Since COVID-19 touched down in the U.S. and effectively flipped life upside-down, the restaurant industry has had to make some massive changes to how they do business. Delivery and other off-premise ordering streams have taken off this year as a result, with restaurants finding smarter ways to get customers their favorite meals without risking anyone’s health or safety.
It’s no wonder that so many restaurants turned to third party services. They provide all the monetary benefits of an in-house delivery system without the expenses and effort involved in hiring couriers and setting up a new sales channel. Not everyone is so satisfied with third party apps though: High commissions, hidden fees and even listing restaurants without their consent have all scandalized third party services in a way that turned many small businesses away from the practice altogether.
What are the alternatives? Opening in-house delivery systems can be time-consuming and expensive. Surely there has to be a middle ground.
Restraints of 3rd Party
The hospitality industry is restricted by low profit margins, and even reports of some cities putting a cap on delivery fees isn’t enough to help restaurants, already plagued by famously low profit margins, survive great cuts to their restricted revenue. In-house delivery systems work better: Hire your own people, handle more orders at once, exercise control over the entire customer experience and forget about the expenses when you choose orderOS.
Third party services may be expensive, but they do have certain upsides that remain such a strong draw for desperate restaurateurs. They automatically open your brand up to a new audience which is free, extremely necessary marketing for anyone trying to stand out from the competition. The marketplace is flooded with options. However, this also makes apps very competitive. Breaking away might be just what your brand needs to break out: With your own in-house services, you’re in control of who sees your advertisements, where and when. Tools like Google My Restaurant can help expose your brand in more local searches.
Introducing orderOS
Get all the benefits of third party platforms including easy set up and the resulting exposure, but still keep the profits just like you would with a delivery system created under your own power. We also include off-premise orders into your sales data so you don’t have to spend time doing the addition manually; orderOS consolidates all sales channels into automated reports so it’s less complicated on your end, and you can view and analyze real-time information.
The ease of set up and use when it comes to our system simplifies takeout, delivery and curbside services so you can more seamlessly handle a larger volume of orders. That means higher profit margins in the long term. Through the personalized, branded merchant app we’ll make special for your business, you can easily handle the uptick in traffic as your brand recognition grows with streamlined efficiency and increased guest satisfaction.
By and large, customers prefer to order directly from their favorite restaurants rather than going through a third party. They want to support the services that bring them so much joy. Give them the opportunity to do so by allowing orderOS to streamline operations, get customers their food faster, cut expenses, improve profits and give you all the benefits of third party services without any of the downsides.
Control the speed and quality of every order that gets submitted.
Handle complaints without either party having to go through the convoluted process of conferring with a middleman. You’ll also get fewer complaints on average when you retain greater control over the whole process.
Don’t miss the chance to gather valuable customer data that you can leverage to improve customer relations. Customer relationship management (CRM) is critical to small businesses; starting rewards programs encourages their continued patronage and insights into their preferences helps you create targeted marketing campaigns tailor-made for your best patrons.
When the time comes to turn away from third party delivery platforms and toward in-house services, orderOS is here to ease the transition and support your restaurant in its rise to success. Book a demo today and learn how we’ll bring all these benefits, and more, to your small business. The future of food service is a smarter approach to takeout and delivery.
