If you are considering adding self-ordering service to your restaurant business, you are definitely on the right track, as there are many advantages you will discover that make the system pay for itself. For example, when customers can place their orders themselves, it helps to eliminate many of the common mistakes that can occur when an order is placed over the phone or in-person with employees.
Plus, many customers prefer to place their orders themselves because it eliminates the hassle of being placed on hold or dealing with busy employees who get their orders wrong. Self-ordering technology is more efficient for both the client and your employees and creates a more cohesive experience for your customers.
By using any self-ordering platform and making ordering easier for clients, your customer base can grow, and you can increase your client loyalty base.
Another distinct advantage of adding self-ordering technology to your restaurant is it can increase your sales without forcing you to add employees to handle orders. This lets you increase your profits without losing your profits to additional payroll.
Think about it; if you had to hire an additional crew to take phone orders, you are losing any potential profit from to-go orders to payroll. With a restaurant self-ordering system in place, you are eliminating payroll without eliminating customers.
And of course, most people today are used to being able to place orders online for everything from movies on demand to textbooks, so ordering for food themselves is a comfortable area for people and is often expected from customers.
If you are considering expanding your business to a self-ordering one, there are different ways to go about it; the most common, however, is through a website. You can easily create a web page with your menu, prices, and order form to process credit and debit card purchases with restaurant POS software.
If you are considering setting your restaurant up with a point-of-sale (POS) software, you should start by looking for a restaurant POS that can adapt to your restaurant self-ordering system and restaurant type. POS software can be modified to grow with your business regardless of what kind of restaurant you are shopping for.
The advantage of setting up a restaurant self-ordering system is it will allow you to keep better track of what is popular and what isn’t, and it will help you track inventory and eliminate employee mistakes.
Self-ordering has expanded beyond just pizza delivery and fast food to include a broad spectrum of restaurant types, including fine food, family restaurants, and bars to make it easier for customers to get what they need quickly and accurately which all help your bottom line no matter what type of restaurant you have.
With a restaurant point-of-sale system, self-ordering technology is easy to integrate. See which technologies to use and how they can help your restaurant become more efficient.
What Self-Ordering Restaurant Technology is Available?
There are many options when looking for self-ordering restaurant technology to help make your restaurant more efficient and to provide an improved customer experience. Most of them fall into the following categories:
Kiosks
Perfect for fast-casual restaurants, self-ordering kiosks are the latest restaurant technology to increase efficiency and profits.
Here’s how: At stand-alone touch screens, customers can browse the menu, customize orders, and pay for meals. Upselling and cross-selling options are also present, and because of how easy it is to use kiosks, customers tend to order more, increasing profits.
One of the key points of using a kiosk system is that there is no lag time between when the order is placed and when the kitchen receives the information. Immediately, the BOH gets the order and can start working on the food. Out front, the FOH concentrates on giving great customer service, keeping the space and tables clean, and ensuring that guests get all that they need.
Set-up costs are also low. Restaurant POS systems like the Lavu Kiosk system are designed for affordability and customization. Because the kiosk technology becomes responsible for the order processing part of the business, restaurants can focus more on operations and the customer experience—it’s a win all-around.
Online Ordering
Allowing guests to order off your menu online is the future of modern food service. Not only is the trend, something that will draw new customers, but it will also improve your sales for several reasons.
Many restaurants have begun integrating online ordering systems to their websites for a few reasons—seamless ordering styles, more opportunities for up-selling, order accuracy—and most especially, because customers are asking for it.
Online to-go ordering gives restaurants maximum control over the way customers order food. In turn, customers have total control over their orders. It’s easy, fast, and efficient. The risk of human error by servers is also removed, and customers can give clear instructions on what is wanted.
Like the kiosk system, once an online order is placed, the kitchen instantaneously receives the order and starts working on it. Out front, the hosts and serving staff are responsible for providing an all-around pleasant experience.
Online ordering is an excellent way for restaurants to optimize their sales funnel. Since making it possible for consumers to order food online, TGI Fridays reported a 30% increase in sales. The development has encouraged the casual-dining chain to invest more in new restaurant technology.
In-App Ordering
A restaurant application gives restaurants unique options. For instance, for multi-location restaurants, you can leverage the device’s GPS to find the closest location to the user.
Customers can place orders through a secure credit-card payment processor, and you can even create a user profile so customers can save their information for fast repeat orders. Additionally, in-app ordering allows customers to make a multi-item order for many people under one name. Favorite meals can be saved, as well as favorite meals of friends, family members, and coworkers.
What are the Benefits of Self-Ordering Technology?
There are several reasons how self-ordering technology improves restaurant operations and boosts profits. Here are just some of the benefit you will experience by implementing this restaurant technology.
Menu Updates are Fast and Seamless
Adding new menu items to a printed menu takes time and resources; new menus must be ordered, costing time and money. In turn, your previously distributed menus become outdated. With an online ordering system, kiosk, or app, you can update and add new menu items within a few minutes for free. You can also update your menu as often as you like to showcase specials.
Coupons and Advertisements Get More Eyes
When searching your site, an advertisement or catchy button can lead viewers to your online menu directly. Coupons and food specials are easy to feature so that they encourage guests to order more.
Give Great Customer Service
Without needing to serve a customer directly, your restaurant can focus all its resources on the order and its delivery. Customers will receive perfect orders ever time—a key element to building loyal patronage.
Orders Are Never Missed
Calling in is convenient for the customer, but your employees can be caught in a rush and miss a phone call. With orders getting sent directly through a kiosk, app, or website, every food order is received, no matter how busy your restaurant might be.
Increased Order Accuracy
Callers might have poor connections, or the din in the dining room is too high to hear well—improve order accuracy with online food ordering.