jamesgregoruk

[jamesgregoruk]

Restaurant Online Ordering Systems : 15 Quick Tips to Navigate Your Way With Online Ordering

In today’s time, the Restaurant Online Ordering System has become one of the strongest foundations of the Food and Restaurant Industry. Prior to this pandemic, there’s already a steady rise of demand for online ordering systems and delivery platforms. If your Restaurant Business is still not doing an online food ordering system, you’re missing a huge number of profit.

Before, online ordering systems were utilized mainly for convenience but now restaurateurs employ these systems in order to support and pick up their sales plus to comply with the new safety protocols. Restaurants are now adapting to the transition being made by the whole Food Industry, and if you want to continue in operating your Restaurant Business, it is time for you to gain a good knowledge about online ordering systems.

Here, you’ll see some quick tips that’ll help you to get back on your feet and improve your Restaurant Online Ordering System.

Online Ordering System

Online ordering systems allow restaurants to receive orders from customers’ computers and smartphones. There are three main options for adding online ordering to your restaurant operation. 

create a branded online ordering website,

use a Point of Sale (POS) with online ordering functions

partner with a third-party delivery platform. 

Most restaurants use a combination of these options to create the most cost-effective online ordering system for their business.

(Source : Fit Small Business)

Orient your Staff

Running a Restaurant Business is surely demanding and fast-paced, but if you decide to integrate an online ordering system for your business your staff should be able to support the added pressure and demand for your service. 

A good training on food handling and food preparation is needed for your staff to provide an effective and efficient service for your business.

Research for the right POS System

Listed as one of the main options for adding an online ordering system to your restaurant, POS Systems is a technology that’ll act as your back-up in managing your restaurant.

Getting the right POS System could help you capture customer information, tailor your delivery options, and operate your online ordering.

Check out for Delivery Service Options

With the sudden increase of demand with online ordering, there are many options to support this demand. There are a number of 3rd-party apps such as Just Eat, Deliveroo, Food Hub, and Uber Eats. You can make a good research on what would work the best for you. For example, some people have experienced problems with Uber restaurant hub and Deliveroo sign in.

One thing to keep in mind though, these 3rd-party apps may come out cheaper at first but they take a huge cut with your profit and they have the control of your marketing, menu, and customer information while if you choose to have your own delivery service, it will be costly at first but the freedom of creative marketing will be yours and ROI will be high as well.

Delivery Transportation

There are things to factor in order to decide what delivery transportation you should employ with your Restaurant Business. You can decide if you’ll buy your own or hire people who have their own vehicles. 

You can also choose to hire employees part-time or full-time to do the delivery service for you. Weigh out these factors and options. If you decide to hire and buy your own vehicle, you have a choice for your own branding but this means you have to pay additional for their insurance.

Mobile-friendly Website

One thing that you must have if you want to capture customers online is to have a user-friendly website that contains everything vital information about your Restaurant Business. Having a website is one thing, but optimizing it to be viewed on a smartphone is another. 

Take advantage of the fact that people spend a huge amount of their time everyday with their smartphones. Make it easy for them to navigate through your website on their mobile phones.

Update your Menu

Not every food item on your menu would be delivery-friendly. You have to simplify your menu in order to cater the needs of your customer while upholding the quality of your food service. 

Simplifying doesn’t necessarily mean you have to cut out the options you’ll offer to your customers, you can provide them family meals, food bundles, and DIY kits for them to enjoy.

And when you place this menu on your website, make sure it’s accessible and easy to locate.

Utilize your Supplies

What did we say about offering your customers options? With online ordering, you can also offer items straight from your suppliers. This tip is really helpful especially with the effect of this pandemic, you can check your inventory, mark up your ingredients, and sell it to your customers.

People are not so fond of going out right now and having grocery items being delivered to them is one of the things they never knew they wanted until they got it.

Clear out your Liquor Supply

Why let your booze just sit inside your storage room? Make that additional sale through an online ordering system by offering them to your customers. With the restrictions on outdoor drinking being implemented here and there, it is advisable to give your customers the convenience of having their sealed drinks delivered to them. 

Use a Packaging with an Outstanding Design

With online ordering, you need to step up your packaging game. This is one of your representatives to your customers. Your packaging should speak your branding well and meet the needs for an online ordering and delivery system.

Make sure it is insulated, spill-proof, and maintains the quality of your food item. At the end of the day, no matter how good your delivery service is, if your food item is not delivered the way it should be, it still leaves a bad impression for your Restaurant Business. No one pays for soggy fries.

Here’s one platform that helps restaurateurs with their packaging. 

Brand Brand Brand

Since there’s less to zero human interaction with online ordering, it is up to you on how you’ll make your customers not forget about your Restaurant brand. You have to provide them with branding that is so good that your customers would be able to associate your Restaurant business from your menu or even your website design.

Customers should have a good familiarization with your Restaurant brand in order to gain repeat customers.

Market your Brand

Even with a good branding, if you don’t do proper marketing, it’ll all come down to drain. A good brand needs a well thought of marketing plan. And since you’re already using an online ordering system for your Restaurant Business, take this time to do online or digital marketing as well.

Make a good social media presence, provide your customers online promos and delivery gift cards, make noise with email as well. You can also discount popular delivery items to add to your promos.

With this tip, the increase with your customers online will be surefire.

Extend your Delivery Hours

By extending your delivery hours, you’re also extending the time of your customers to avail your service meaning it leads to more sales for your Restaurant Business. Cater the needs of the millennials who usually stay up late, or those who just have late-night cravings.

Restaurants are already opening and adapting to the new normal, service hours may still be altered but you can refer here to check the restaurants that offer late-night deliveries and try to observe their ways of operating. 

Offer Curbside Pick-up as an Option

Yes, online ordering mostly focuses on delivery options but Curbside Service has their own market as well. Give your customers the chance to enjoy your food while they drive without the hassle of them waiting for their food. 

They could just schedule a pick-up time and have minimal contact with your staff, and this also gives you an advantage as you’re sure of the quality of the food you’ll be serving. 

Manage the ‘New’ Tipping Policy

Going online means there’s a less chance for your staff to collect tips from your customers. Tips are given because they provided an exemplary service, but with delivery options or curbside service, they can’t justify why they’re worthy of this tip. 

It is your responsibility as a restaurateur to check the ways on how your staff can claim this additional source of income. You can set a minimum delivery or charge delivery fee – these are just some of the ways you can secure ‘tips’ for your staff.

Transparency is the Key

Don’t belittle the effect of being transparent to your customers. Your honesty with them will decide if they’ll remain loyal to your Restaurant Business. Provide a breakdown for your customers every time they’ll check-out for them to be updated with what they’re paying for.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/tips-about-restaurant-online-ordering-system/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/restaurant-online-ordering-systems-15.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Contactless Payment : 7 Best Things About It

Contactless Payment is widely celebrated today. Though it’s been used some years ago, businesses and customers have shown much interest nowadays as a way to comply with the safety protocols for the Coronavirus outbreak.

In fact, while cash remains the second most frequently used payment method, usage continues to fall, with one in ten adults choosing to live a largely cashless life. Consumers are taking a ‘pick n mix’ approach to how they make payments, with mobile banking, mobile payments and contactless all becoming increasingly popular. (UK Finance, 2019) 

CONTACTLESS PAYMENT

Contactless payment refers to a secure method for consumers to purchase products or services using a debit, credit, smartcard, or another payment device by using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and near-field communication (NFC). This payment method works by tapping a payment card or other device near a point-of-sale terminal equipped with contactless payment technology. Contactless payment is also referred to as tap-and-go or tap by some banks and retailers.

(Investopedia)

Contactless Payment can be done through the following :

Smartphones (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay)

Debit Card 

Credit Card

Smart gadgets (Smart watch)

iPad and Tablets

Aside from the fact that it’s one way to contain and stop the spread of the virus, we gathered other main points on why you should start joining the dominance of Contactless Payment.

CONTACTLESS MEANS LESS-CONTACT

Since April 2020, the spending limit for contactless card payments has increased from £30 to £45. This action from the government just shows support on how Contactless Payment helps with the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak.

 Sure, you still have to touch the device to the payment terminal, or your card against it but leaning towards Contactless Payment means there’ll be less contact of your staff and equipment to your customers and your customers to other surfaces. WHO has stated before that the virus can linger longer to surfaces for hours to days. That’s why it is advantageous for a restaurateur and customers because there’s no need to sanitize the whole place over and over again.

It is no hiding that with the assistance of Contactless Payment, businesses and establishments are getting back on track with less worry.

EASY TO SET-UP

With the right device that’s compatible for your business concept, Contactless Payment requires less effort to be set up. Digital wallets can now be just downloaded through phone apps, and as soon as you purchase a payment device you’re good to go.

Here are some of the top devices that could help you to set up your business for Contactless Payment.

GREATER EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS AND BUSINESS-OWNERS

Modern customers now crave for convenience with every transaction they make, be it through food delivery to payment, it is no surprise that there’s a huge increase of better customer experience when opting for contactless payment. You don’t have to sign anything, you just need to tap then your purchase is already complete. 

Contactless Payment also means there’ll be no need for your customers to line up to queues for payment. Seeing no queues inside your establishment leaves a good impression on your customers and they’ll be more enticed to do business with you, especially using your restaurant and takeaway ordering app.

As for business owners, Contactless Payment enhances their experience because it helps in reducing costs. There are merchants that charge lower fees with every transaction, cash handling for staff is substantially lowered, and there’s no need for you to print a receipt unless your customers asked for it. 

Imagine the great feeling of just tapping your way out of the train rush hour.

GENERATES PRODUCTIVITY

Convenient and fast transactions leads to the increase of efficiency and productivity of the business. Customers are not required to input their PIN or sign anything, meaning there’ll be no typing error and less concerns to mind about. 

This procedure encourages your staff to use their time more effectively at work, and it gives them the opportunity to serve more customers while they’re at it. Keep in mind that customers who use contactless payment tend to spend more than those who use cash. And to be able to keep up with the growing demand from customers, your staff needs a device that could help them function efficiently. There’s a correlation between your staff and the device you’ll use for contactless payment. One can operate just fine, but having them work side by side is better for your business.

The processing of payment is also faster, Contactless Payment usually deposits your money within 1-3 banking days. This benefits you as a business owner. 

SECURED TRANSACTIONS

Since there’s no need for you to access the customer’s information, it’ll put your customers at ease knowing that the transaction they made is secured. There’s also less cases of fraud transactions as the devices use updated technology and data-encryption to protect all the transactions being made.

Contactless Payment also makes tracking the payment easier as it usually shows right away to the customer’s mobile app or sent to their email. 

Another thing to check, your staff will have less to zero contact with the cash or card information meaning there’ll be a lower chance of inside or employee theft to occur.

INCREASES REPEAT CUSTOMERS

The competition for every business is always uptight, so taking every measure that could give you an advantage is a must. With Contactless Payment, you’re delivering a swift, secured, and convenient service. This helps you garner loyalty from your customers. 

This upgrade for your business shows that you’re innovating with your business. You’re not afraid to try what’s best for your customers, and with the increasing numbers of patrons of Contactless Payment, this could help you position your business better – especially to the modern market.

ACCEPTED INTERNATIONALLY

As it is treated now as a necessity, Contactless Payment is surely taking up the world by storm. It is accepted with bars, restaurants, supermarkets, shops, and you can even use it to complete a transaction with your transportation – worldwide. All it takes is just one tap!

Just be mindful of the foreign transaction charges. Make sure to check with your retailer before using it for a shopping spree somewhere across the globe.

Day by day, we’re moving towards an era with less human interaction. And with this recent outbreak, it surely made it more difficult to connect with each other. Now that we’ve been given a technology which takes some load off from our shoulders, may we use it to our advantage and take this opportunity to make more organic connections with each other. 

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/things-to-know-about-contactless-payment/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/contactless-payment-7-best-things-about.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Card Machines for Restaurants : 6 Best Available in UK Market

Compact and easy – these are some of the descriptions for the newly introduced card machines in the market. As the technology continues to set trends to make our life less complicated, one of the most used machines would be a credit card machine.

It is hard to imagine living today without using a credit card. This observation should be carried with a plan especially those who are in businesses. 

There are two main reasons why having the best card machine is important :

People tend to spend more if they’re doing it with a credit card rather than cash.

It increases the capacity of the business to cope with the customers, especially during peak season.

