Your guide to restaurant technologies used in the COVID-19 era.
Restaurants have a significant role in building the society. Without them, the social life of the customers is reduced entirely. They bring people together in difficult times.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has left everyone disconnected with no choice except to take the best precautionary measures.
Restaurateurs are facing major difficulties in increasing the profit margin. According to Dineout India, 10% of their total 50,000 restaurant partners have decided to close their restaurants. This might seem less, but on the national level, this number keeps on increasing. Another estimate from the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) states that over 2 million people involved in the restaurant industry might lose their jobs.
In such a grave economic situation, how can one keep fighting to stay alive and find ways to earn profits. Well, the answer to this lies in accepting and adapting to the newest restaurant technology.
Why Choose Restaurant Technology?
Apart from the risk of microbial infections, and going contactless, restaurant technology can also help you in many other ways like:
- Time-efficient
- Reduces the overhead cost
- Fewer chances of human errors
- Overall increased efficiency of your restaurant
So, now is the time to be a part of the restaurant digital revolution and keeping up in the race of being one of the finest restaurants in the restaurant and food industry.
Some of the smart ways to use Restaurant Technology to transform your business in this pandemic
Out of crisis comes “OPPORTUNITY.”
Due to this pandemic, the world has seen a restaurant digital revolution. Restaurant owners have adapted different types of restaurant technologies like the online food ordering system, contactless menu, kiosks, etc..
Let’s take a look at each one of them.
Online Food Ordering – The Latest Trend
We cannot deny that online food ordering systems have helped restaurants in sustaining their businesses. These systems have become a saviour in the times of the pandemic. The online sales may still be low compared to the pre-COVID-19 times, but they are still better than nothing.
Online food ordering systems have helped people go contactless, along with having the chance of ordering from their favourite restaurants.
The primary issue the restaurants face is the hefty commission fees they’ve to pay to third-party services. However, you can have your in-house online ordering facility to keep all your profits to yourself plus have additional benefits of it like increased branding, efficient services, and many more.
QR-based Menus – Go Contactless
Plastic and reusable menu cards are known to be a storehouse of bacteria and other such germs. Now, customers prefer contactless menu options like digital menus or QR based menus.
Digital menus are an expensive option. Also, once you’ve used them, there is no scope for any changes in the future.
On the other hand, QR-based menus are the best option. These menus are cost-effective, simple to use, and contactless. All you need to do is generate a QR-code for your restaurant and then put it on the tabletops or hang it in a way that people can see them. Once they scan the QR-code, they get the menu right in their phones!
Digital Payment – The Future of Restaurants
Digital payment has been out and about for ages, yet many customers preferred hard cash instead of using digital payment options due to bank frauds and failed transactions.
However, times have changed. Customers now prefer going for digital payment options like Net Banking, Google Pay, Credit/Debit cards, and many more. Thus, having an efficient digital payment system is a major requirement for your restaurant.
You can also encourage your customers to order food and get various deals if they choose digital payment.
Reservations – Encourage Social Distancing
Social distancing is a must at this time. Any mishap from your side can cause your restaurant’s reputation to go down in the drain.
Table reservation systems can help you gauge the inflow of your customers. It helps in deciding the table arrangement to encourage proper social distancing norms. Secondly, it can also help you with carrying out all the cleaning procedures like disinfecting the tables, floor, and other restaurant items.
We, at Grubly, offer an online table reservation system to all our clients and customers, for more convenience and safety.
Digital Feedback – Contactless Customer Review
Getting feedback from your customers is always a great option to know what they really want and how their needs are changing.
Initially, the restaurant owners used to take feedback either through feedback forms or touch-screen tablets.
However, feedback forms are not a feasible option due to the massive cost of printing and the threats it’d pose due to the indirect contact between you and your customer. Similarly, touch-screen tablets would also require constant sanitizing and cleaning.
Due to this, digital feedback forms are the best option. Your website can have a feedback section where the customers can review their experience with you and help your restaurant to improve.
Order Via Facebook – Use Social Media to the Fullest
Facebook has many users who are interested in ordering food online. So why not grab this opportunity?
All you have to do is create a Facebook profile, insert all the details like your restaurant’s address, phone number, WhatsApp number, and your serving time.
Put up appealing pictures of your dishes and let your customers contact you via Facebook Messenger chat box, WhatsApp, or your phone number!
Curbside Pickup – No Physical Contact
If you haven’t heard about this term, let me break it to you in a simple way. To minimize physical contact, restaurants came up with this idea to keep their employees safe, along with keeping up with their customers’ demands.
The customers can order their food online or place an order through calling. The restaurant employees can keep the parcel in the car trunks of the customers or rather just keep it outside, in a safe condition, for the customers to pick it up.
Curbside pickup is an effective technique to minimize the risk of contracting any infection and also earn profits.
Conclusion
There are also many other technologies like automated order notification for easy management. These technologies can help your restaurant to gain customers and, in turn, gain more profit. They also help in ensuring the safety of your customers, employees, as well as, yours.
So, go ahead, get friendly with all these contactless technologies, and prosper in your restaurant business. While you’re at it, you can also check how Grubly can offer you all these technologies.
