When people hear about a restaurant or want to contact one they already know about – they turn to the closest internet access they have. This has historically been their computer, but increasingly this is taking the form of the smart-phone in their pocket which means that having a simple website for your restaurant is no longer enough; modern consumers demand more. That’s why restaurants today need to offer a smooth online experience complete with smart-phone apps and online ordering plus a hook to bring customers back if they want to grow their customer base.
What’s required to compete today:
A Professional Modern Website Modern websites are having a bit of an identity crisis at the moment. That is – they don’t want to appear to be websites – and that’s a good thing! They are trying to distance themselves from the old “click, wait and refresh” user experience and, instead, are trying to feel more like stand-alone applications. Some buzzwords related to this new trend are “web 2.0″ and “AJAX”. These terms are often used when describing this new type of website user experience. Think of how you interact with Google Maps as a great example of this. This type of interface is what will impress your customers today, and what will be expected as a bare minimum in just a short time from now. With this type of interface, the user can navigate your website without feeling like it is a chore. They can access information smoothly and easily and, most importantly, they can come away with a positive experience associated with your restaurant that makes them want to return.
- Mobile Apps With the explosive growth of iPhone and Android devices the world has gone app-crazy right now. Generally only the top restaurant chains currently offer mobile apps, which makes this the perfect time to set your restaurant apart from the rest. You can use your app to take orders; to communicate special events, discounts or new menu items; and even to reward loyal customers and increase their return rate. Beware of list/review apps though. While they do have their place, they should be used as a one-way avenue for gaining customers since they are terrible at retaining them! The benefit of these apps is that they do have a greater likelihood of bringing new customers to your restaurant because the soon-to-be customers can search their local area for food and will (hopefully!) find your restaurant. The risk here though is that your existing customers will use this app and get distracted by the dozens of other restaurants near you that are all vying for your customers business. Again – great way to add a few customers, terrible way to keep them loyal! A dedicated App for the major platforms is what is ideally required. Currently this would mean iPhone and Android. Blackberry has a sizable market presence as well, however the uptake of their version of Apps has lagged far behind iPhone and Android.
- Integrated Online Ordering Your customers don’t just want to see a PDF menu when they go to your website. They want be able to order food from your restaurant via their computer or smartphone. Either option should be just as convenient for them and should give them the same options for what (and how) they order. This means integrated online ordering is a must! Ordering from a normal website over a mobile phone browser is never a good experience. The interface needs to be tailored to their device. This means that in addition to offering Apps, your website should automatically detect the device they’re coming from and adapt itself to feel like a native app for their device. On the backend, the idea of POS integration is nice at first, but the reality is that online orders need a basic level of human interaction to validate them before the cooks start to make a meal for a potentially fraudulent order. The right level of integration for most restaurants is to have one management interface that controls their web content, mobile content and online ordering from all devices – and their existing POS stays doing what it does best – in-house orders.
- A Way to Bring Customers Back Quickly Mobile Apps are the key here. They give you a permanent place in your customer’s most treasured device – their smart-phone. The next time they want to grab a quick bite to eat, or order food for delivery, if your app is already on their phone you are much more likely to beat out your competition and get that order. If your restaurant offers food pickup/takeout then this is a perfect way to bridge the gap and create loyal online customers out of your existing “sometime” customers. Once you have your app… advertise it within your restaurant! At the line where customers stand to order their food, have a sign that gives them an easy way to download your app, and tells them that if they are picking up an online order then they can come directly to the front of the line (or a separate priority line). This gives them a reason to download your app right then and there. Once that happens, you can expect that customer to come back more often than they ever have before.
- Analyze and Adjust as Needed Is your latest special making a difference to your revenue? Do you have a menu item that is doing much better in online orders? Is one location outperforming another? These are the type of questions that you need to be able to answer in order to make the most out of your online ordering and web presence. Simply putting up a menu and letting some orders come in naturally means that you could be missing the potential for a lot more revenue! You need to be able to have control of your own online content. This means both in terms of reporting on results as well as the ability to modify content. Very often this costs extra to have this level of control, and it isn’t always top of mind when you go to create a new online presence so make sure you ask these types of questions ahead of time as you begin to plan “version 2.0″ of your restaurant’s online presence.
The big restaurants already know this. If you go to the major chains you’ll find a smooth website, you’ll find a way for customers to order online and the biggest ones will even have their own branded apps ready for download. The problem is – all of that costs a lot of money! How can smaller restaurants compete? There are several highly skilled web development firms and app creators out there ready to help. You just have to make sure you find the right one for you.
If the 5 steps above resonated with you, this is the basis of approach we take in offering a comprehensive and integrated online presence to all types of restaurants. If you’d like to find out more, come by and take a look at our features ( http://www.restaurantengines.com/j/tour ) and online demos ( http://www.restaurantengines.com/j/demo ) to see if we might be the right fit for what you’re after.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_A_Perry
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