In our busy world, ordering take out has become increasingly popular. Higher demand has pushed businesses to adapt their curbsides and kitchen set-ups to accommodate the changing dynamic. You have probably noticed this when you last parked at any given restaurant with to-go ordering; there are parking spots designated for to-go pick-ups with a limited park time. To-go ordering has introduced a whole new way of enjoying restaurant delicacies. Technology employment can create a smoother, convenient experience for your customers that will draw them to your restaurant. Thanks to technology progression, apps now offer extended benefits for both you and your customer. The ease and refinement of making to-go orders isn’t just left to the curbside alone though! Integrating apps in your restaurant functionality is a complete-package approach to doing business and operating smoothly, whether making to-go orders or tableside service.
What ordering via an App can do for your customers, and for you
Consumers have become increasingly more comfortable with desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones for an array of functions. Amazon shopping trends and progression display this behavior perfectly. Customers are moving away from call-in telephone orders to using apps for their dining experience. There is some serious room for growth of your restaurant if you haven’t yet introduced online ordering with a custom app. Here are some ways an app can serve both you and your customers a greater level of satisfaction.
Customer Convenience
Your customer plays the biggest part in marketing your atmosphere and cuisine. Their experience is predominantly ruled by ease and duration of service time, both dining in and to-go. It is far easier to open an app than it is to access browser tabs to search for the online ordering system. One tap, and your customer is ready to order from your menu. In using to-go ordering, the likelihood your customer doesn’t have a lot of time to dedicate to the action is fairly high. Save them time and even sway their preference to your restaurant by giving them an optimized system to swiftly make their order without pausing to make a call. The convenience also lies with the ability to pick up their order, especially when it comes to out-of-town travelers looking for a meal they can pick up and take back to their hotel. Providing map location with easy access to Map directions within your app will guide them with ease for pick-up. Apps provide practical convenience on many fronts for both the customer and your restaurant functionality.
Quicker, more accurate transactions
People like options and substitutions. Over the phone, customers may go back and forth with employees to decide orders which takes valuable time away from what that employee could be doing, preparing food or contributing to your dine-in customer’s experience. With the rise in diet restrictions and preferences, it is common to get asked about gluten or dairy free options. In an app, choices and substitutions can be integrated for clear, complete view of the customer to take THEIR time to select. This also allows the accuracy of orders to fall on the customer so they can ensure they order what they want and miscommunications aren’t made.
Streamlines the order-to-plate process
A mobile app acts much like an online order system in that it is your virtual storefront. The difference with an app, however, is in the notifications that can be easily seen and received. When an order is received for processing, notifications can be delivered in a customized manner according to your restaurant’s workflow. Notifications can be pushed to the right staff members and integrated with your processing system for easier visibility, accuracy, and delivery. In addition, apps can capture and store customer information such as name, address, phone number, payment information, order preferences and specifications to better organize customer relationship. This will also make your customers feel valued and like “the regulars” when they visit your establishment. Optimizing your app to function within your current team of employees is also a great way to keep your costs down. How can this be done? Utilizing an app integrated into your POS system specifically designed for your process can eliminate the need for a separate service counter dedicated for to-go orders, thus eliminating the need to hire extra hands.
Reviews, comments, and incentives
A mobile app will also give an easy way for customers to leave reviews about your service and their experience. Comments regarding improvement, praise, and menu or service suggestions can also be included to get pushed through your app directly to management for consideration. People are far more likely to leave reviews and comments through an app rather than a written survey. At the same time, it saves you extra cost in cardstock that can be easily lost and disorganized resulting in feedback going unseen. To-go reviews or surveys can contain specific questions to the experience while a tableside review can include questions about the atmosphere, servers, and food presentation. Enabling review prompts or a survey after a delivery is confirmed can be integrated and even customized to the order or customer. In addition, adding a reply option by management to ensure an issue resolved or extend thanks will go great lengths in customer satisfaction while boosting your reputation. An app can make this type of customer relationship correspondence quick and easy. Including a tip calculator and ability to tip the server after an order is received can also be utilized.
Including incentives and rewards such as coupons, “2 for 1’s”, specials of the day, etc. can all be exclusives for your app users to not only use the app, but to come back. Small rewards like a free drink or free dessert with the next purchase of a meal following a review can definitely give you a boost up in your online presence and ratings. Limiting these incentives to one per customer login order can also be incorporated to prevent spamming reviews or abuse of rewards.
To-wrap it up
Making your restaurant user friendly and easily visible through a mobile app is a strategic step in today’s market. Not only that, it is an efficiently productive way to manage your workflow and give people a take-out or dine-in experience which they will eagerly come back for. A strategically optimized app will unify your to-go order processing with your in-house dining rather than creating what can seem like another restaurant to manage. Your customers can experience little to no wait times, pricing and menu transparency, convenience of anytime and anyplace ordering, rewards, and more. Your restaurant can enjoy improved efficiency with reduced operating costs, accuracy of processing orders with greater productivity, retained customers with rewards and loyalty, ease of cash flow monitoring, and potential for increased sales as customers are enabled with convenience.
Mobile ordering comes as a complete package and one that can be beautifully customized to your needs. Whether booking dine-in meetings, organizing catering, offering to-go meals, or giving your regular dine-in customers some time saving ease, a mobile app can channel your customers directly to you both here and abroad. Reach out to us and we can help you capitalize on modern technology to both improve the sales and customer experience in your restaurant.