Competition is tough for the best card machines, but with this article you’ll be able to distinguish what’s best for your business. Before that, we have to see the features to consider when picking the best for your business. Here are some to consider :

Battery life

Cost

Connection (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi)

Fixed rate (per transaction)

App-based 

Customer-support

Money back Guarantee

Warranty

Types of Card Machines :

Mobile Card Readers are battery-powered, directed to your merchant via GPRS or Wi-Fi. Businesses like market traders usually use this type of machine.

Portable Card Readers are battery-powered that communicate with a base station via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Businesses like restaurants, cafes, and so on use this machine as this often has a built-in receipt printer.

Countertop Card Readers, as the name implies, are physically located to countertops and usually powered via Ethernet or linked by USB. This type is best used by traditional working environment businesses such as supermarkets.

We’ve gathered the top 6 most used card machines and conducted a fair study to check what’s best suited for a restaurant business :

iZettle Reader is considered the safest choice for a card machine. It’s stylish, comes in black or white, tamper-proof and no set-up or shipping fee. Also has the widest range of accepted cards. Deposits money within 1-2 banking days. They’re also taking part with the community support for Covid-19, as they are now charging reduced fees for online payments.

Battery life – lasts 30% longer than others (roughly 8 hours of active use from a single charge).

Cost – £19 + VAT

Connection (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) – Bluetooth

Fixed Rate – 1.75%

App-based – Yes (Key-in charge for iZettle app to send invoices to clients is 2.5%)

Customer-support – 9am – 5pm (Mon-Fri)

Money back Guarantee – None found

Warranty – 12 months

SumUp Air is known to be the most economical card machine that is app based. It offers a friendly-user interface that is good for small businesses that want to start accepting card payments. It accepts major credit cards and it deposits money within 2-3 banking days. As part of their support for the campaign against Covid-19, they have published general guidance and resources to their hub.

Battery life – built-in Li-ion battery for longer operating hours

Cost  – £29 + VAT

Connection (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) – Bluetooth

Fixed rate (per transaction) – 1.69%

App-based – Yes

Customer-support – 9am – 5pm (Mon-Fri)

Money back Guarantee – 30 days

Warranty – 12 months

Square Reader is the most compact card machine on the list. Accepts Visa, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Contactless. Deposits the money within 3-5 banking days but takes only 20 minutes if upgraded. They have offered to cancel subscriptions to those who have existing businesses who are not using the machine, they also have reduced fee for online payment features as their campaign against Covid-19.  

Battery life – has a heavy-duty battery inside that enables it to last a day but always charge upon closing the shop.

Cost  – £19 + VAT

Connection (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) – Bluetooth

Fixed rate (per transaction) – 1.75%

App-based – Yes (2.5% charge for transactions done over the phone)

Customer-support – 9am – 5pm (Mon-Fri)

Money back Guarantee – 30 days

Warranty – 12 months

Worldpay Zinc reader is available in sleek black style. A card machine that accepts all major debit and credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, China Union Pay, Diners Club International and Discover. American Express can be added on request. Settlements take up to three days.

Battery life – Not published

Cost  – £69 + VAT

Connection (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) – Connects both with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Fixed rate (per transaction) – Transaction fees varies.

App-based – Yes 

Customer-support – 24/7

Money back Guarantee – Not published

Warranty – Not published

Shopify is best suited for businesses running online. This card machine offers a mobile payment solution for Shopify owners who want to do a face-to-face transaction. It accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Apple Pay, Android Pay.

 Battery life – Not published

Cost  – £59 + VAT

Connection (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) – Bluetooth, not compatible with Android devices.

Fixed rate (per transaction) – 1.7% per transaction for Basic Shopify users, 1.6% per transaction for Shopify users, 1.5% per transaction for Advanced Shopify users.

App-based – Yes 

Customer-support – 24/7

Money back Guarantee – Not published

Warranty – 12 months

MyPOS is a cheap yet sturdy card machine that accepts Visa, Vpay, MasterCard, Maestro, American Express, Google Pay, Apple Pay. Commercial cards issued within the EEA attract a fee of 2%. Non-EEA cards, American Express, Union Pay, and JCB carry a charge of 2.85%. 

Battery life – Long battery life

Cost  – £29 + VAT

Connection (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) – Connects both with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

Fixed rate (per transaction) – 1.75% (sometimes set us 0.99% for promotion) For online and over the phone transactions, 2.25% fee charged for consumer cards issued within the EEA and 3.25% on commercial cards issued with the EEA. Non-EEA cards attract a fee of 3.35% while transactions on American Express and JCB costs will cost you 3.5%.

App-based – No

Customer-support – 24/7

Money back Guarantee – 30 days

Warranty – 12 months

Knowing which card machine to use is not easy. There are different factors to consider, and the competition to the market is still increasing. This is an investment which will likely give a good grow to the numbers of your  customer and their average spend. Think about how the machine will work in conjunction with your takeaway food delivery app.

There are different selling points to each machine and it is best to choose the one that suits the business, the management, the people, and the environment more – meaning would add productivity and value.

Hope the card you’ll choose will make your life (and business) easier!

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/best-card-machines-in-uk/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-machines-for-restaurants-6-best.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Ghost Kitchens – 7 Modern Rules to Know to Operate a Ghost Kitchen

Ghost Kitchens are seen as the future of the Restaurant Industry. While it is already gaining popularity, recently it’s the new found way of restaurateurs to continue with their Restaurant business. Its principles both support the idea to comply with the newly implemented health and safety protocols, and to recommence with the operation of their business.

Prior Covid-19, demands of the market for quality service and convenience have grown and  restaurants have come up with a business model that’ll help them increase their meal and delivery production without the need of building or adding up another kitchen or storefront. Thus, the concept of Ghost Kitchen was born. 

What is a Ghost Kitchen?

Also known as Virtual Kitchens or Cloud Kitchens, these are stripped-down commercial cooking co-working spaces with no dine-in option. Functioning as hubs for online delivery and catering orders, they circumvent the need for costly build outs in premium locations. (QSR Magazine)

This business model is good for those who are trying to start a new business concept, and to those who are trying to continue to operate their existing restaurant business. It is one of the most cost efficient business models where the operations are more focused with production, and there’s less need for management check. Restaurateurs also don’t have to mind about the location as Ghost Kitchens can and usually operate in areas with low to no foot traffic. 

Staffing will also not be a problem as Ghost Kitchens only requires you to hire staff that’s needed to produce your food item. Low risk and low rent, these are good points for a business especially these days.

Modern dining experience is not just composed of food taste and quality. Convenience is now always demanded by customers, experience aside. As a restaurateur, you should come up on how to remodel your business to take this type of demand and deliver to your customers what they crave for, and exactly when they want it.

With all the restrictions given to outdoor socializing, Traditional restaurants are already looking for ways to get back on their feet with the help of Online Ordering, Curbside Service, Takeaway, and Deliveries. They are also checking the profitability of Ghost Kitchen as they see that one of the effects of Covid-19 is that customers are willing to shift with them online just to try out their food and service again. 

Here are the modern rules for Ghost Kitchens, should you decide to try and check your concept with this business model :

TRANSFORM YOUR CONCEPT TO CAPTURE BROADER MARKET

Customer base is important in every business, and within the Restaurant Industry, it is no hiding that there’s a huge competition in attracting a larger group of customers. For Ghost Kitchens, this challenge is doubled. Since there’s low foot traffic in the area, Ghost Kitchens have low to zero exposure to customers. And with the increase of Online Ordering demands, restaurants also started transitioning online leading to a much more divided market. 

Restaurateurs have to find ways on how to get ahead of the competition. With Ghost Kitchen, you’re given a freedom of control with your concept. You may try to check out different cuisines and concepts that are trending within the local community you’re catering. Monitor and learn to listen to the demand of your demographic. This should help you to conceptualize a much more diverse and broader market.

You may also look into the growing demand for food products such as organic and plant-based products, local-grown products, and the like.

Tip : Remember the trend around food halls and food parks? They’ve offered a well-diverse menu and captured a large market. Take this concept for your restaurant business and offer the same experience to your customer within the principles of Ghost Kitchens.

STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

If you’re a restaurateur who just shifted to Ghost Kitchen in order to adapt to the present situation, it is expected for you to be creative and think outside your comfort zone. In Ghost Kitchen, your concept will work only if it’s something that’s worth trying for. You have no ambiance and friendly staff to back you up this time, your food item will be the core of your restaurant business. 

You have to make sure it’ll meet a demand that’s existing. Check the current market and observe the changes that happened. With the pandemic happening, there’s a big change with the demand and spending habits of customers. This gives you the chance to innovate your menu, modernize and revolutionize your dishes.

MAKE YOUR MENU DELIVERY-FRIENDLY

Since your food items will take its time before it ends up to the customers, you have to make sure that you’re offering food items that’ll still serve quality. This may be a challenge for traditional restaurants that adapted their operations with Ghost Kitchens. 

Start by checking your ingredients and inventory and look at what you can offer. You should also analyze the inventory cost and how you can increase the profit margin. Maximize the potential of profitability being offered by Ghost Kitchens.

Don’t compromise quality just to meet the demand from your customers, because in the long run, there’ll be no demand for you if you’ll continue to serve them cold soup and stale bread.

Tip : While upgrading your menu, make sure you have a packaging that’ll handle these food items well.

DON’T COMPLICATE YOUR STAFFING METHOD

One of the selling points of Ghost Kitchen is it doesn’t require restaurateurs to gather a big team. Some of the most productive brands working with Ghost Kitchens usually only hire two chefs and one staff that packs the food item to be delivered. 

Use of this advantage and make sure you’ve trained these staff well. Teach them to innovate and focus with the production of your food item. Make sure that they’re being efficient and effective as a support for your Restaurant business. 

And if you’re just starting out, you may also opt to reach out to some of the restaurant staff that were laid off from their position, due to the effect of Covid-19 forcing restaurants to close down. They already have a substantial experience that will surely benefit you.

CONSIDER CUSTOMER SERVICE AS A GAME RUNNER

It may contradict the contactless service Ghost Kitchens are aiming for, but delivering customer service today doesn’t necessarily ask you to check your customers personally. You have to find a way on how your customers will still feel valued even though there’s no physical interaction.

Finding ways to humanize your Restaurant Business is quite a task but it is still doable. You can still continue to connect and engage with them by including personalized notes to their orders, answering reviews and utilizing UGC. 

MAKE AN ONLINE PRESENCE

Online is your main platform to capture customers. Make sure your website is updated and user-friendly. That it can be accessed and understood easily by a wide-range of demographics. Build your brand online and connect to your existing and potential customers. 

Don’t let the restrictions of Ghost Kitchens with customer-access affect your relationship with your customers. Utilize social media and other platforms for you to build a strong presence online. 

Consider formulating a loyalty and reward program in order to increase interest for your Restaurant brand.

STEP UP YOUR DELIVERY-GAME

It is given that if you’re running a business with Ghost Kitchens, you already have a good knowledge about food delivery. But with the sudden growth in demand for delivery services, you should research platforms and technologies that could improve your service.

There are 3rd party apps available for you to check out. Look into their requirements for partnership and weigh if it’ll benefit you as a restaurateur. Monitoring and routing technologies are also given the spotlight. It allows your customers to track their deliveries. Make the right choices, though. For example, there have been problems with Deliveroo sign in.

Tip : Take advantage of the Gig Economy, should you find it much useful for your business.

This pandemic has caused the whole world to adjust to its ways, and with the Restaurant Industry trying to cope with these changes, they have used Ghost Kitchens as a fundamental operator to act as support to keep the industry going.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/rules-to-know-to-operate-a-ghost-kitchen/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/ghost-kitchens-7-modern-rules-to-know.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Restaurant Marketing – Easy Guide to Create An Effective Marketing Plan

Restaurateurs have been working for their Restaurant Marketing Plans, Forecasts, and Budgets Plans months before entering 2020, and with the start of the pandemic outbreak, all of those plans are disregarded and dropped. Though it has taken the whole world by surprise and somehow forced everyone to take a pause and re-evaluate operations, restaurant businesses are trying to work their way back on track.

As a pillar of the economy, the Restaurant Industry expects restaurateurs to continue with their operations. It is now time to devise a Restaurant Marketing Plan that would help you to adjust with the new normal giving consideration to all the restrictions. 

With all the uncertainty going, we want to lend a hand that’s why we’ve come up with this easy guide that should help you adapt with this transition smoothly.

RESTAURANT MARKETING

Restaurant Marketing is the marketing efforts you’ve implemented to your restaurant business. It helps your business to gain market visibility, increase in profitability, and continuously attract repeat and new customers.

