COVID-19 has completely changed how customers view trips to their favorite restaurants. Introducing new concerns about safety, health, and social distance, 2020 has been the year of off-premise online order solutions. From delivery to takeout and curbside services, restaurants of all kinds have let online ordering save their business.
Even after the viral threat eventually passes, these new mindsets have irrevocably changed the future of the industry landscape. Off-premise ordering is a still-growing trend; restaurateurs need to increase the number of online orders they receive and streamline the process for maximum profit and guest satisfaction.
It can be daunting to take on such a big task alone. eatOS technology solutions together with website optimization will bring your restaurant unprecedented success with modern consumers.
Website Design
First impressions matter. Create a website design that’s modern, simple but eye-catching enough to draw visitors’ attention toward your online ordering landing page. The menu, too, needs to be clear and descriptive, without frills. Self-ordering improves order accuracy and average ticket sizes, so it’s important to encourage this with clear language and appealing descriptors.
When it comes to takeout and delivery, responsiveness is key. Customers want a fast process and you both want an accurate one, which depends on the functionality of your system. It needs to be optimized to work on computers, tablets, and phones—all common tech these days. Speaking of how important it is to functionalize your company website…
Serviceability
The menu should be informative and naturally upsell everything on it. Menu management features on eatOS Point of Sale prioritize certain dishes to increase interest and promote more sales. We use text menus rather than PDFs for easy editing and to improve your ratings on search engines. SEO relies on keywords and promotes you to a wider audience online, so make your menu easy to find online and explore because a lot of people will search you out for the first time on their smartphones.
eatOS doesn’t only optimize the menu on your end; we make it better for your visitors’ use too. With easy customization and automatic upselling prompts, guests get exactly what they want including sides and modifications that add up to, on average, bigger ticket sizes. Personalization also fosters greater customer satisfaction which encourages them to return again and again.
Easy Ordering
Speed and convenience are amongst the height of consumer priorities. On average, online ordering takes half as long as phone orders because customers don’t have to go through a middleman. eatOS platforms send tickets directly to the Kitchen Display Screen so cooks can get started on orders right away and prioritize accordingly by viewing how long each item has been in the queue. This gets food out to tables and delivery couriers faster.
The speed and convenience of eatOS are supplemented by customer profiles that store order history so they can quickly come back for their favorite dish, making you the obvious place to click when they’re hungry and want to order dinner ASAP. This also allows you to track their individual history and preferences so you can create targeted marketing campaigns that specifically appeal to your core base.
Photos
Part of the reason restaurants hesitate to focus so heavily on off-premise ordering systems is that they rely on the natural upselling capabilities granted by face-to-face interactions. With COVID-19 too big of a threat for dine-in services though, restaurants are learning how to rely on pictures to fill in some of the gaps.
Which dishes you choose is up to you. Play around with background and lighting to maximize the appeal, but don’t stray from showcasing actual menu items; what arrives on the customer’s plate should match what they saw on your digital menu or you risk customer dissatisfaction, bad reviews, and having to give out comps and refunds. Learn how to take better pictures of your menu and on social media, which is another advantageous avenue to engage with your loyal guests. Repost their pictures, reviews, and check-ins at your place of business to forge deeper relationships that generate customer loyalty.
Everything should connect back to your socials so guests can check your information, chat with a representative or ask any questions. Connect with them, your competitors and influencers, and experts in the industry to stay in-the-know about trends and new technologies for restaurants.
5 Tips to Increase Online Orders
COVID-19 encouraged the year’s massive surge in online ordering, but it isn’t the beginning and it won’t be the end of this sweeping consumer trend. Book a demo with eatOS to get the best online ordering solutions for your restaurant to contend with the trend of off-premise dining. Whether via delivery, takeout, or curbside pickup, you should have an avenue for safe and contact-free dine-in alternatives. You and your guests will be more satisfied and better off.
Online ordering is forever an integral part of food service, and eatOS is here to bring your business into the future of online ordering solutions.
