to save on labour costs, the guest feels that lack of value.

In my previous role at Vita Mojo, we learned that for digital transformation to succeed, the consumer must perceive the change as a positive value-add. Whether that is transparency around allergens, the speed of click-and-collect, or access to exclusive loyalty rewards, the tech must augment the experience.

In 2026, the brands that thrive will be those that use technology to remove friction, allowing the human element of hospitality to shine where it matters most. We must stop asking “Is tech good for hospitality?” and start asking “How does this tech serve my guest’s specific needs?”

Ultimately, personalisation is the engine of Lifetime Value (LTV). When you understand why, when, and at what price a consumer wants to engage with you, you move beyond the transactional. You create a relationship.

The brands that will dominate the landscape in 2026 and beyond are those currently doing the hard yards: cleaning their data, integrating their channels, and shifting their focus from what the operator wants to what the consumer needs.

The future of hospitality isn’t just digital; it’s personal. It’s time we started treating our guests like the individuals they are.