All owners and managers want their restaurant hardware to run flawlessly, but not all of them approach repair services from the same perspective. In fact, we’re learning that generational divides play a larger role in decision-making than we previously believed.
In general, Baby Boomers and Gen Xers see hardware repair services as a reactive safeguard tied to protecting investments and reducing risk. Millennials and Gen Z, meanwhile, push for proactive solutions: the former lean on data and transparency, while the latter also demand instant, digital-first support on top of this transparency.
As repair is defined differently across generations, these shifting expectations are reshaping the service landscape. This article looks at this expanding diversity among the decision-makers for hardware repair and field installation services, and why understanding and meeting all their expectations is just as critical as fixing the equipment itself. (Spoiler: those overseeing equipment upkeep are increasingly trending younger.)
For seasoned franchise owners who are often older individuals, hardware repair services act as a safeguard, much like insurance. Their main goal is to protect investments and keep operations running smoothly, letting owners focus on the bigger picture of their business. These operators are willing to lock in multi-year service contracts when they view them as reliable safety nets. To them, repair is a straightforward break/fix assignment: it only needs to be front-of-mind when something goes wrong, and trust is built face-to-face.
Many Boomer and Gen X operators came up in an era without today’s constant presence of technology or predictive analytics, and their approach reflects this hands-on, reactive mentality. It wasn’t unusual for them to take on hardware repairs themselves (and things were built better back then, so the need for repair was less frequent). But as restaurant systems have become increasingly complex, most older restaurant owners now delegate repair tasks to younger team members who bring fresh perspectives and new expectations to the role. In other words, the person paying for the POS repair and other hardware fixes may not be the same person who uses the equipment. Restaurant ownership itself is also becoming much more generationally diverse.
As Millennials increasingly take on ownership and system maintenance roles, they approach hardware repairs with a more digital mindset. Data and transparency are central to how they run their business, so it feels natural for them to manage repairs using predictive service models, preventive maintenance schedules, transparent SLAs, and dashboards that track uptime like a KPI. To them, reactive repair seems outdated — no longer just an insurance policy waiting in the background. Instead, they want data to help spot and prevent issues before they arise.
Millennials remain open to working with live technicians and value building partnerships, but they’ll only work with technicians who are proactive in their approach. They expect specialists to be engaged and involved, not simply waiting for a call but actively helping to keep systems running smoothly.
The next generation of managers grew up in a world that’s always connected. For Gen Z, dialing a 1-800 number and speaking with someone directly is simply out of the question. They expect to jump into a live chat and have a technician dispatched that same day, all without any need for human interaction. Gen Z customers don’t seek social connection or relationship building. They want the technician to arrive, fix the issue, and be on their merry way. Next time a problem arises, they simply get on live chat again. It doesn’t matter who comes, as long as the person is competent.
For Gen Z, repair is about convenience, not contracts. Even predictive analytics aren’t enough. They expect everything to be fast, proactive, and digital-first, reducing predictive service to a bare minimum for meeting their expectations.
The Takeaways
Now that we’ve identified the distinct generational attitudes and expectations toward repair, how should restaurant equipment repair services adapt their approach? What key insights and best practices can help them effectively meet the needs of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z?
Perhaps the biggest takeaway is to make sure to recognize the assumptions and comfort zones of each generation and meet them where they are. At the same time, introducing the proactive, data-driven, and digital-first mindset of younger generations could serve as a catalyst for improving uptime across the board.
For Boomers and Gen X highly who trust and reliability, adding predictive models as a layer on top of their existing priorities could yield significant cost-saving benefits. According to an article on xtraCHEF.com, a four-hour outage at a restaurant with $10,000 in daily revenue can cost up to $4,000. An article on Milagrocorp.com also reported that a 1% drop in uptime may result in $12,470 in lost revenue annually. Another study revealed that unplanned equipment failures drain as much as 11% of annual revenue across QSRs.
These numbers clearly show why operators are eager to move from reactive to proactive strategies. Younger generations are leading the way, and ongoing technological advances are making it easier and more cost-effective for all operators to adopt these smart restaurant repair and maintenance models. This shift is more than a trend. It’s where the entire industry is heading.
Samantha Young is a marketing leader in restaurant technology, known for driving brand evolution, partner growth, and thought leadership across some of the industry’s most influential companies. She currently serves as Product Marketing Manager at PAR Technology, guiding hardware strategy and cross-business integration, and was recognized with the 2024 CEO Award for her impact and leadership. With a background spanning Global Payments, ReSource Point of Sale, and Xenial, Samantha has consistently built programs that combine storytelling, strategy, and measurable results.