MARKETING PLAN

A marketing plan is an operational document that outlines an advertising strategy that an organization will implement to generate leads and reach its target market. A marketing plan details the outreach and PR campaigns to be undertaken over a period, including how the company will measure the effect of these initiatives. The functions and components of a marketing plan include the following:

Market research to support pricing decisions and new market entries

Tailored messaging that targets certain demographics and geographic areas

Platform selection for product and service promotion—digital, radio, Internet, trade magazines, and the mix of those platforms for each campaign

Metrics that measure the results of marketing efforts and their reporting timelines 

(Investopedia)

It can be constructed for monthly, quarterly, or yearly forecasts.

It serves as your blueprint for success. Your plan should focus on how to deliver customer delight. A Marketing Plan should be customer-centric as food quality and outstanding service still remain as your foundation for your restaurant success. With the Restaurant Industry, satisfied customers are still the best ambassadors for your restaurant business.

A Restaurant Marketing Plan gives you access to the restaurant’s operation and workflow. You’ll be able to observe the statistics and analytics behind your restaurant business and this leads you to do better with the management of your restaurant business.

MARKETING RESEARCH

Before you work with your Restaurant Marketing and making a plan for your restaurant, it is important to do a thorough Marketing Research. A restaurateur should have a substantial amount of data and information about their business and the current market. 

Know which audience to target. Restaurant Marketing Plan will be in its highest potential if it reaches the right customers. Look into your POS and check on to which demographic you’re most appealing, what time is the busiest, and what dish is the most ordered. 

And since there are changes now within the market and the habits of your customers, you may opt to create customer or buyer personas. You should have a good understanding and knowledge about your previous customers in order to formulate the best customer persona that will benefit your Restaurant Marketing Plan.

Another crucial step on a Marketing Research is doing a Competitor check. If you have an analysis and study about the competitors that’s present in the market, you can position your Restaurant Marketing Plan ahead of the game as you already have knowledge about their process and strategies. This could lead you to anticipate what could be their future step and you can draw up a plan that’ll beat that.

Make sure you also look into their digital presence. Remember that the competition was already brought into the social media channels and other online platforms. Observe on how they’re doing with their Digital Marketing, and work on something better for your restaurant.

BRANDING

In order to formulate an effective Restaurant Marketing Plan, it is important to know what you’re working on. Identify how you want your restaurant to be known and what concept you want to associate with your brand. 

To support your branding, it is wise to share your restaurant’s story, mission and values. You should communicate with your customers, staff, suppliers, and vendors what your business intends to achieve and what path it’ll take. This will give them a better understanding of what your business stands for. 

Tip : Make it short and genuine. Customers tend to engage more with brands that they can connect to. Let your statement and story help you build a connection, it should not appear too pushy or pretentious.

Restaurant Marketing also requires you to work your branding with the concept of your restaurant. The placement of every visual aspect should be aligned, starting from your logo, color palette, furniture, ambiance, wall art, to your utensils, staff’s uniform, and packaging.

All customer touch points should be treated as critical interactions, maximize it by making sure you’ve worked well enough for every touch point  to represent your brand accordingly. It should help your customers to familiarize with your brand.

UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION

Without proper Restaurant Marketing, you don’t have a good insight inside your restaurant business. And no good insight means you have no enough information about the status of your restaurant business in the Restaurant Industry and you don’t know what you should work on in order to stay ahead of the competition.

Unique Selling Proposition or USP is what makes you different. If you want to stay ahead of the game, it is not enough to just offer the usual and casual. Make use of the data that you’ve collected from your Marketing Research and come up with a USP. 

As if winning a customer’s attention is not hard enough these days, you also have to make sure that you’ll retain their interest with your restaurant. That’s why it is crucial for every restaurateur to have a USP.

Your USP can be in a form of a distinct dish, your concept, or the customer experience you’re delivering. Be creative and step right into your customer’s shoes to know what could keep them excited.

DIGITAL MARKETING

A branch of Restaurant Marketing that’s taking the whole industry by storm. In order for your Restaurant Marketing Plan to work, you also have to set measures on how you’ll build and intensify your online presence.

If your website is not updated, or you have no social media accounts for your restaurant, you have to make things up and work on it right away! This is pivotal as modern consumers are now mostly relying on what they see online.

Here are some of the factors you also have to check for your Restaurant Marketing to prosper digitally :

SEO Optimization 

Producing the appropriate content 

Social Media Presence

Loyalty and Reward Programs

Make sure you have a good online presence on all the main social media channels namely Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. There are also online platforms where you can reach out to other niche markets, such as TripAdvisor, Yelp, Zomato, and OpenTable.

Keep in mind that before you start with your Restaurant Marketing Plan, you have to conduct a business check-up first and find out what’s working and not working for your restaurant. From cutting the unnecessary, you can now formulate a plan that will drive your restaurant business to success.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/guide-to-an-effective-restaurant-marketing-plan/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/restaurant-marketing-easy-guide-to.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Restaurant Advertising – 7 Practical Tips for Restaurant Advertisement

In the Restaurant Industry, Restaurant Advertising is like a battleground. It witnesses the aggressive competition that’s present between the restaurant businesses that want to put their brand at the top of  the game. 

For a restaurateur, it is a given that you’ll want to stay ahead of the competition and being a one trick pony is not one of your options. With all the restaurant advertising choices available, it is not surprising if you’re having a hard time choosing what’s best for your restaurant business. We’re featuring these practical advertising plans that will benefit you without hurting your cash flow and not taking a huge part out of your profits.

Restaurant Advertising Practical Tips

WORK ON YOUR VISUAL ASPECTS

Again, people feast first with their eyes. If you’re still not working out the visual aspects of your brand, then you’re not making the most out of your Restaurant Advertising expenses. In order to start attracting great numbers of customers, it is important for you to work out everything that’s being seen by your customers.

Provide them high-quality photos that’ll satisfy their eyes, and will persuade them to try out your food service. Hiring a professional photographer may have cost you a bit upfront, but it’ll provide you one of the best ROI services. You’ll be able to use those photos to different platforms, channels, and in many ways you can. That’s why it is advisable to work with a professional in order to achieve these timeless photographs.

Lastly, integrating the effective use of colors will surely help you with your Restaurant Advertising. Make a good observation to the different ads out there and know the psychology behind it. It can serve you and your restaurant business good if you can utilize colors and its promise.

COME UP WITH A GOOD MESSAGE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

Customers are always going for a good story or message. Through Restaurant Advertising, you have the means to communicate to your customers enthralling stories and messages which could capture and retain the attention of customers to your brand. 

It is important to share relevant and rational stories and messages in order to create an impact on your customers. Make sure that you’ve given thought to what message you want to relay to your customers and what do you want them to think about your restaurant business. Make a stand and statement for your restaurant brand and let it reflect your vision and mission for your business.

CHECK OUT THE TRENDS

The demands of the customers are fluctuating constantly, and the same goes with their taste. That’s why for your Restaurant Advertising to be effective, it should capture the trends of the modern market as well. Your restaurant business should be able to ride with the waves of demands from your customers. 

It is crucial to a restaurateur to be updated with the current events and trends as it’s a huge help to marketing and advertising. Being updated means you can tailor significant promotions, contests, and specials around a certain event, campaign, or trend. 

You also have to watch out the different Food Trends that’s currently taking the Food and Restaurant Industry by storm. Try to be part of the market that offers menu for vegans, gluten-free, pescatarians, and plant-based food items.

Here a great article about the current food trends that’s affected by this pandemic season.

ALWAYS BE TRANSPARENT

Restaurant Advertising is a dangerous game to play. There are times that you may go overboard in order to gain the customer’s attention, while there’s nothing wrong with things going overboard, you should still be truthful on how you do things. 

Don’t ever claim something that you can’t provide or that doesn’t represent your restaurant business. For example, if you claim that your ingredients are from a local-grown supplier but then your customers find out otherwise, it will compromise your relationship with your customers and your local community.

Don’t play the loyalty your customers have given you.

KNOW WHICH PLATFORM TO USE

As the competition is already taken out to a different level and to different platforms, it is important to identify which platform will be the most beneficial for your restaurant business. Restaurant Advertising is not just doing ads to every platform and channel there is, but it is letting your customers know about your restaurant business with precise retargeting and marketing. 

Prevent spending huge amounts of money in marketing and make a good research on what’s the best platform for your brand. Take a look with the demographics you’re catering and check out to what platform they usually hangout. From there, you can grow your customer base and start to market to other platforms.

It is also useful to have a user-friendly and functional website. Make sure that it’s well optimized and contains the basic information about your restaurant business. And to contribute to your Restaurant Advertising, you can use the photos from your professional photographer and make your website look more appealing. You can also use the testimonials and reviews from your customers and make it visible on your website. This shows your customers and potential customers the legitimacy of your business and adds support to your brand.

KEEP YOUR MENU UPDATED

Working on your menu is also one way to step up your Restaurant Advertising. You may wonder how, but monitoring and updating your menu could help your restaurant business. By doing so, you can see what items are not appealing to your customers, and what items are working with your restaurant business. From there, you can workout a well-constructed menu that can be maximized in its highest potential.

INCITE ACTION TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

Don’t underestimate the capacity of Restaurant Advertising to influence your customers’ decision making. A wise move for every restaurateur is to include a call-to-action statement. One of the most used is the “Click Here” campaign. This should be part of your takeaway website design.

If you have a new special to offer or opening a new brand, you can use “Be the first to try” and if you’re trying to attract more sales, you may opt to use “You deserve a treat”. There are plenty of statements out there to use, or even better, you can formulate your own statement to success.

Being able to operate during these trying times could be treated as a privilege. And practicing the right strategies, you’ll be able to operate with your highest potential and not having to spend a great amount of money. It is important to stay practical, especially as we’re still uncertain of what’s coming next.

But as you’ve seen with above, being practical doesn’t mean low quality outcome, given the tips, you can still achieve great things by sensible.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/tips-for-restaurant-advertising/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/restaurant-advertising-7-practical-tips.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Ghost Kitchens and It’s Benefits to New and Existing Restaurant Owners

Ghost Kitchens had proven their potential even before the pandemic outbreak, and with the execution of the new safety and health protocols, it appears to be beneficial to all restaurateurs and to those aspiring to be one as well.

Also known as Virtual Kitchens and Cloud Kitchens, Ghost Kitchens is a business model born out of the need to meet the increasing demand of customers for online ordering and food delivery. This type of establishment provides the complete kitchen set-up with high-quality equipment for restaurant businesses. It focuses on production of the food item which leads on a restaurant business to cope with the demand.

There are apparent advantages and disadvantages for this type of business model, and in this feature we’ve gathered all the benefits you could enjoy should you choose to explore your concept with this business model or try to adopt this with your existing restaurant business.

Benefits of Ghost Kitchens for New Restaurateurs

The Opportunity to Try out a Fresh Concept to Offer 

If you’re new to the field, Ghost Kitchen would be beneficial for your restaurant business as you have the chance to prove your concept. And given how this type of business model operates, you’ll have more time to focus and think through with your concept before you offer it to the world. By doing so, you’ll have a better understanding of your concept and you’ll be able to operate it to its highest potential.

Lower Overhead Costs

The concept of Ghost Kitchens is to provide a functional kitchen for restaurants without worrying about the costs for additional labor, renovation costs, and other basic costs that you need to watch out if you’re building a traditional restaurant. With Ghost Kitchens, you can just center your attention on the production costs, ingredient costs, and delivery costs.

Reduced Labor Costs

Since its core focus is to produce delivery-orders, Ghost Kitchens helps a new restaurateur to reduce labor costs by not requiring to hire unnecessary staff. There will be no need for a front-of-the-house team because this business model is not supporting dine-in concept and focuses only with delivery or take out service only.

Ownership of all Customer Information and Gathered Data

Some of the Ghost Kitchens available give you the freedom if you want to operate with your own delivery service or if you want to partner up with a 3rd-party app. Just make sure you weigh the pros and cons first before you make a decision. 

Most of the third-party apps have huge cuts with your sales and their fees will surely impact your business negatively. However, you don’t have to think about marketing as they will do it for your brand.

And if you choose not to be a partner of any of these apps, you will appreciate the control you have over your business. All the creative and marketing freedom will be given over you, and you own your customers since they deal with you directly.

Greater Revenue 

This is no surprise, with all the unnecessary costs being cut, it only leads to you gaining a better revenue. Ghost Kitchens allows you to capitalize over the growing demand for online and delivery service. 

