We’ve got the secrets to increasing restaurants sales in 2021. Even with the plethora of restaurant industry insights available, no one anticipated the sudden changes.
As you know, there has been a boom in 3rd party delivery since more and more people are keeping distance by going online. This means that more than ever, restaurants will have to take control of their online reach to boost their business.
Truth is, 3rd party delivery companies have so much power online that some restaurants can no longer be found without them. This has contributed to the rise of “Ghost Kitchens.”
Here is a list of recommended technologies to help restaurants become more self-dependent with getting new customers and maximizing profits.
Kiosks
Think the benefits of speed and convenience are only reserved for online services? Guess again. Kiosks are extremely helpful in making the restaurant dine-in experience smooth.
Self-service kiosks make it easy for anyone to quickly order what they want, reducing or even eliminating long waiting lines.
Not only do they make things more convenient, they also make it easy to display promotions and extra ordering options. It has been shown that this encourages diners to spend more and makes upselling 47% more likely.
What better way to maximize profit potential by accommodating mostly everyones’ (especially Gen Z) daily habit of interacting with screens?
Your Very Own Restaurant App
It seems like everyone and their own dog has an app these days because there’s an app for almost anything. So why can’t restaurants have their own app?
Here are some amazing possibilities that arise from having your own app:
- Offer exclusive deals and promos
- Create a loyalty program (build reward points)
- Easy touch-based ordering
- Listing other locations
- Sending push notifications on promos/updates
Several restaurants already have their own app and this trend is expected to soar throughout 2021. Many app users order food through 3rd party delivery apps, so why wouldn’t a loyal customer download your app?
In-House Delivery/Online Ordering
If you don’t want to invest the time in hiring a developer to create your app for online ordering, no problem! There are services that allow restaurants to instantly set up their own online ordering platform without the headache.
Incentivio is a cloud-based platform that allows restaurants to set up their own apps and websites for online ordering. Their fully integrated system makes it super easy to track takeout and online orders with ultimate flexibility.
Websites or apps that are created through them are white labeled so customers won’t even know you are using a 3rd party. Customers are made out to be the restaurant’s customers instead of the company’s.
ChowNow is another online platform that allows restaurants to take control of their own delivery and takeout.
Increase Dine-In Sales
Alongside the endless options for delivery and online ordering, what if there was a way to attract new dine-in customers anytime?
ChowEasy is a restaurant marketing platform that allows restaurants to attract new customers by offering promos. The restaurant name is then revealed when a user wins the promo.
This way, the restaurant can avoid being associated as a “discounter” and can effectively help new, loyal customers discover them.
There will always be a massive audience of restaurant-goers who live to experience new local restaurants. Find out why dining in restaurants will always beat delivery here.
Social Media Marketing
Like mentioned earlier, online searches for restaurants have increased since the pandemic. This makes it paramount for restaurants to take better control of their online marketing strategy.
How many times does your restaurant get discovered through a third party company like GrubHub or Yelp? Though this is great, restaurants can become too dependent on these companies for their online reach.
The best way restaurants can secure the future of their online presence and reputation is to start building it now. Learn how local restaurants can boost their chance of being found on Google.
Posts on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok can reach thousands of restaurant goers and spread awareness of your brand. It may take some time to build up an audience but once there, restaurants can have better control of communicating with their loyal customers.
Apps like Buffer and Hootsuite allow businesses to automate their marketing with pre-scheduled posts. This allows busy restaurants to spend time on planning posts beforehand so they can save time moving forward.
