.jpeg)
Now that you've decided to take your restaurant online, the transition can have unimaginable benefits for your establishment. Having an online presence makes you 'easily visible' to patrons who'd otherwise never heard about you.
To stay relevant in today's F&B market, more restaurants than ever have started to go tech-savvy and offer online ordering & delivery. The online delivery market is expected to surpass $200 Billion in a few years. To reap the benefits of the same, restaurateurs must keep the below-mentioned points into consideration.
Are you planning to take your restaurant online and miss-out on 2.7 billion active users? Facebook, as we know, is the biggest social media network in the world. If your restaurant is set to debut on the internet, one should create a vivid presence and sign-up for the Facebook ordering tool. According to a report by Forbes, 'Facebook ordering' is the next big technological boom!
Restaurants not having a Facebook ordering tool handy are missing out on hundreds of daily orders. Not just that, the tool unlocks your access to huge customer data, helps you build brand loyalty & lower marketing expenses as well.
You can have all the high-tech systems in place. However, if your staff doesn't know how to leverage the tech, it's as good as nothing! Restaurant owners must create a training plan and schedule demos of the technology for staff. Conducting role-play sessions & real-time simulations can help your staff attune to the online ordering tool and process better.
How to handle peak time orders? What to do in-case of order discrepancy? All these scenarios account for the successful processing of online orders. You can't simply upgrade to technology without teaching people how to use it the right way.
One of the biggest mistakes restaurateurs make is not having an ADA compliant website or application. The Federal regulations mandate restaurant websites to adhere to WCAG 2.0 standards and offer superior accessibility features to people.
With over 50 million people with disabilities in the USA alone, restaurants should create ADA compliant websites which offer ease of ordering to patrons from all spheres of life. Do you know there were 2256 lawsuits against establishments in Federal courts for not having an ADA compliant website?
Having an online ordering system is all great! But, to get the best bang for your buck, you must promote the tool on your social media accounts. For restaurants, having multiple social media platforms is bliss. You can promote your establishment and the ordering tool itself on social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
You can give away promos and pitch exclusive deals with your social media posts. Restaurants can start posting pixel-perfect photos and videos of foods. Good lighting, attention to detail, unique dishes, expert storytelling can get your food selling like hotcakes.
With over 46% of Google searches aimed at local information, businesses for long have leveraged 'near-me' searches of search engines. Once your site is up, you should optimize it for local search and make it easy to find for the local audience. Show people that you're open for business by updating Google's local business page listing. Moreover, restaurants can ask customers to put valuable feedback/reviews on your establishment's listing. This motivates a lot of patrons to order from you!
The increasing number of positive reviews can have a dramatic and booming impact on daily orders. A website without a listing in the world's most popular search engine is hidden from the majority. You can also attach the photos of your restaurant's interior and foods in the listing. The mouth-watering food can woo potential customers like anything!
It's not just the food that counts. The containers that go with the food cast a multitude of impressions. A well-packed and engaging packaging boosts the dining experience of patrons. Any packaging mishaps or food spillage can ruin the experience and may discourage them to order again from you. Restaurant owners must work on a creative yet secured packaging that looks captivating and keeps the food hot.
Good packaging is free marketing too. The packaging draws consumer's attention, it appeals to positive & hungry emotions while representing your brand and the story! Just like every kid can recognize McDonald's Happy Meal Box in a wink, your restaurant's packaging should be enticing enough. Pack sauces and condiments separately, pick proper insulation, and go with right-sized containers. The right packaging and delish food can turn random customers into loyal patrons in no time.
Many restaurants often keep the same menu for dine-in and takeaway/delivery orders. To ensure successful deliveries, restaurants should have a delivery-centric menu in-place. This type of menu typically features food that is not as presentation centric. The trick here is to have a variant of dishes that your patrons can consume in an informal and cozy setting.
The best-selling food items might not be the best choice for delivery. However, you can always tailor the best-sellers and make them more deliverable and still look captivating. A fresh and full lobster might not be the best pick for your delivery menu, but Pizza, Rolls, Chinese take-outs, Sandwiches, Wraps, Burgers, etc. are!
COVID guidelines have made restaurants focus on delivery more than ever. With more millennials tending to use technology and order food online, keeping your restaurant in the right spot and not missing out on the above points can get you a great deal of online orders.