And even though you’re just a starting restaurateur, this concept will speed up your success in the market because you’ll be catering to a generation that exists digitally and completely rely on what is available online.

Benefits of Ghost Kitchens for Existing Restaurants 

Existing Functional Staff

Adopting the Ghost Kitchen principle with your existing restaurant will not be complicated because you already have an existing staff to support your new venture. And these staff are no ordinary staff, they are experienced and well-trained with restaurant operations.

Though there would be adjusting periods for them since Ghost Kitchen has a different workflow compared to traditional restaurants, having a reliable staff to back you up will benefit you as a restaurateur exploring a new business model.

Increase with Revenue

Seems like Ghost Kitchen is a good way to do business nowadays, whether you’re new to the Restaurant Industry or you’re converting your existing business, it always ends up to your sales having an incremental revenue. 

Restaurateurs will enjoy this growth because of all the reduced costs, and since the operation will be production-focused, the operation will be faster and more flexible which leads to meeting the demands. And meeting a high demand means you’re also converting those demands to your profit.

Utilize and Maximize the unused portions of your Operation

If you’ll be operating in your old kitchen instead of moving to an official Ghost Kitchen while adopting its system, you’ll be able to use your space to its highest potential.

You can employ such space as your storage room or additional preparation room. You may also convert it to a room which you can use for overnight preparation or function. All these conversions would still help you save up costs instead of doing a whole renovation of the place, and it’s one way to maximize your rent or lease of the space.

Freedom to Try Out New Concepts

Though you already have an established concept and menu, with Ghost Kitchens, you’re not limited to just offering one. As long as you can gain and serve the demands and  interests of your local community, you’re free to formulate new concepts and offer them different cuisines. 

It’ll be a good thing for you because you’ll be able to capture a broader customer base, boosting your confidence on your concept and the sales for your restaurant business. 

Learning Opportunity

Ghost Kitchens provide learning opportunities for you, as a restaurateur, and for your staff as well. For you, you’re given the chance to make new concepts, and you’ll have a better grasp of the management since you’re focused on your restaurant’s core production. 

For your staff, since the need for staff with this business model is minimal, it’ll require them to be versatile and flexible. They should be trained to fill certain roles to keep the restaurant or the kitchen functioning.

Subscription meals and meal-kits are only some of the growing food trends and concepts that only show how the demands and spending habits of the modern diners are quickly changing – especially regarding online food ordering systems. 

Be it you’re dreaming of becoming a restaurant owner or you want to continue running your restaurant business, in order to achieve your goals, you should have good knowledge with the new venture you’re entering.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/benefits-of-ghost-kitchens/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/ghost-kitchens-and-its-benefits-to-new.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Restaurant Automation – Taking The Lead In Restaurant Robots With Miso Robotics

Investing in restaurant automation is an opportunity you should not miss. If you’re thinking that your restaurant doesn’t need it because you already have a competent and well-trained team to support your business, you’re missing more than you think.

Looking closely, you may have already started automation without you realizing it. Your POS system, inventory management software, kitchen display system, and even your online ordering system are all part of restaurant automation.

One important part of automation is the introduction of robots. In today’s restaurant scene, robots are already making their appearance. They already have a foothold in every operational procedure in a restaurant, from flipping burgers to mixing cocktails.

And if we’re going to talk about restaurant robots, Miso Robotics can’t be missed. Their Flippy is considered the pioneer of AI-powered robotic kitchen assistants. In addition, major QSR brands are now partnering with them to offer safer and faster food services. 

Are you interested in learning more about automation and robots in restaurants? In this article, learn how to establish a firm foundation for automated restaurants. 

Restaurant Automation – Age of Restaurant Robots 

What is the hardest part of your job? As a restaurant owner, you should be involved with every operational and managerial process in your business. Starting from the hiring process to the accounting of finances, up to your waste management. 

Keeping your staff safe, effective, and committed may not make it top on your list but it’s one of the hardest parts of your job. Mainly because you don’t have entire control of someone’s way of thinking. While you may have trained them according to the performance you expect of them, you can’t give more than that.

What they do after their training and experience will be up to your staff. This is also the dilemma that Miso Robotics founder, Buck Jordan, decided to solve. By helping out their first client, Flippy, a simple robotic arm that flips patties on a burger grill, was born. 

This is a major step for the industry, especially for its tech developers and innovators, as it proved that robots have a place inside the kitchen. Automation is not just about data and information, it could directly assist with food service as well. 

To prove this point, Miso Robotics continuously looked for other tasks that their robots can take part in. By now, their Flippy frier has already fried 175,000+ lbs of food, their Flippy grill already flipped 10,000+ burgers, and their Automatic Beverage Dispenser has been considered a key component to reducing wait times at the drive-thru. 

Given that automation is becoming more affordable, and labor costs are rising, it seems to make sense to utilize robots. Also, just think about how you and your staff will be able to focus on other tasks since you have an “extra hand” to help you out with the basic ones.

Restaurant Automation – Where To Apply?

Aside from cooking alongside your line cooks and chefs, what else could these restaurant robots do for you? Here are the most common areas of your business where you can implement the use of robots. 

Front-of-House

The self-service kiosks are the most prevalent implementation of automation for FOH aside from online reservation and seating software. Major fast-food chains such as McDonald’s already started using these kiosks back in 2015 and successfully launched them internationally.

The main reason why QSRs and fast food chains are trying out this type of restaurant automation is that it helps facilitate the entire order-taking process. The average waiting time for QSRs is 255 seconds, anything more than that could drag the entire shift.

Waiting in the queue for quite some time is not an ideal situation for your customers. You’re branded as a “fast food” restaurant for a reason. Through your self-service kiosk, you can reduce the waiting time significantly.

Another representation of automation would be robot waiters. Although it’s still a new field to explore, there are restaurant operators that are not afraid to take the risk. After all, being a pioneer on something is an effective magnet for customers.

You also have to keep in mind that deploying robots in restaurants is not a replacement for your staff. Make them understand that these are tools to help them focus on more important tasks such as customer service and addressing other concerns of your customers. Don’t forget your online takeaway ordering system, also.

Back-of-House

Your kitchen serves as the haven of your restaurant robots. They’re mainly utilized to ease the burden of doing simple yet repetitive tasks off of your kitchen staff’s shoulders. All the frying, flipping, and even mixing can be effortlessly done by your robots. 

It may seem impossible at first look, but robots are starting to dominate the kitchen. To give you an idea on what are the possible kitchen tasks these robots can do, below is a list of the top robots in restaurants currently in use.

Sally – Salad-making robot from Chowbotics

Cecilia.ai – An interactive and automated robot bartender

Mini Baker – An automated loaf and bread maker by Wilkinson Baking Company

Flippy – A variation of AI-powered robot built to operate in fast food kitchens

Smile Robotics – A plate-collecting robot from the Japanese Company, ACUR-C

Makr Shakr– A robotic bar system that enables customers to work alongside the program to mix their cocktails. 

Doughbot – The robot responsible for accelerating the pizza-making process by pressing pizza dough five times faster compared to traditional machines.  

Food Delivery

Thinking about restaurant automation and food delivery, there are several opportunities to improve the delivery systems of restaurants using restaurant robots. Drone delivery is one of the many things you can try out for your next food delivery service. 

However, drones can only handle such weight. If a customer orders a full meal course set for delivery, it may seem impossible to deliver it using drone technology. But, drones are not the only way to apply automation in your delivery. 

Robots are being developed to directly deliver food items to a customer’s home address. It’s equipped with GPS and cameras to safely navigate its way from the restaurant to the customer. It’s still in development though, so it may take time before its official launch. 

Restaurant Robots and Automation – Benefits

By now, you should already know the potential automation and robots bring to your restaurant business. To help you understand more about the automated processes, see below what are the main benefits robots in restaurants can bring. 

Streamlines the kitchen processes

Food handling and preparation is composed of different simple yet time-consuming and tedious tasks. Imagine how many working hours you can use if you’re going to set free your staff members with these tasks. 

As mentioned above, most of the restaurant robots were developed to help with routine kitchen tasks such as frying, mixing ingredients, and even plate collecting. These robots are highly programmed meaning the likelihood of mistakes and errors is highly reduced. 

With proper programs and software, they can duplicate any dish there is without the worry of culinary skills and experience. Also, robots work at a faster pace. Productivity and efficiency will easily improve with their assistance. 

Leading you to increase your revenue and customer engagement. It also allows your staff members to focus on customer service since they have free time to spare. 

Minimizes operational costs

If you’re going to automate your mundane kitchen tasks, you’ll be able to reduce your operating costs since a single robot can carry out those tasks with great precision. 

Also, there’s no need for you to hire staff for shifting since a single robot can perform the task with ease. It helps you deal with increasing labor costs associated with the hiring crisis in the restaurant industry. 

Furthermore, minimal mistakes mean minimal food waste. As you already know, food waste is one of the major costs that affect restaurant operations. Dealing with it helps you protect your bottom line. 

Improves customer service

What would happen if your staff doesn’t have to wait until a customer decides on what to order? Or if your staff doesn’t have to monitor the frying station for your chips? They’ll have lots of time on their hands.

Training them to use this time to devote to enhancing the quality of the service that they are delivering to customers. They now have time to monitor, observe, and focus intently if there are concerns that your customers need assistance for. 

Through this observation, they will develop initiative since they’re now familiar with the environment. They’ll be able to tell whether a customer needs something before they even call your staff. That’s the efficiency and service growth automation can bring. 

Restaurant Robots and Automations – Issues

Aside from that they are cold beings, robots in restaurants raise some issues in the industry such as the following:

Consumers are not fascinated by robots handling their food

People are not impressed that a programmed machine is a part of the preparation process of their meals. They think that robots lack sound judgment thus their fatal mistakes are possible. 

For instance, what if there’s a loose bolt that got mixed up in the soup or the salad? Since these robots are not programmed to detect those, there’s a huge possibility that it would be served or worse eaten by a customer. 

Also, customers still find it more comfortable interacting with a human, someone who can understand them with comprehension. Pressing a set of buttons does not interest customers because they need a confirmation that they’re being understood, thus, human interaction.

Robots fail to demonstrate emotional intelligence and personality

Although there are some developments where a robot can interact with a customer, it’s still not as smooth as what your staff can offer. Customers still prefer staff members since they know how to turn a bad experience into a good one. 

They can make adjustments accordingly and with ease, primarily because they are trained for it. Seeing robots may improve a customer’s experience in your restaurant, but it’s the service that makes them stay. 

Employees fear being replaced by robots

Knowing their worth and what they’re capable of doing, employees are threatened with the presence of robots in restaurants. Without proper endorsement, it could bring chaos instead of harmony in your operations. 

You need to communicate with your team first. Let them know that robots are just tools to be used for your restaurant automation process. It’s there to give them a helping hand, and not to take their jobs away from them. 

Is your restaurant prepared for robots?

Considering all the technological advancements being presented, it’s only logical to think that robots are the next step towards innovation. While it’s still taking its sweet time for now to become a norm, you should educate yourself as early as now.

“Prevention is always better than cure,” goes the popular saying. In the case of this trend becoming the new normal for restaurant operations, it is always best to prepare and take the first step forward.  

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/restaurant-automation-using-restaurant-robots/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/restaurant-automation-taking-lead-in.html

[jamesgregoruk]

5 Tips for Getting More Good Online Reviews for Your Restaurant

As you’re reading this, you probably already know all the statistics about online reviews. Nearly 87% of consumers say that they read online reviews before making a purchase or going to a business. 

Restaurants are also one of the top industries where consumers are most likely to read reviews. The others on the list are hotels, medical businesses, clothing stores, and automotive businesses.

Since you’re a smart business owner, you’ve probably decided to claim your listings, optimize your profiles on review sites, and leverage negative reviews to your advantage. No doubt you have an online food ordering system, too. That’s good, but is it sufficient?

The process of creating your business profile and claiming online reviews is only one part of the picture. People are more likely to view your business as old and unpopular if you sit back and do nothing to generate new and positive reviews.

Having this in mind, we have put together a list of ways to boost your business’s visibility and attract customers through more positive online reviews.

How To Score Positive Online Reviews From Your Customers

Make your restaurant website review-friendly

Have you ever purchased anything from Amazon recently? Their site offers all products a review option, so you can leave a review. A verified purchase is distinguished from an independent review. 

A customer’s ability to read reviews can help him or she make an informed purchase decision on Amazon.

Make sure your website has a review form. Customers who have used your products and services can leave a review using a star rating system or other symbols, and you can also ask them to write a written review. A relatively low-key way to accumulate reviews, it’s easy and inexpensive.

