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Month: July 2018

5 Reasons Why Customer Loyalty & Feedback Need to Be a Part of Your Restaurant POS

Posted on by inresto

A restaurant Point of Sale (POS) system has become inevitable for the smooth functioning of a modern day restaurant. However, it’s equally important that your POS system incorporate a customer loyalty and feedback program as part of the application.

The study by Oracle hospitality shows that 52% of consumers will recommend to others the restaurants they are most loyal to. The loyalty program also entices customers to make repeat visits at your restaurant. Customer feedback is another integral area as it helps you work on your pitfalls and offer an excellent service. Listing the 5 top reasons that make customer loyalty and feedback important.

Customer feedback improves customer retention

It’s always easy to retain an existing customer than acquiring a new one. In digital platforms such as inresto feedback, they integrate the feedback module with the POS system. The system let you personalise the feedback form and address grievances in no time. There is a major advantage of implementing the customer suggestions on time. Your customer will feel more valued and definitely come back to your restaurant the next time.

Sales boost and ease of promotion

Inresto loyalty offers the feature of customising your loyalty program. One more advantage is that customers can redeem rewards instantly as points or discounts. As the platform includes the loyalty program in the POS system, it’s easy to manage all your promotional activities.

Offering promotions as part of loyalty programs prompts customers to refer other diners. Also, your existing customers will be more interested in trying out new dishes. A study carried out by Gartner group shows that 20% of your customers generate 80% of your profits.

Loyal customers offer a constructive feedback

The right people to offer an honest feedback for your restaurant would be your loyal customers. As they visit your restaurant frequently, they can provide constructive criticism on the various areas. It can range from front-of-the house service, opinion on the new dishes or the behaviour of the waiters. However, make sure that you take these feedbacks positively. Review all the suggestions and try to implement them wherever possible.   

New customers rely on the feedback of existing ones

It’s quite normal that you check with our friends, neighbours or relatives before trying out a new product. Most of the customers don’t want to take a chance while visiting a new restaurant as well. They rely upon the feedback of the existing customers who have visited the same restaurant before. 

Nowadays social media play a major role in deciding the fate of restaurants. A superb review by a celebrity guest can boost sales at your restaurant beyond imagination. At the same time, a negative review can mar your reputation in the market beyond repair. Thus, as soon as a bad review is posted, try to respond immediately. Analyse the review, find out the root cause and take corrective measures at the earliest.

Loyal customers protect your business from competition

The shocking fact is that unlike your loyal customers, the new ones keep switching restaurants. A study by Mckinsey found that 78% of US consumers have switched stores, brands or the way they shop due to Covid-19. When your business is going through tough phases like these, it’s your loyal customers that help you recoup the losses. Thus focus on them, pay more attention to their feedback and increase their loyalty towards your restaurant.

Keep the redemption process of your loyalty program simple. Surprise your loyal customers by rewarding them systematically. Send timely notifications on new offers and promotions. They should have some strong reason to make repeated visits at your restaurant. Also, review the impact of your loyalty program periodically. Based on the feedbacks from customers, make tweaks wherever necessary.

Parting Words 

The restaurant industry worldwide is battered due to the losses caused by Covid-19. In this bleak scenario, having a robust loyalty program can help boost sales and increase word of mouth publicity. A strong feedback system is also quite essential to work on the shortcomings of your restaurant. In an era where customer feedback serves as the main point of reference, you can reap enormous benefits out of it.

6 Golden Rules You Need to Abide By While Designing Your Menu!

Posted on by inrestoblog

The secret recipe that draws diners towards a restaurant is a good menu. An appealing menu speaks tons about the signature dishes and mouth-watering cuisines at your restaurant. It’s the menu that represents the theme, ambience and image of your brand. A well-designed menu serves as a powerful tool to attract and influence your diners to order more. 

Before getting into the details of designing the menu, let’s try to understand the concept of food cost. 

Food cost 

In simple terms, food cost refers to the cost incurred for the various ingredients involved in preparing a dish. It’s based on the food cost that you fix the final prices of the dishes in your menu. Generally, the food cost makes up to 30-35% of the final price. For eg. if the cost involved in preparing a particular dish is Rs.100, the ideal price to be charged is Rs.286. Though it may sound expensive, there are several elements that go into preparing a dish. Some of those expenses are the electricity bill, labour cost, cost of food materials, rent of the building, etc.  

Now let’s take a quick look at the 6 golden rules that need to be kept in mind while designing the menu at your restaurant.

Right pricing

There are two important factors while fixing the right prices for your dishes. The first one is the food cost and the second one is the value offered for the money paid by customers. 

However, a simple formula will help you fix the minimum menu price.

Minimum menu price = Food Cost / 0.35

Though there are no hard and fast rules, the above formula will ensure that you make profits while fixing the price.  

Choose the right material

Pick the material of the menu based on your budget and how you want to position your brand in the market. Go for hard covers if yours is a posh, high-end restaurant. If it’s a low budget cafe, then printing the menu on a cardboard will do the trick.

Platforms such as inresto DineIn offers a digital menu that is an imperative in the post Covid-19 world. As customers prefer to go contactless, they can access the digital menu by scanning a QR code on their phone. There is no need to touch the paper menus that is used by many people. One more advantage of digital menu is that it helps save labour and printing costs.

Design your menu logically

Place the dishes on the menu in the sequence in which customers prefer to order. The appetizers should appear at the top and the desserts at the end. Avoid using huge sections of text in your menu. The fonts should be simple to read and easy to understand. 

Keep the words appealing

It’s the description of the dishes that entices customers to order them. Spend time and come up with words that fire up your customer’s imagination. Stay away from using complex words as many diners may find it difficult to comprehend. The whole idea is to educate your customers about the dishes and make them order more.

Promote your signature dishes

The best-selling dishes at your restaurant are generally the signature dishes. Make sure that the signature dishes grab the attention of your customers. Placing those dishes inside a box or highlighting them is one technique. One more effective method is by adding the tag “Chef’s recommendation” to the signature dishes.

Collect customer feedback

Now that you have designed your menu and fixed the prices, it’s the time to gauge the effectiveness of the menu. The right people who can comment on the menu are your diners. Collect detailed feedback on the various aspects such as the graphics, text, pricing etc. Based on their inputs, redesign your menu accordingly.

Parting Words 

We are going through an era where restaurants are battling with the challenges posed by COVID-19. There is a sharp fall in the number of diners as they are scared of the contraction. A properly designed menu plays an integral role in attracting customers and boosting restaurant sales. The above discussed 6 golden rules will definitely help you in designing an effective menu.