We are immersed in a culture in which convenience reigns supreme. We expect instant gratification, fast service, and easy access to everything we need. This culture of convenience has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives, including the restaurant industry.
In the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry dive for 2021, 53% of adults say purchasing takeout or delivery food is essential to the way they live. Across each of the 6 major segments, off-premise dining represents a larger proportion of sales than it did pre-COVID-19. Nearly half (48%) of consumers planning to order takeout or delivery say the availability of online ordering would make them choose one restaurant over another. Many restaurants, including over half of fine dining operators, added the option during 2021 and 2022. According to the 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry, 47% of operators expect competition to be more intense in 2023 than last year.
So, how can your restaurant capitalize on the culture of convenience? Let’s explore more about how to make convenience your restaurant’s competitive advantage.
Capture and leverage valuable customer data
The restaurant industry had already struggled with labour challenges, but the pandemic made matters even worse. However, the rapid growth of digital ordering technologies, such as mobile, web and kiosk apps, has, in many ways, reduced labour dependencies and reallocated staff to other service needs. This allows your staff to devote more time towards enhancing quality control, cleanliness, and customer interaction. These efforts can ultimately enhance both the staff and guest experience and facilitate the growth of your restaurant business by reducing manual order entry.
Moreover, dine-in restaurants are increasingly recognizing the benefit of accelerating table turn. The QR code pay-at-table processing system enables restaurants to speed up table turn because it allows guests to pay their bills, tip, and leave right away without interacting with a service agent.
Streamline your operations to increase efficiency
The restaurant industry had already struggled with labour challenges, but the pandemic made matters even worse. However, the rapid growth of digital ordering technologies, such as mobile, web and kiosk apps, has, in many ways, reduced labour dependencies and reallocated staff to other service needs. This allows your staff to devote more time towards enhancing quality control, cleanliness, and customer interaction. These efforts can ultimately enhance both the staff and guest experience and facilitate the growth of your restaurant business by reducing manual order entry.
Moreover, dine-in restaurants are increasingly recognizing the benefit of accelerating table turn. The QR code pay-at-table processing system enables restaurants to speed up table turn because it allows guests to pay their bills, tip, and leave right away without interacting with a service agent.
Elevate your customer experience to new heights
Introducing digital ordering solutions helps enhance customer experience. Providing them with a customized experience reduces hassle and frustration, and can result in customers spending up to 30% more than they would have if they had placed the order in person through a waiter.
The omnipresent culture of convenience can provide meaningful benefits to restaurant enterprises. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve and ensure your technology stack complements your operations, supports your staff, as well as enhances customer experience.
With MENU, customers can explore intuitive and adaptable ordering solutions on a range of platforms such as Mobile, Web, Kiosk & QR code ordering. This helps ensure that they have an enjoyable experience and are likely to return in the future. Additionally, MENU Digital ordering is a key component of the all-in-one restaurant ecommerce platform offered by MENU. It is integrated with a robust delivery & dispatch system and a suite of tools for customer engagement, which greatly boosts overall customer satisfaction. By implementing the innovative solutions provided by MENU, you can enhance your profits by delivering a cutting-edge, omnichannel experience on a large scale.