Send a purchase-related email to customers

Sending an automated email after a customer makes a purchase can encourage their reviews. It could contain a link to your website’s review form.

Make sure you do not send the email until the customer has received the product if you choose to use this option. In other words, if you’re sending an email to someone who made an online food delivery service, you’ll have to wait several minutes or hours before sending the email.

Two choices are available to you. The first option is to attach the review form to the email, and the second is to include a link directing the review form to your website. Regardless of the choice you make, ensure that the review is just as straightforward on a mobile device as it would be on a computer.

Another thing you can do is to leverage your current reviews into more online reviews. Send a thank-you email to customers who complete reviews on your site. 

Consider including the following in your email. First, it is also possible to upsell additional products, which they can review afterward. Request the review of other purchases they have made. 

Getting the feeling that you appreciate your customers is important. A simple thank you email can be enough to motivate them to review additional food items or services.

You don’t have to struggle as much to get more positive reviews online, but you should know how to encourage your customers. Ask them. They’re just waiting for your call.

Incentives can be used to encourage online reviews

As a general rule, paying for reviews isn’t a good idea (and asking customers who haven’t tried your products to write reviews is not a good idea either), however, you can find a way to encourage them to do so.

Points are a common benefit offered by many restaurants. Points may be rewarded for purchases made through a points program. After that, you can reward customers with bonus points for reviewing the products they purchase.

Offering additional points for customers who share their reviews on social media is another option. Utilizing this method, you can add value to each review that you get by introducing them to new consumers.

A free download could be offered if a points system isn’t your thing. This can be a simple e-recipe book or even a list of resources that you think your customers will find helpful. 

You could, for instance, provide users with a downloadable infographic that outlines how to mix a mocktail or make pizza from scratch.

Regardless of which option you choose, the goal is to show your appreciation to customers who take the time to leave reviews.

Allow customers to give feedback with ease

Put links to your profile on your website, emails, and social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Since you are asking followers of your business or those who like your page, you are asking the correct people.

If you don’t have an online store, how can you encourage customers to leave reviews? Even though it might not be as simple as sending them a link, there are a few things you can do to get more reviews:

Printing your receipts and invoices with a link to your product review page is a good practice.

Consider printing excerpts from some of your reviews on a menu or displaying them in your restaurant.

Use your menu or comment cards to ask customers to review your business on Facebook or other review sites.

It may not work for everyone, but these ideas can enable you to increase the percentage of customers who leave reviews of your products and services.

Be responsive to online reviews

The key to responding positively to any review is to read it with a positive attitude. In this way, you demonstrate your genuine interest in your customers and your restaurant.

When responding to negative reviews, responding positively goes a long way towards enhancing the guest’s experience. Whether you respond publicly or privately is up to you, but just be diplomatic in your approach. 

Be sure to monitor online reviews from your website, social media accounts, and other review sites. You should pay attention not only to the way you respond to online reviews but also to the time when you respond. Your guests greatly appreciate timely responses. 

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/how-to-get-positive-online-reviews-for-your-restaurant/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/5-tips-for-getting-more-good-online.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Are You Having a Hard Time Growing Your Restaurant Business? Get Things Moving Again with These 5 Tips

Everything is going well for your restaurant business. In your marketing efforts, results are being delivered, and ROI is being earned. All of a sudden, it isn’t. Exactly what went wrong? Is there a way you can begin to move forward again?

A plateau is the most straightforward explanation. As you climb, you now find yourself on a flat surface. Growing your business means finding a way to go in a new direction. Fortunately, if you know why your business is stagnating, there are simple things you can do to fix it.

Read along to know more about how to survive a business plateau. Who knows, the change of path you’re looking for might just be under your nose. 

Grow Your Restaurant Business – Survive a Business Plateau

What is the reason why your business isn’t growing? First, define the direction your business should be heading, and where it should be going from there.

Businesses, especially in the Restaurant Industry, are subject to plateauing in several ways. In general, these are the most prevalent:

Prospect Generation

Website Usage

Engaging the Audience

Acquiring New Customers

Online Conversion

Monitoring your marketing results will help you to determine where your effectiveness is lacking. Here’s your chance to change that. If you wish to create tracked links, you might consider using a marketing platform.

It is also possible to track your marketing efforts using tools like Google Analytics and Facebook pixels. Focus on the areas that need improvement as you narrow your results. 

For instance, if your website traffic is high but your social engagement is low, it might make sense to improve that aspect of your business.

Prospect Generation

Do you rely on qualified leads to keep your restaurant business going? In this case, a plateau in lead generation can be a serious issue. To counteract the slowdown, you need to work on your lead generation and improve this process for your restaurant.

Engagement on social media can be achieved with targeted campaigns and personal interaction. You will be able to attract more leads if you are more targeted in your social media marketing.

To get people’s email addresses, devise a simple lead magnet that will appeal to their interests. Consider creating a tutorial, a template, or even an eBook to share with potential leads. Dedicated landing pages are key to making your offer successful.

Don’t limit the call to action to the pages where you promote offers – put them on all pages of your website. Make it appear that a signup form or contact form is the best way to get visitors to contact you.

You need to reach out to prospects who are interested in your business. It is possible to turn them into paying customers as soon as they join your mailing list.

Website Usage

As you review your marketing statistics, you discover that your website traffic has dropped. Are there any things you can do to help things move along again?

Consider doing an audit of your website to identify improvement opportunities. It might be helpful to perform an SEO update and ensure that every page is optimized for a specific keyword.

To reap the most benefit from keywords, make sure that you use them in your titles, headings, and subheadings, as well as in all image tags.

Don’t forget to always double-check your information for accuracy and relevancy. To keep the engagement high, your customers must find something relevant about them on your website or blog. Promoting your blog posts on social media can help you increase your blogging frequency.

Try featuring a blog about DIY mocktails, or organize alive on your social media app to show how you’re handling the re-opening for physical indoor dining. It is your responsibility to create a bridge that will keep consumers connected to your brand.

You can do a lot to draw traffic to your website, but you will have to maintain its visibility by updating it periodically. This applies to your table service app, too.

Engaging the Audience

When you get fewer blog comments, shares on social media, and phone calls, this indicates a lack of audience engagement. But how can you keep the engagement high for your business?

Social media should be used regularly to share content. Sharing your blog posts, curating industry publications, and offering special offers for your followers are just a few ways to be helpful.

Encourage audience participation by making a call to action and utilizing relevant hashtags. You will not be able to get what you want from your followers unless you let them know

Send out a newsletter or series of emails every month when you have an email list. Your engagement and authority will increase if you provide your audience with useful information and tips.

Engaging your followers requires regular posting. Ignoring your social media page won’t get you the clicks, comments, and shares that you desire.

Acquiring New Customers

Your new customer acquisition has slowed, perhaps that’s the reason why your business has been slow. Here are some things you can do to attract customers if that’s the case:

Begin an incentive program to encourage your existing customers to refer their friends and family.

Verify that your online listings are the same. It’s common for local business owners to have more listings than they realize. If these listings are not standardized, they become less visible online.

Don’t forget to include your location on your Facebook profile so customers can find you.

Create unique hashtags to use on social media to promote local events that you host with other local businesses.

It is possible to reach new customers with all of these approaches, as well as get them into your restaurant.

Online Conversion

There might be a lot of leads and clicks, but unless the traffic you attract converts, your efforts will go to waste. Is there a way to make it work? Try out these practical ideas and apply them to your management.

Ensure that your landing pages and advertisements include updated words, images, and CTAs.

Make it easy for customers to write reviews on websites like Facebook, Yelp, or Google. Be responsive to reviews, both positive and negative.

To make your offers more effective, create separate landing pages for each. 

Display testimonials from your customers. Customers’ video testimonials can add a lot of credibility to your website.

By following these suggestions, you can overcome any objections that may arise, which will result in higher conversions.

The best marketers sometimes make mistakes. As such, hitting a plateau shouldn’t discourage you. If you want your business to move forward, take some time to evaluate your results and then take action like the ones offered here.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/grow-your-restaurant-business-with-these-tips/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/are-you-having-hard-time-growing-your.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Top 8 Signs Your Restaurant Website Is In Need Of A Makeover

Do you have an outdated restaurant website? Technically, it’s not the start of the year, but indoor hospitality was just recently permitted. Many restaurateurs, such as yourself, set resolutions to improve themselves, or to just be better. Did you know that? Similarly, you should think about whether or not you want to make improvements to your website.

It’s a fact. Redesigning a website can be a hassle for many businessmen. While your existing websites might still be running, you may put off redesigning them as you don’t perceive them as a priority.

There should be no question about it being a matter of importance. It’s difficult to attract new customers if your website is outdated, which can undermine trust with your existing customers.

But how would you know if it’s time for a new design? This article will help you discover what are the indicators of your restaurant website’s cry for help for a redesign.

Signs Your Restaurant Website Needs A Redesign

It is not mobile-friendly

It is expected that by the year 2025, 93.7 percent of the UK’s population are using mobile or smartphones. How would you expect consumers to open their laptops or PCs just to engage with your website? 

You’re losing a lot of business if you don’t provide a convenient way to process and finalize orders. Your online restaurant ordering system must be mobile responsive to create better opportunities for engaging customers and boosting your bottom line.

Websites that do not adjust to the size of the device on which they’re being viewed are penalized by Google. The problem is quite simple to solve. The points are more than enough reason not to do it – and an absence of it can be harmful to your business.

It appears outdated

As the world of web design evolves, new trends emerge. The time has come to embrace the present and update your website if it looks like it was built in the early 2000s. It is easy for a website to appear out of date because of a variety of little things.

For instance, what version of Twitter and Facebook logos do you have displayed on your homepage or blog? In the case where your Twitter logo features the old bird with the feathers on its head, your site might appear quaint and ancient.

It delivers a low conversion rate

Having low conversion rates after tweaking your marketing campaigns is a sure sign your site needs an update. There’s a problem with your website that’s making potential customers flee. If your restaurant website is the problem, there is only one solution.

Low conversion rates can be caused by several factors, including your social media presence and marketing campaign. Despite this, there is no denying your website, its appearance, user experience, and more play a huge and important role.

It takes a while to load

Putting off an update because of its difficulty may seem like a good thing in the short run, but it’s a big sign that it’s time to update. Staying aware of future Google updates and technological advancements is the best way to ensure you stay up to date.

Your life will be simplified in the long run if you upgrade to a WordPress site where you can easily change themes and install plugins as necessary. 

It’s a common statistic to say that humans have a shortened attention span than goldfish. In terms of how fast a website loads, it makes sense.

Additionally, Google penalizes sites with an excessively long loading time. Use the Page Speed checker to see how long it takes for your site to load. You should aim for it to load in about two to five seconds. 

But keep in mind that each second beyond two also reduces the interest of consumers. Website abandonment is common if a webpage takes three seconds or more to load.

It carries an outdated branding

The redesign of your website should be done to match your branding changes, regardless of how small they may be.

Has your business changed its brand since your last website update? Therefore, you’re not giving your visitors a true picture of your restaurant when they visit your website – so you have to brand it properly.

It still has autoplay in it

As you redesign your restaurant website, you should eliminate autoplay for a more important reason. Page loading time is probably slowed by it. In the past, you may have been eager to encourage people to watch or listen to your video. However, now is the time to update.

The level of irritation created by autoplay easily outweighs the benefits it could provide. Rather than auto-playing your video, put a captivating thumbnail and a provocative pull quote in the header.

Also, modern consumers want to be in control of a transaction. Providing them the authority of what they can do on your website will surely boost user experience.

It contains inconsistent web design

You may have had a different designer make some tweaks to the design while you waited years for your last redesign. You might have even done a bit of programming yourself. This may result in an overly layered Frankensite that appears to have been thrown together by a committee.

The fonts, colors, menus, and other design elements on your website should be consistent throughout so that you can offer new customers an attractive experience instead of scaring them away. Redesigning can help you achieve a cohesive look that will bring you new customers.

It has a low Google-rank

Websites that load quickly and have great content are prioritized by Google. You are less likely to rank highly in Google if your site hasn’t been updated for a while.

A ranking decline is especially concerning if this is happening despite better visibility online and a higher marketing budget than usual. Google’s responses to your website are not to be ignored. The problem can’t get better if you postpone updating it.

