For marketing teams at emerging restaurant brands, data-driven marketing ends up as just another thing on the “nice-to-have” board, shoved aside by the immediate needs of promotions, ads, or social media.

Let’s rewind The year is 2005. Smartphones don’t exist, social media is in its infancy, and ordering food online seems theoretical. This is a time where “going digital” means having a basic website with your menu and hours, if you’re ahead of the curve. Most restaurants consider advanced technology to be a point-of-sale (POS) system. Having reliable Internet in your restaurant is rather unusual.

Chipotle gained a guest for life the first time I tried its burrito. I was visiting friends in Chicago in 2004, and I stopped into Chipotle hoping for an inexpensive, filling lunch. Maybe the manager could tell I was working at a nonprofit at the time, because as he handed me the burrito he said, “This one’s on me.”

When it comes to restaurant technology, there’s a huge difference between offering online ordering and creating a personalized, easy-to-use guest experience.