Restaurants are entering 2021 much differently than they started the year. With COVID-19 the buzzword of the day every day, social distance and contactless service options expected not preferred, and consumer trends still evolving on their own beneath the hubbub, the industry has its work cut out for itself going to face the new year.
eatOS is a restaurant technology company designed to meet the consumer need for speed and convenience, your desire for smooth software integration, and the general public demand for contactless services. Meet the new year right when you develop a better understanding of what’s coming and how best to handle the changing tides.
Trends in 2021
WHAT TO EXPECT: A push toward mobile ordering solutions.
HOW TO PREPARE: Open various online ordering channels to meet customers’ preferences no matter where they lie. orderOS made by eatOS is a personalized, branded merchant app that we individualize for each of our restaurant clients, along with a website, so you no longer have to rely on costly third party services.
Ordering isn’t the only thing going mobile: Marketing is being done this way too. More than half of customers search online for somewhere to eat when they’re unsure what they want or want to try something new. The quickness and ease with which customers can order from their smartphones make it even more important to be online and snag the impulse buyers who scroll through apps when they’re starving.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Increased importance placed on who you have as guests, not just how many.
HOW TO PREPARE: Timing is critical. If you don’t post on your social media at the right time or run promotions appropriately, how can you know what guests want? Engagement deepens your relationships, so you learn when they prefer to come in, their favorite dishes, and more so you can develop targeted marketing campaigns aimed right at the heart of their expectations.
eatOS lets you create customer profiles to save guest information, track them down for contact tracing, quickly reorder their usual, and give every patron a smoother restaurant experience overall.
WHAT TO EXPECT: A more localized focus.
HOW TO PREPARE: Find an appropriate sales radius, as this will determine whom you market to and how far out you deliver. Ask your customers directly or make use of those customer profiles you’ve been building to find out what they want. Test out different promotional deals, new happy hours, and more; see what works for your most loyal customers and create a brand that’s tailored to the local community.
You can incorporate local events and nearby competitors into your marketing strategy as well; find out when they’re hosting special occasions or catered parties and come up with creative ways to join your efforts and reach each other’s customer bases. If you partner up with local attractions or the nearby winery, for example, then you’re not encroaching into each other’s business, but your services still pair well together. Everybody wins.
Tech Rises to Meet Demand
Technology makes business operations run smoother, so you can easily intake mobile and online orders, focus on customer preferences, and create better marketing campaigns to support the local community where your best guests live, work, and play. Consumer expectations are changing, and technology is here to meet the new demands.
With eatOS, you get all the benefits of our branded merchant app and online ordering platform, tap-to-pay solutions, and NFC transaction capabilities; automatic upselling prompts; customer profiles, and more. From integrated software that makes payroll easy to an optimized mobile menu, eatOS believes in preparing your restaurant to meet 2021 and all that’s going to bring.
Convenience, speed, and better service are all on the menu for the new year. Book a demo with eatOS, and we’ll meet the future of foodservice together.