Google holds a lot of power over consumers, so don’t ignore it. Consumers’ buying decisions are influenced by it more than they think. Without a good Google listing, you may find it difficult to get customers’ attention and interest.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/signs-your-restaurant-website-needs-a-redesign/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/top-8-signs-your-restaurant-website-is.html

[jamesgregoruk]

Top 7 SEO Trends of 2021

Staying on top of your SEO campaign is a challenge that you have to continuously deal with. Especially now that online visibility is the new buzzword. Halfway through the year, there are already established SEO trends that have made a significant impact on businesses.

With SEO constantly changing, it’s more difficult than ever to stay on top of things. To stay visible on Google and maintain your rank, you have to stay up to date with Google’s continuous algorithm updates.

Through this article, you’ll be able to see how SEO trends are making an impact on businesses. You may use this to your advantage and see how it will serve your restaurant.

SEO Trends for Restaurants – 2021

Having a clear understanding of the changes on the way can help businesses plan and avoid major penalties, or a drastic drop in website rankings. Keeping up with Google and knowing exactly what they will be throwing at you is crucial.

SEO on Mobile Devices

Local SEO should not be a new topic for you. As a restaurant owner, integrating this into your operations and marketing is not just an option, it’s already a necessity. You should be driven to maintain a strong online presence by the growing dependence of modern diners on Google.

Seventy-seven percent of consumers usually checked the internet first, before trying out a new restaurant. Missing out on that type of market could be hurtful for your business. The same goes for your ranking on mobile devices. 

One of the most significant trends in mobile SEO. Mobile devices are used more and more by people to search. While you may have higher desktop rankings if you only do SEO for desktops instead of mobile, your mobile rankings may be atrocious. 

Search engine optimization for mobile devices is becoming increasingly important in the future. 

User and Search Focus

The searcher’s intent and behavior are always changing, so it is important every year to refocus on this. “What’s good for the users is good for SEO”, as the famous SEO saying goes.

To provide the most rewarding experience for users, or users, Google has many factors in mind. Consequently, Google wants its users to be satisfied when they land on your website via the search engine results page (SERP). When users are satisfied with the search experience, they will return to Google again for their next search.

It is more important than ever for any website to focus on learning what users are looking for, especially now that Google is emphasizing user experience. When it comes to deciphering user intent manually, tools such as keyword search can allow you to swiftly accomplish this will be ahead of those that do not.

Zero-Click Searches

The term refers to a search engine results page (SERP) that provides a direct answer to the user’s query in such a way that no other clicks are necessary to finish the search. A large percentage of zero-click searches involve local results, so it’s extremely important to build a strong backlink profile and get a Google My Business account set up.

Local search listings should not be underestimated. Local SEO is critical because top search results offer answers via the SERP itself, due to the steady rise in zero-click searching. Searches that satisfy the search intent at the top of the SERP are zero-click searches.

Use of Core Web Vitals for Ranking

For those who aren’t familiar with these, starting at the Google Search Central blog is a good place to start. To simplify, Google is adding page load speed to its ranking formula.

Google incorporated it into its ranking factors in May 2021. For your listing to appear on the first page, you must pay attention to those. A user experience metric will help the bots to decide which page is more relevant if two pages have equally relevant content.

Experienced SEOs will probably tell you that site speed is already a ranking factor. Since users bounce back to Google if your site is slow it is an indirect ranking factor. The practice is known as “pogo-sticking,” and your SEO rankings will suffer as a result.

Voice Searches

Seventy-six percent of all mobile phone users around the world use voice search. This SEO trend generally consists of long-tail queries that are extremely specific. The purpose of voice search is to find specific answers to user queries. 

During this stage of the funnel, these users are considering the offer and are likely to convert much more frequently than other users. It is expected that voice search optimization will also continue to grow and become an SEO trend since more people are turning to it every day. For SEO purposes, this can be an essential step.

Use of AI – Automation

Understanding the algorithms used by search engines to rank web pages takes years. Creating strategies for each of these takes a great deal of time. However, the use of AI and machine learning can completely change the game when it comes to such strategies. It’s affecting the development of food delivery apps, too

Decoding algorithms and creating favorable strategies are put to a much higher level of efficiency and power using this scheme. While it can be exhausting to do quality assurance if you have AI or automation with you, your business will soon reap the benefits from it.

Consider utilizing an AI tool for your content writing, keyword search, or reporting.

Video Marketing Content

It is important to keep in mind that your SEO strategy needs to include videos as YouTube’s influence continues to grow. Keywords should be voiced in these videos, and they should be search engine optimized. Embedding a video that features the same keyword on your landing page is also important.

You should begin by optimizing the titles and descriptions of your videos. Likewise, your description should not overburden users with keywords, but rather provide an in-depth description that is easy to understand.

Keywords can make a difference. YouTube’s autocompleting feature can be useful when optimizing videos for YouTube. When you begin typing a video’s topic, a list of possible topics will appear. The keywords that are suggested can be used to optimize the video for the right kind of audience for optimal performance.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/seo-trends-for-2021/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/top-7-seo-trends-of-2021.html

[jamesgregoruk]

What Online Marketing Trends Can Make Your Restaurant Stand Out This 2021

Your sales and marketing strategy should leverage digital marketing in a way that creates results by increasing visibility and driving revenue. The following online marketing trends for 2021 will help you get started and create more success for you this year.

In the long run, businesses that can best capitalize on current trends will gain a significant competitive advantage. Especially considering everyone is vying for consumers’ attention online, you must maximize the marketing trends you can employ online. 

Taking advantage of these trends ensures that the second half of the year will be your most profitable season. 

Online Marketing Trends For Restaurants 

Establishing a restaurant website, creating an interactive online menu, and the like are just some of the most popular digital marketing trends. Utilizing these marketing styles has helped different businesses, especially restaurants to make their mark on the market. 

While the above-mentioned are extremely helpful for you, keep in mind that the rest of the competition is doing the same. You may use different approaches, but it might get too crowded for you if you’re going to focus on the same styles as others.

Here are some of the online marketing trends for restaurants that have already proven their effectiveness. These are some unique styles where other restaurateurs may not be utilizing yet.

Create A SMS Marketing Campaign

This type of restaurant marketing has been around for quite some time. But it didn’t get enough patronage. Why? Business owners see that using this tactic could mean that they’re invading the privacy of their customers. 

It is a mentality that you have to let go of. Of course, there are lines that you shouldn’t cross when it comes to data privacy, but if you’ve been transparent from the start, this shouldn’t be a problem for you. 

You just have to clarify to your customers what you will do with their data. Inform them of the possibility of their data being used for marketing campaigns. And if they still agree with it, then you’re good to go. 

In the year 2018, SMS marketing has been valued at around USD3.5 billion. It’s a huge valuation that shows endless growth potential. 

This is one of the easiest ways to let consumers subscribe to your brand and other marketing offers. There is no need to open up another browser or connect it to their email account or other social media accounts. 

They just have to click a short message and they’re already on your list. Updating them about your different special promotion, event, or a just-because gift card is made simpler. You send this campaign, and it’ll just appear on their phones through their messaging apps.

Boost User-Generated Curated Content

Take advantage of how customers trust their fellow customers. The use of user-generated content, or UGC, is an online marketing trend that’s not given proper attention. You have to realize the impact it delivers to your business, on how it helps your branding. 

Competing for online followers is a daily challenge for you and your team. If you’re looking for a way where you will exert less effort but provide the best results, then you must connect with your customers. 

Encouraging them to share or post online about your restaurant business is a great way to expose your brand to a new audience. It is a cost-effective way to gain your brand new online followers. 

Let your customers take photos of your interior design, your food presentation, and motivate them to share them with the world. Those #foodies will surely get a hand with one of these posts, and your brand will reap the sweet fruit of success. 

If you’re going to repost their content, make sure to ask for permission and give them proper credit. It enhances their engagement with your brand, at the same time, it provides great exposure for your business.

Make Everything Mobile-Friendly

A business that’s not accessible through smartphones or other mobile devices is missing a lot. This online marketing trend was born due to how being digital changed the purchasing process and behavior of consumers. Having a restaurant or takeaway ordering app is essential nowadays.

Everyone’s browsing through their phone more than through a desktop or a laptop. In the UK, two out of five, forty-three percent, are aware that they’re using more screen time than they should. It is a huge indicator of how digital dependency affects the way of life of a consumer. 

Having this in mind, you have to ensure that every service you offer should be mobile optimized. Work on your mobile SEO to ensure that you’re appearing to every mobile search being made. Ensure that your website and its services are mobile-friendly. 

Modern diners search using their smartphones more often because it’s convenient and offers information right at their fingertips (literally and figuratively). Your bottom line will suffer if you don’t build your brand and operations into this kind of setup.

Utilize Video Marketing Smartly

Almost five billion YouTube videos are being watched every single day. Consider the fact that there are over two billion active Facebook users around the world. An analysis of the number of people watching videos reveals about one billion watching an hour of video each week. There is an enormous audience embedded there waiting to be discovered.

Compared to text or still images, video attracts more attention and communicates messages better. Watching videos does not only result in consumers remembering them but purchasing products afterward.

Your restaurant can use video to answer common questions customers have, either through Live events or through prerecorded releases. Consider creating short, informative videos from content already in circulation, and posting the videos directly to your restaurant’s social networks.

Maximize Social Media Marketing

The online marketing trend that’s been popular for years now. Social media marketing has proved that digital marketing can be easy, fun, and most especially, budget-friendly.

An active social media presence is crucial for businesses today. Restaurants particularly depend on their online reputations. As you work on your social media marketing plan, it’s essential to pay attention to your social audience when problems arise.

Creating a profile on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is your first step towards this type of marketing. These top social media platforms offer target features that are easy to use and allow you to increase your followers and customer engagement. 

Yelp and other social networking platforms are also crucial to strengthen your social media presence. 

If you’re going to focus on this marketing style, it is ideal to know first where your target audience usually hangs out. It is important to know which type of platform they use. Marketing to the wrong platform is a huge mistake and a waste of resources. 

In addition to building your brand’s voice, an effective social media marketing strategy shows your brand’s personality. Using posts, tweets, and pictures to showcase how your brand is perceived will give you a competitive advantage.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/online-marketing-trends-for-restaurants/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/what-online-marketing-trends-can-make.html

[jamesgregoruk]

How Cloud-Based Systems Are Slowly Revolutionizing The Restaurant Industry

The introduction of cloud-based systems is the response of the industry to meet the constantly evolving preferences of customers. This system allows restaurateurs to be on top of their game, digitally, despite the daily complexities of restaurant operations. 

Being online and digital is only the first step towards the restaurant’s digital transformation. You must be aware that the technology behind it is continuously being developed to make sure that it’s meeting the current needs of the consumers. 

Just take, for instance, the before all-competent POS systems were upgraded into cloud-based POS systems for more efficiency in the operations. It’s simple, as consumers’ demands transform, it should be the same for your restaurant technology.

If you want to stay relevant to the market and the competition you are in, you have to make sure that you’re well-equipped with updated tools and technology to help you out. This is why cloud-based systems or software are perfect for restaurant owners like you. 

Consumers are now expecting a more convenient, accurate, safer, and faster service from businesses. Everything should be delivered at lightning speed without delays and of top quality. With cloud-based tools, you can deliver such a service to your customers. 

Learn more about this restaurant management system type and how it could benefit your current operations. 

Cloud-Based Systems in the Restaurants

You may have heard about this type of tech for smartphones such as Apple Cloud. However, the cloud is a general term meaning that data is being stored to remote storage and is accessible anywhere as long as there is an established internet connection. 

It is also known as a web-based or Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. The cloud system is commonly associated with POS systems as it’s the sole data storage of an entire restaurant. 

However, although given the opportunity to pivot their operations into a better system, restaurant owners are hesitant to try this system out. The majority of restaurateurs claim that it complicates their current system and they don’t have enough resources to sustain this type of tech. 

And this is the mentality that you need not adopt. To help you understand cloud-based systems more, here are some of the frequently asked questions about this matter. 

What is a cloud-based system?

As mentioned above, in essence, it’s just a system that allows you to store limitless data on remote storage (hence the term ‘somewhere in the cloud’). The cloud is known for its accessibility and security, which makes it a perfect option especially if your business is data-driven.

Is it hard to navigate?

The beauty of advanced technology is that the more advanced it is, the easier it is for people to navigate through it. For cloud-based tools and equipment, developers made sure that it’ll be easy to use and understand. While training could be helpful, there’s absolutely no need for it.

Are the cloud-based systems and tools expensive?

This may come as a surprise, but these advanced tools are incredibly affordable. It’s a cost-effective solution that allows restaurant owners, such as yourself, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations and management. 

