Ways of Business Model Improvement in the Context of Digitalization based on the Best World Practices (Example of the Public Catering Industry)

In conditions of rapidly changing economic environment, representatives of all branches of the national economy should be ready to adapt and improve their business models to achievements of the digitalization. Usually conservative in terms of technological development, public catering industry is not an exception. Russian public catering enterprises are far behind foreign competitors in terms of innovative business models application. This research is directed to identification and formulation of the recommendations, created on the basis of the best world practices, to significantly improve business models of the Russian public catering companies in the conditions of digitalization. For achievement of the stated goal the analysis of a public catering industry and trends, defining future development of the industry, in the USA, the countries of Europe, Japan and Russia has been carried out. Also the level of digital economy products' implementation by the Russian average representative of industry has been considered. Following the results of the research it has turned out that the Russian public catering industry can be characterized by the low level of modern automation services and analytucal tools application, as well as poor technological equipment usage because of relatively low level of the competition on domestic market and also the high resistance to technological innovations from companies' managers with low level of technological literacy. Finally, the result of the work is formulation and definition of three groups of recommendations, that, if implemented, should increase the competitiveness of Russian public catering companies and the whole industry as a result of business model improvements by digitalization achievements integration. Key words: Business model, Public catering industry, Digitalization