If you’ve been running your restaurant for decades in a certain manner and you think you’re doing a pretty good job, you may think there’s no reason to change the status quo.
Not to be pessimistic, but you may regret that decision in the near future.
The Importance of Change
In a tech driven world, those who don’t move with the times will feel the impact sooner or later: technology improves service provision in all industries and restaurants are no different. Those who embrace the change will start delivering better service and draw diners away from the other, outdated establishments.
But it’s not only the possible lack of customers that should inspire you to upgrade your methods. Don’t you want to deliver the best possible restaurant product to your customers? By ‘product’ we mean the whole package; not only the food.
To keep on having the reputation of being ‘the’ restaurant for Friday night dinners, an integration of technology in your restaurant is one of the best decisions you can make for your 2020 business plan.
How Technology Changes a Restaurant
Those who love cooking with natural products and building close relationships with clients may think a more technologically driven approach is too clinical and unnecessary.
Actually, the opposite is true. Consider these possibilities.
Marketing Done Right—And Done Effortlessly
Not even the best dish in town will help your restaurant if there aren’t enough people that know about it. Yes, word-of-mouth is an excellent marketing tool, but you can never leave advertising to chance.
The goal: your restaurant, your eatery logo and your reputation must be known all over town.
Printed marketing plays a role, but these days digital marketing is non-negotiable:
- A modern website
- Facebook and Instagram profiles that showcase your dishes and people’s experiences
- LinkedIn profiles about the restaurant owners, because modern consumers want to know who is behind it all
You can update your information, but not everyone has time to update content regularly. Use social media management software, such as Buffer, to share content across many platforms, saving you time and effort.
Want to Grow? You Need Tech
Surely, you don’t want your restaurant business to stay the size it is today? Whether you’re motivated by profit or the dream of sharing your exceptional dishes with more people, growth is important. But scaling a restaurant doesn’t happen just because of a few happy customers. You need to prepare yourself for growth.
You must be able to handle the bigger workload, more employees and more patrons. Technology is key, especially to automate tasks that rob your team of valuable time. For example, only with advanced inventory management software you can prevent over ordering on a large scale.
Growth requires you to manage small details with expertise, and for that you need technology.
Technology Transforming Your Workforce
When kitchen and FOH staff are upset about work conditions they may take it out on your customers. To ensure your team handles your patrons with care, you need positive workers.
Technology helps prevent many common challenges related to scheduling, such as swapping out shifts. You can improve communication and prevent misunderstandings by using a central communication system, or even an app that gives the team access to the latest messages and arrangements.
Upgrading the Customer Experience
Loyal, existing customers spend much more than new customers, so you need to find ways of building trust with each patron that enters your doors.
With smiling staff members you’re halfway to creating an excellent customer experience. But do you measure up against some of the leading hotels and restaurants with the manner you organize your diners?
When you use state of the art software you can analyze data and make surprisingly accurate prediction, such as how long new guests have to wait until a table will open up for them. When guests don’t wait longer than promised, they feel looked after, you seem professional and you avoid patrons losing faith in you.
A dynamic way to process orders is to integrate your restaurant POS system with tablets. Waiters can finalize payments at the guests’ table, instead of them queueing at the front desk.
You create a more relaxed experience for guests and expert managing of patrons often leads to serving more people on a given day. That’s good news for your bottom line.
Deliveries Done Right
In 2019, your restaurant operates in a time where ‘ordering in’ has become the norm. If you don’t offer delivery services, you’re missing out on a lucrative income stream.
But you need dynamic software and a streamlined system to properly manage all factors:
- Receiving orders from patrons
- Managing each order’s information
- Partnering with a third party that handles deliveries
- Aligning these sales with your accounting system
How Tech Affects Your Bottomline
When a business grows, it becomes more difficult to manage its finances. You can’t afford small mistakes to affect your profits in a negative way, so purchasing accounting software designed for the restaurant business is a long-term investment.
Last Words
Keep on creating dishes Gordon Ramsay would approve of, but remember: you need to embrace technology to give your restaurant the exposure and advantage it deserves. For you, your team and your guests’ sake, start integrating tech—it’s the cherry on top, your restaurant needs!
Author Bio
James Spark is a creative content writer who works on freelance projects with specialty in branding, conversion optimization and digital marketing. He’s been in the field for the past five years, helping small businesses and startups getting online and profiting it. His friend friends are his cat Tommy and the laptop.