The cost may vary depending on your subscription plan and tech provider. But collectively, it still costs less compared to traditional or legacy systems.

Benefits of Cloud-Based Systems in the Restaurant Industry

With cloud-based solutions for restaurant management, you can easily access every data about your business. It can help you monitor and access every data about your inventory management up to your staff management, at any channel in real-time. 

It allows you to create better decisions on how to use the data that you’ve gathered through your POS system. And the more you know about your data, the more targeted experience you can provide to your customers. 

Here are the main benefits you can experience once you try to deploy cloud-based systems in your restaurant.

It can be integrated into other systems easily

With cloud-based systems, all data can be synchronized in a single platform. For instance, you need to create a purchase forecast for a month. You can easily access all the data about your sales to identify purchasing patterns which can help you generate a well-informed report.

It helps you create data-driven business decisions

Having a better understanding of your data means you’ve gained deeper insights about your customers, employees, management, operations, and the like. Being able to access these sets of data anywhere and anytime allows you to act immediately if there are concerns that need to be addressed.

For instance, as an owner, you have to make sure that your inventory is well managed, that your employees are reporting on time, and that your customers are getting their preferred dish. If you have a different platform or system for each, you can’t act right away since you’re still focused on another platform. 

With the cloud system, you can track everything on a single platform. You can also sync all the data however you want to create other formulas to improve your current work system. 

It improves inventory management

Your inventory is the lifeline of the entire restaurant. If you have insufficient stocks for a day, then operations will be put on hold for a day, and that’s already a quick loss for you. This is why it’s important to take inventory management seriously, regardless of how tedious this task can be. 

If you have a system that’s integrated with your kitchen display system and POS, you can track the movement of the ingredients. Should the stocks approach low, you can quickly request a purchase activity for replenishing. Integrate this with your epos system for takeaway restaurants and you are good to go.

And what comes next when you’re managing your inventory levels well? Better waste management. If you have low waste levels it only means that you’re able to maximize every ingredient you have, meaning you’ve also maximized the investment you put out into it. 

It is a secured platform for data

At first, it may sound risky to place all your business data including your customers, employees, and the like in web-based or remote storage. However, your data is safer in the cloud compared to an internal or personal server and drives. 

Cloud system developers have a robust cybersecurity system that is hard to compromise. It is also automated to back-up files if your system crashes, meaning you can recover all your data even if troubleshooting is needed. 

Compared if you’ll completely rely on your drives, should it be hacked, compromised digitally or an accident happens, it may be difficult for you to recover your data.

It’s Time To Put Your Restaurant On Cloud Nine

Whether you’re ready or not, the digital revolution in the industry is already ongoing. Now’s the time to effectively pivot your systems into more efficient and effective ones. Why? Because everyone’s still open to changes and other technological advancements. Just think of the way takeaway ordering systems have changed everything.

Cloud-based systems are already changing the ways of operators, it’s time for you to adapt to its ways for more productive business operations. Aside from data security, it offers a lot of benefits that can change the tides of the competition if utilized properly. 

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/cloud-based-systems-in-restaurants/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2022/02/how-cloud-based-systems-are-slowly.html

[jamesgregoruk]

How To Use a Restaurant Mobile App To Improve and Redefine The Future of Customer Engagement

The significant shift of consumers to restaurant mobile app is considered as one of the major events in the restaurant industry. Before the pandemic, it’s already gaining its popularity among restaurant owners.

Mobile apps give consumers ease and convenience. Imagine food ordering that’s just a tap away while enjoying the comfort of their private places away from the crowd. 

While this type of restaurant solution is surely beneficial, other restaurateurs are still hesitant to try this out. Considering the workload it entails, they opt to deploy services from third-party food services providers such as Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo.

And if you’re just starting, a third-party provider would sound enticing for you. However, you have to take into account that partnering with these providers may cost you more in the long run. With all the commissions and service charges you have to pay, it isn’t surprising that you’ll lose more money than you make.

Additionally, if you’re going to build your restaurant mobile app, there’s a great chance of growing not just your online visibility but your revenue in general. Restaurants interested in having their app can drive their sales and revenue up to thirty percent.

That’s a great number especially if you’re just trying to find your way to the new restaurant landscape. We understand that this could be a little bit intimidating, but we ask you to read along to help you understand why apps are considered as one of the best choices of restaurant key players. 

Restaurant Mobile App 101

In essence, this is an app-type of your restaurant website in which consumers can access services such as online reservation, advanced booking for takeaway or curbside pick-up, and food delivery.

Restaurant ordering apps are seen as effective because consumers are practically always on their phones. The accessibility it provides allows consumers, not to mention the benefits it brings to businesses, to use a platform without needing to interact with other individuals.

And while third-party delivery apps also provide contactless transactions, just think about the forty-eight percent of consumers who prefer ordering directly to restaurants because they know it’ll be cheaper. Also, modern diners are seen to be more inclined to support local restaurants.

It provides fast and accurate service to consumers and covers a wide variety of business needs. It boosts not just your revenue and online presence but also changes the way you engage with your customers. In particular, if you integrate real-time online chat support with it.

Indeed, restaurant mobile apps will be around for a long time to come. Can you imagine life without Facebook? Without access to a more convenient way of communication? A bit hard, right? The purpose of mobile apps is to meet consumer needs and make it easier for businesses to serve customers.

Restaurant Mobile App- Customer Engagement

Modern consumers prefer to use mobile apps to engage with their local restaurants. If your restaurant has a mobile app, then it’s ideal. If you’re still relying on phone orders, then it’s the best time to do an upgrade. 

The platform that mobile apps provide allows you to cultivate brand awareness and customer loyalty easily. However, the same goes for every other restaurant. How do you plan to stay on top of the competition using the features that you have?

Here are some approaches you can use to make sure that you’re driving customer engagement using your restaurant mobile app.

Mastering the Full Customer Experience

Indeed, third-party food service providers are one of the industry’s heroes during the serious hit of the pandemic. It provided those establishments who can’t pivot their operations right away and helped them to somehow survive the impacts of the lockdowns and restrictions.

However, while this system surely works, it’s the most ideal solution for everyone, especially for small and start-up food businesses. The average commission and service fee of these providers is amounting to thirty percent of the price of an order.

Looking closely, it’s a huge amount and you could feel it hurting your thin, barely even there, profit margins. In the end, it appears to be counterproductive to any benefits your business gains from it in the first place.

But revenue aside, you should also be concerned about how you have little to no control of the customer experience that it offers. Keep in mind that third-party foodservice providers control and manage everything, and unless you pay a little extra, you won’t be able to enjoy premium services from them. 

With control and managing everything, we meant everything. Every customer data is theirs and you do not influence it. You also have no authority on how they will address concerns, should there be one. 

While it is safe to assume that consumers are now smarter, it’ll still be hard for them to not associate your brand with the service that your third-party providers offer. This is why having your restaurant mobile app, where everything is under your management is better. 

Although it’s an additional workload, just think about the control you can have. You can now deliver the service you want to your customers, and you can work on your customer engagement better as you have all the data to help you out.

Develop the Experience Based on Customer Needs

Consumers now find restaurant apps more interesting compared to before. In the recent report of a marketing intelligence firm, there’s a 91% growth in download and usage of restaurant mobile apps compared to third-party delivery apps.

And along with the growing patronage, comes the increasing customers’ expectations as well. It is known that mobile apps were used for faster and more convenient services, but consumers are starting to demand more.

Since everyone’s offering almost the same features, your customers will be wanting to experience a more personalized and targeted service from your restaurant mobile app. This is where proximity engagement technology comes in.

Unlike other types of marketing technology, this type of solution integrates every data a customer has with you. It consolidates their data to identify patterns and preferences for a more customized service. 

If the data is processed using this proximity engagement technology, you can then automate hyper-targeted messages to your app. Personalized service is a proven customer magnet. Once a consumer feels that they’re being valued by a business, loyalty will soon follow. 

Takeaway

The mentioned methods are only possible if you develop your restaurant mobile app. And if you’re thinking that this might be a huge investment risk, worry not as most of the industry’s app developers are cost-effective. 

Also, this is a solution where you’re building your services around your customers. And while everything’s still uncertain and consumer behavior may shift again, you will have a better grasp on how to respond since you already have an idea or two on where to meet them based on the data you have. 

If you need help with your restaurant’s mobile app, feel free to contact us or check our restaurant solution packages.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/how-restaurant-mobile-app-grows-customer-engagement/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2021/11/how-to-use-restaurant-mobile-app-to.html

[jamesgregoruk]

How Restaurant Niche Marketing Can Improve Your Profitability

Finding your audience through niche marketing is a beneficial step for your restaurant. Regardless of your business concept, as long as you’re serving the audience best suited for your business, then you’re equipped for success. 

Your target market is one of the fundamentals of your restaurant. You’re not just simply limiting your audience, but you’re carefully targeting the customers that already have an interest or motive in supporting your business. 

Profitability is assured with this restaurant marketing method. You can create more effective marketing and sales campaigns when you are targeting a group of customers that share a common characteristic.

Niche Marketing for Restaurant 

Being aware of how many variations of restaurant marketing there are, it could be overwhelming and confusing for you which one to implement. Since each one boasts and claims that they can deliver results, it could be a bit challenging to choose from the options.

But the thing is, you don’t have to choose just one. The great thing about modern marketing methods is that they are collaborative. You can easily integrate one type with another.

And whether you’re a seasoned restaurateur or just new in the game, niche marketing should not sound so unfamiliar. It’s simply targeted marketing in a slightly bigger picture. 

What is niche marketing?

Small segments of a larger market constitute niche markets. Essentially, you’re appealing to a specific audience when you target a niche. And it’ll be up to you how you will identify the right niche for you. 

The location, demographics, psychographics, or budget of the customer base can all contribute to determining a niche. You can pinpoint the consumers who are most likely to take an interest in your restaurant by taking these factors into account.

Advantages of Niche Marketing for Restaurants

To help you understand how this type of marketing can benefit your restaurant, here’s a list of its advantages. 

Lesser competition in the market – Since you’ll be targeting a specific group for your marketing and other types of campaigns, you’ll have lesser competition with that audience. 

Improved brand loyalty – Engaging with a smaller and specific audience allows you to focus on their needs and nurture your business-client relationship with them.  

Minimized marketing expenses – This marketing type simplifies marketing and advertising. Hence, you can save considerably on promotions. Niche markets tend to be very targeted. This makes them convenient and cost-efficient. 

Increased check size – With niche marketing, you’re serving your customers their specialized needs and requirements. Consumers are willing to spend more for a highly personalized type of service.

Disadvantages of Niche Marketing for Restaurants

Here are some of the drawbacks which would lead you to hesitate into investing in this type of marketing. 

Growth is constrained – As a restaurant owner, one of your goals would always be to expand and see growth in your business. This marketing method limits your growth opportunities since you’re too focused on a specific audience, limiting your market reach. 

Changing competitive landscape – While you may be the pioneer for a niche market, it’ll be soon enough that competitors will be adopting your ways as well with their twist. This is where relationships and connections should be useful.  

Risky move – since you’ll be serving a limited audience, there’s a great chance that it could be harder for you to reach your ROI.  

Keep in mind what your business needs are and see how implementing niche marketing could serve your restaurant’s purpose. Balance the advantages and disadvantages it could provide you and see if it’s worth the investment on your end. 

How to Determine a Niche Market for Your Restaurant

Niche’s definition is influenced by many factors, as we discussed earlier. Taking into account your location, what type of cuisine you serve, and your existing customers, you should easily be able to figure out what niche to focus on. 

Choosing a niche involves considering the following factors:

Business Model

Depending on what kind of restaurant you have, different types of customers will come to your restaurant. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a quick-service, fast-casual, fine dining, or family-style type, there’s a specific audience for you to appeal to.

Location

Are there other restaurants in the area? Is the restaurant in a populated area? Are you near the city center? Or are you a casual restaurant pub within the business center? Location is key in determining the type of customers you can target. 

Competitors 

Pay attention to your local competitors when choosing a niche market. Think about how you can set your restaurant apart from them by studying their audience profiles. Take the time to consider what makes your business unique and who your ideal audience is for you. 

Current Customers 

Talk to your regulars and find out what they like about your restaurant. In this way, you can see which aspects of your business are enticing returning customers. Pay attention to who already frequents your restaurant to determine your niche.

Best Practices in Restaurant Niche Marketing 

Here are some helpful practical tips to help you move further into this type of restaurant marketing. 

