How Should Restaurants Use Technology?

Operating a restaurant today is different from the past. As the world digitalizes rapidly through technological advances, consumers are getting increasingly tech-savvy and expect a more convenient ordering process and faster service time which can only be achieved through adopting digital tools. On top of that, the ever increasing labour costs is making it a constant uphill battle for restaurants to remain sustainable.

A shift in restaurant discovery trends

In the past, most consumers would know about a restaurant because of media ads such as television ads, radio ads and newspaper ads. However, nowadays, most consumers discover restaurants online, either through social media or through Google searches. 

While it is not a difficult task to get your restaurant to be discoverable online, you will still have to muscle your way through the competition in order to attract your target audience. Here is how you can do so.

Online reviews

Similar to word of mouth marketing, most consumers will check out a restaurant’s reviews before heading down. Hence, getting reviews from your satisfied customers is essential if you want your restaurant to stand out among the competition.

While good reviews from your satisfied customers are important, managing the negative reviews is equally crucial. Addressing negative reviews in a tactful manner will help you build trust between your customers and  your restaurant as it shows that you care about their opinions and will work towards providing the best for them.

Digialize your menu and get it online

Another way you can stand out from your competitors is to get your menu online and even allow your customers to order from your online menu. This will allow your target customers to understand what your restaurant offers and will encourage them to patronize your restaurant.

By allowing your customers to order online, you also open up an additional ordering channel to generate more revenue. On top of that, customers who order online from your restaurant, may become your regular, dine in customers.

Moreover, the pandemic has created uncertain times for restaurants as there may be a chance that dining in will be suspended as and when it is needed. Hence, getting your menu online for your customers to order from you will help your restaurant get through challenging times.

Digitalize your menu for in-store ordering

Your increasingly tech-savvy customers will most likely have been exposed to efficient and customer friendly ways of ordering such as self ordering kiosks and QR ordering from other F&B outlets.

This exposure to new ordering technology will set the bar of their expectations when it comes to ordering food from your restaurant, as your customers may become less patient to wait for a service staff to take their orders, or line up to place their orders at the counter, which may result in poor customer satisfaction or your restaurant losing out customers to competitors during peak hours.

Use digital tools to speed up service time

Link up your front and back of the house operation seamlessly for faster service time and more accurate order preparation!

The new age of customers will not want to wait 20 minutes for their food to be served, and a slow service time means that you are losing out on potential revenue due to slow table turnover. Digital tools like kitchen display solutions is a great replacement for kitchen docket printers. 

Kitchen display solutions are tablet based, providing with a clear overview of all orders and order changes in real time. Once each order is prepared, the kitchen staff can simply strike them off, allowing for better order management, less confusion and high order preparation accuracy.

The kitchen display solution also empowers your kitchen staff to prepare orders in bulk, instead of table by table as the kitchen display solution will provide a clear view of how many portions of each dish they have to prepare, speeding up service time.

On top of that, productivity boosting kitchen tools like automatic dishwashers are a great addition to your kitchen as it reduces kitchen staff dependency to lower your labour cost!

Let your customer know the status of their orders

Customers want to be in the know. Hence, using a number display system is a great way to let your customers know the status of their orders, providing better transparency between your restaurant and your customers.

Number display systems are also a great way to prevent overcrowding, confusion and customer frustration as your customers will know when to head to the collection point to pick up their food, leading to better queue management and customer satisfaction.

A centralized management system

As great as each individual digital tool may seem, it all starts with a good foundation. Getting a restaurant POS system which is able to seamlessly integrate with productivity boosting digital tools is your first step to using technology to build a sustainable restaurant business.

If you are interested in a cloud based restaurant POS system which is a scalable and provides a base to incorporate productivity boosting digital tools and manage them from one centralized system, drop your contact details below and we will be happy to arrange a free demo with you!