Running a restaurant business can be quite lucrative, even though the industry is incredibly competitive. This, however, means that you have to increase your investments in marketing and give people a reason to come back. Namely, in the majority of industries, the rule is that you should dedicate about 10 percent of your average annual revenue to marketing but going as high as 20 or 25 percent might be a better idea. As for creating return visits, you have several directions to take. One of them is to start relying on technology more and here are the top five tech trends that can drastically improve your restaurant business.
1. A Great Website
The first thing that you need to consider is making a great website. The reason why this is so important is that your audience will probably visit it as soon as they hear about your restaurant or see its add. The design and quality of the website will be pivotal for the formation of their first impression of your business. Here, you also need to have contact information, as well as the physical address of your establishment. Ensuring that this information ends up in Google My Business is also incredibly important. Finally, other than a home page with images of your business, contact information and “About Us” section, having a full menu displayed (preferably by categories) is a must.
2. App Service
Another thing you need to bear in mind is that the bulk of your profit might come from delivering food directly to the homes of your regulars. Seeing as how this is quite convenient, for them and you equally, it is an opportunity that you just can’t afford to miss out on. Sure, they can order food the old-fashioned way by dialing your restaurant but why not give them a chance to do so via an app. You see, recent studies show that millennials and members of Gen Z tend to feel more comfortable texting and interacting via apps than speaking on the phone. Of course, they could place orders by sending you a DM to your social media profile, however, this model just seems somehow amateurish.
3. Self-service Kiosk
One of the most important technological additions to your restaurant is a reliable self-service kiosk. The reason why this is such an important thing is due to the fact that it can automate the process of ordering food without having to appoint this task to any of your regular staff members. Not only does this make things easier and increases customer satisfaction but it also makes your restaurant stand out. Ridiculous as it may sound to extroverts, a lot of introverts avoid restaurants not because of the crowd but because they find interacting with waiters to be quite troublesome. Coincidentally, this is also why so many introverts avoid the foodservice industry, to begin with. This simple gadget can help solve all of these problems with ease.
4. Kitchen Display System
Out of all the above-listed technological inventions, this one improves the efficiency of your restaurant the most. Why? Well, because a kitchen display system allows you to automate the organization of your hectic kitchen with ease. The biggest advantage of having a great kitchen display system lies in the fact that it can improve the communication between the serving staff and the kitchen staff. This way, the serving staff will be able to see for how long each ordered food has been in the preparation process and they will be able to organize themselves accordingly. Needless to say, food delivery expedience is one of the most important factors regarding customer satisfaction.
5. Free Wi-Fi
This last part should go without saying, however, there are some restaurants who still fail to fulfill this basic requirement. Sure, there are some who share the attitude that we’re getting alienated by all the technology and that a restaurant should be the place where people engage in a meaningful conversation, not stare at their phones. Still, this is not for you to decide. Why would you deny your guests the ability to choose, especially since they will probably resort to using their SIM data internet, rather than abandon their phones entirely while in your restaurant?
Conclusion
As you can see, each of the above-listed investments has a peculiar way of generating return many times its worth. This ranges from improving your company’s public image and reach all the way to actually improving your business model. Fortunately, by investing in restaurant technologies, you’ll find a simple and direct way to cause this positive correlation. Either way, it’s a one-time investment that stands to benefit your business for years to come.