Identify your Niche Market 

Of course, before you start with this marketing method, you need to determine the specific audience that you’ll be catering to. A differentiation strategy should come in handy on this part as it allows you to identify what sets you apart from other restaurants right away. 

Here are some of the elements that you would need to effectively identify your niche: 

Business goals and core values

Best selling menu items and services

The distinct feature of your restaurant 

A marketing strategy focused on your niche

In simpler terms, you just need to figure out your unique strengths and focus on them until you gain a larger portion of your niche market. 

Put your Best Foot Forward

Now that you have an idea of your target market, it’s now time to be creative and act upon it right away. If your competitors find your niche and theirs similar, it could be challenging to stand out from the crowd. 

That’s why it’s important to take action right away. Once you found a niche market, start creating a marketing strategy that would speak to them directly. Be creative, proactive, and look for fresh ideas to attract your niche.

Play with a Catchphrase

I’m lovin’ it. Just hearing those words, even if we don’t mention the brand, you’re still aware of what establishment is using the said catchphrase. That’s how effective a catchphrase or slogan is for your restaurant. 

If you want your brand and restaurant to stand out when customers are dining out, an easy-to-remember catchphrase should do the trick. 

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/benefits-of-niche-marketing-in-restaurants/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-restaurant-niche-marketing-can.html

[jamesgregoruk]

How to Prepare Your Restaurant for Holiday Catering

Working on your restaurant holiday catering plan as early as now is a great way to prepare your business during the holidays. It is almost time for the holiday season. With this season comes tremendous growth opportunities for your restaurant. 

Additional services often bring additional revenue. By offering this type of service to your customers, you’re giving them more options on how they can support your restaurant.

This is also considered a wise and strategic move for restaurants. Just think about it, during this season everyone’s cramming to finish their work to have a work-free holiday, no one has enough time to prepare meals for the festivities. 

The holiday season allows you to increase your sales. Whether it’s the office parties or the reunions of families, most of the time the cooking is handled by outside vendors, and restaurants benefit from that. 

There is potential for growth beyond your dining area. If you want to continue expanding your services, like food delivery and takeaways, catering could be a great step forward.

Holiday Catering for Restaurants

Home-cooked meals are considered a staple for the holidays. Following almost two years with little to no dining out, consumers have developed a craving for their favorite dish at their local restaurant. 

Even during the holidays last year, twenty percent of modern diners claimed that they are willing to spend more on takeaway and delivery from their favorite local restaurant. The right time to take advantage of this demand is now when our indoor socializing activities are limited to the minimum.

What is Restaurant Catering? 

Catering is an act of offering food services to a group of people at a designated time, place, and fee. For restaurants, this service can be categorized by location or by the type of event you are hosting.

For location-based catering, you have on-premise and off-premise catering. For on-premise, the event will be done on your restaurant’s premises. It could be a function hall or just a small private room. 

On the other hand, you will be responsible for delivering food to the customers for off-premise catering. The location could be a different event hall, hotel, the customer’s home, or any location that doesn’t offer food service. 

For event-based catering, services can be categorized into the most common social events namely wedding, corporate, and concession catering. Aside from the menu, the type of food service will be the distinct difference for this category. 

For instance, wedding catering events typically deploy food service for sit-down dinner, buffet style, cocktail receptions, and family-style dinners. While luncheons, trade shows, conferences, conventions, and launch parties are the events under corporate catering.

Meanwhile, concession catering events typically include concerts, major sports events, and seasonal exhibitions. Speed of service is essential for this type of catering event.  

What are the Essential Elements for Catering?

Although a regular dining service and catering service share almost the same requirements like food, equipment, and staff, if you’re going to look closely they are still quite different. After all, it’s a different type of food service delivery. 

Here’s a quick list of restaurant catering elements you should be aware of when you are planning to carry out this kind of work.

Tools and Equipment

If you’ll be offering an on-premise catering service, this should not be much of a concern for you. You have easy access to your freezers and other important storage units, unlike for off-premise service where the storage of raw ingredients (and even the cooked meals) are crucial.

In essence, you will use the same kitchen with the same set of tools and equipment when you’re going for on-premise service. Even though your restaurant is open for regular dining service, your kitchen can still cater to the needs of your catering service. 

But, it’s a different story for off-premise catering. You’ll be delivering the food to a different location, away from the comforts of your complete kitchen setup. In short words, you have to create a stand-alone kitchen where you can prepare the meals. 

Keep in mind that not every off-premise location offers their kitchen or has a kitchen space to use. Most of the time, you have to set up your kitchen and preparation area. From the stoves to the trays and storage equipment, everything is expected to be provided by you. 

Menu

If you’re going to offer catering services in your restaurant, make sure that you’ll create different types of the menu for different types of service. Remember that every event and food service type has distinct menu requirements.

To keep up, you should try out one of the most helpful restaurant catering tips; which is to create a flexible menu. Allow your customers to customize how they want their menu to be. 

Consider including the dishes that will meet the requirements of a catering service arrangement. Offer a wide variety of dishes but limit to what’s workable. Make sure that the price will still meet the break-even point so that you can generate income.

Logistics

Transportation plays an important role in off-premise catering. You have to ensure that the vehicle type you’ll deploy can transport all your equipment and tools without causing any problems. 

Bringing in your staff to the location should be discussed as well. How do you expect your employees to reach the location? Talk to them and come to an arrangement that will be beneficial for everyone. 

In this situation, it’s best to gather all your employees to a single meeting point before going to the event location. Through this system, you can be certain that every staff member is present before you reach the location.  

Staff

Aside from waiters and cooks, catering service requires you to employ an account manager that’s responsible for overseeing the entire event. You can’t expect yourself, as the owner, to manage a restaurant and a catering event at the same time. It’ll be chaotic. 

Your account manager will serve as the restaurant manager for your catering service. They will be the contact person of your client should there be issues concerning the said service. 

Additionally, you also need to hire additional utilities for the transport of the kitchen tools and equipment. Drivers for your trucks, and even captain waiters for added management of your staff.

Fees 

You have to be careful when adding a fee for your catering service. Clients are very particular when it comes to the total amount that they should pay. You have to be transparent to gain their trust. 

Before you close a catering deal, make sure to account for everything that needs to be accounted for. While we understand that you want to please your clients, this is still a business that you’re trying to run. Generating income should always be one of your goals.

If the location is a bit out of town, it’s just reasonable to ask for an out-of-town fee. The longer driving hours plus the gas expense is not something that you can simply put off. Make sure your fees are as clear-cut as possible, so if a customer questions them, you can answer them truthfully.

Tips on How to Prepare Your Restaurant Catering Service for Holidays

Adding a catering service to your restaurant has the potential to boost your income and improve your customer base. If you’re having doubts and thinking you can’t deal with the additional demands that this service brings, take a deep breath and relax. 

Consider how much your customers already love your restaurant. Take a look at how much they love your food and service. Why not capitalize a bit more on it knowing you already have an audience for it?

Holiday Operations 

Even if you’re not offering additional service, during the holidays your restaurant will still need operational adjustments to maximize the potential of this season. As for catering, here are the most common and helpful operational tips you can use. 

Implement a holiday operating strategy

Catering service in a low and slow season is way too different compared to peak and holiday season. As everyone’s trying to celebrate and hop on the festive season, you should expect more inquiries and more competition. 

Also, there will be long working hours and shorter rest days. Your operations will collapse sooner if you keep using one strategy, as the demand and the exhaustion will just pile up. Thus the importance of developing a strategy that will help you deal with holiday issues. 

Start by working on your brand presence. Yes, you may already have one for your regular restaurant service, but you must also aim to establish your brand as a reliable catering service provider. Your marketing strategy should target the right set of audiences for your campaigns. 

Recruit part-time or seasonal employees 

It’s always wise to hire an additional set of hands to keep up with the endless demands during this season. The demand for labor during the holidays is always higher compared to the regular season. 

A strategy is not enough to keep your operations stable and functional. It should receive sufficient support from those who will carry out the strategy. It’s a simple application of the supply-demand formula on your operations. 

To meet the current level of demand, you will need a sufficient supply. This applies to your food items and service providers. Imagine the horror of operating a catering service while being understaffed?

Overworking your team will not only affect their health, but the quality of your service will also degrade. This is where seasonal and part-time workers play their magic. They act as the additional foundation of your core team to keep their efficiency and productivity on point.

Some of the industry experts even consider that it’s preferable to be overstaffed during this time of year than to be understaffed. In regular restaurant management, both are considered not a good practice, but the holiday season is an exception.

Seasonal workers keep your operation running smoothly, delivering the quality of food and service that you want without a long commitment. It’s clear to them that they’ll just be employed during this season or a period while being paid on an hourly basis. 

Launch a new catering menu for the holiday season

This is a special season of parties and celebrations, of course, your clients will be expecting something a little different and special from your end as well. For your catering menu items, make sure that the menu items will reflect the festive season. 

Incorporating seasonal items that are only available for a limited time is an effective way to add a specialty to your menu. For instance, instead of your usual desserts, consider including traditional holiday desserts such as Yorkshire Pudding. 

Aside from the menu items, change your menu itself into a more holiday-themed layout. There are plenty of ways you can add a holiday touch to your menu. Continue to seek unique ideas that will add additional holiday flavor to your menu.

Make sure your equipment is up to par

It may cost you a bit but investing in proper catering tools and equipment is a great way to start your service. The holiday demands won’t take a pause just because you don’t have enough hot plates or your stoves are not working properly. 

Imagine the business that will slip right out of your hands because you can’t cater to an event just because you fail to check if your equipment is still in its best condition. One of the catering tips for restaurants is to buy more sets of utensils and silverware, as these small things make a huge difference.

Spend time working on your inventory management 

Just what is a restaurant that doesn’t have ingredients for its menu items? Running a food business, you should know that your inventory and stocks are your lifelines. Inadequate inventory leads to loss of income, additional labor costs, and customer distrust. 

Holiday season or not, effective inventory management is crucial for your restaurant. This process directly affects your operations as well as your revenue. Mismanagement of your inventory will leave you in a state of trouble and chaos.

The holiday rush is detrimental to inventory levels. Everyone’s trying to stock up from raw ingredients to other valuable supplies such as linens and even restroom supplies. Before the holiday season begins, make sure that your inventory management team has prepared months in advance of this important time.

Provide a restaurant catering program for your staff 

Communicate well with your staff what are the operational and managerial adjustments that will be implemented. During these holidays, your employees will be tested to the fullest extent of their humanity, which is why they must be well trained and prepared.

Start with schedule management. Aside from your diner service, your catering service working hours will be longer as well. Make sure to create a schedule that will maximize the strengths of your team, at the same time, it will provide them enough rest days to recuperate.  

Consider redistributing shifts, hiring holiday help, or implementing double shifts. It is important to plan if you want to transition smoothly into your holiday schedule, and ensure your employees are encouraged to submit schedule requests as early as possible.  

During the holidays, employees may need time off unexpectedly; be sure to explain your expectations when it comes to employees shifting schedules. Create a process to prevent misunderstandings, and clearly outline the consequences of sudden call-offs. 

Holiday Promotions

Look for interesting ways to market your restaurant catering services. This season brings enormous opportunities to broaden your customer reach. Maximize the festive atmosphere by using targeted marketing campaigns to reach people who are most likely to be interested.

Take advantage of CRM 

Through your CRM, you gain better insights into your customers. By doing this, you’ll know which ones are likely to host an office party, which ones might throw holiday parties, and which ones may host family-oriented celebrations.

There is plenty of customer information available at your disposal. You just have to be smart on how you’ll strategically call out to them and motivate them in trying out your catering services. 

Organize a taste test event

What’s the other way to completely entice your clients rather than a free taste testing event? Catering service providers are known to conduct this type of test, especially if they have a new menu to introduce. 

Since you’ll be introducing your holiday menu, consider hosting this type of event to attract prospects. Providing a preview not only gives them an idea about what their food will be like, but also helps in building trust and credibility for your catering brand. 

Make use of your newsletter

Your newsletter is an extremely useful tool you can use to communicate with your customers. And during the holiday season, there are lots of things that your clients need to know.

Will you be conducting an open-house event for your new function hall? Will you roll out new special deals and promotions exclusively during the holidays? What are your new holiday menu items? These are just some of the important details that your clients can’t miss. 

Announce your catering service using your newsletter. What’s good about email marketing campaigns is that your customers are already segmented. Target those who have the best potential of testing out your new services like corporate businesses, decision-makers in the family, and the like.

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/restaurant-holiday-catering/ source https://etakeawaymax.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-prepare-your-restaurant-for.html