As the country’s response to COVID-19 changes and consumer attitudes shift in reaction to new policies, restaurants and other hospitality businesses have to adapt to meet changing expectations toward health, safety and the food service experience in general.
When the pandemic forced restaurants to shift primarily to off-premising dining solutions like takeout, delivery and curbside services, many were unprepared for the unexpectedly heavy strain on their resources and inexperienced with handling the uptick in web traffic. To speed the process and reap the benefits of exposing your brand to a new, built-in audience equipped with its own marketing efforts and couriers, some restaurants turned to third party ordering platforms because they’re quick and efficient.
No Commissions or Hidden Fees
Recently shifting attitudes amongst business owners have thrown a wrench into their merchant relationships with third parties. They feel that high commission fees are unfairly gouging from the restaurants’ profits when they already operate on thin margins, plus the global pandemic makes finances even tighter. When it comes down to it, mobile ordering apps let customers order directly from their favorite places to eat, thus supporting local business, and you don’t have to pay fees that can climb as high as 30%.
Build Customer Profiles
Some online ordering platforms, such as the one powered by eatOS, build guest profiles to collect key sales information you can then incorporate into menu management and ad campaigns. Profiles make it easier to integrate rewards programs as well, which generate genuine loyalty and drive repeated visits to aggregate more data. It’s a positive cycle that increases revenue as you expand your network and narrows down your target audience.
Improve Ordering and Accuracy
With technology features like self- and mobile-ordering, guests submit their own ticket and have time to look over it amply, so order accuracy increases and their turn times get faster because they’re submitted automatically to the Kitchen Display Screen. Improve your staff’s productivity as well when, instead of pressing buttons and running back and forth to give tickets to the cooks, they can spend time cultivating a friendlier, face-to-face customer experience.
Digital Marketing
Advertising is online just like most other businesses these days. Restaurants are learning to narrow down their target audience and get their attention through email contact, mobile ad campaigns, newsletters and even blog posts. Embed backlinks on social media to guide customers directly to your online ordering platform from whatever social network they’re using.
With orderOS, an online ordering app, we personalize a branded platform specially designed for your restaurant’s needs. Just make sure that you’re putting out the right promotional material to get the most of your new system so they’re notified before the release and can get excited and even spread the words to their friends.
Interested in learning more about the future of online ordering? Book a demo with eatOS and learn why the future of food service is better restaurant management—on and offline.
