February 2019 - inresto

5 top reasons to implement restaurant POS software in your restaurant business in 2021

Posted on 25/02/201905/07/2021 by inresto

torqus-pos-advanced-online-restaurant-software

Technology plays an integral role in the management of modern day restaurants. As per the report by PR Newswire, they project the size of the global restaurant management software market to grow by USD 2.84 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 15%.

The ever-increasing popularity of restaurant management software vouches for the enormous benefits experienced by restaurateurs. It helps you manage multiple functions such as billing, inventory management, loyalty programs and marketing with absolutely no hassles. Here are 5 top reasons to implement restaurant POS software in 2021:

Let’s explore the various benefits of implementing the restaurant management software.

Stay relevant by going contactless

With the outbreak of Covid-19, restaurant customers have become more hygiene conscious. Unlike the earlier days, they prefer contactless dining options while visiting restaurants. As per the study by Datassential, 82% of customers said that contactless payments would make them feel safe dining in, and 81% shared the same opinion about contactless ordering options.

With digital restaurant management platforms such as inresto Dineout, customers can book a table at your restaurant and pre-order food. Once the diner arrives at your restaurant, he/she hands over the vehicle through the contactless valet system. By using the digital menu, they scan the QR code and place the order for food. While leaving, the option of contactless digital payments delivers an absolute safe dining experience for your customers. The restaurant also stand equally benefited, as it lets you collect valuable opinions of diners with the help of the contactless feedback system.

Inventory wastage is a thing of the past

Inability to forecast the future requirement of raw materials leads to wastage at your restaurant. However, you cannot afford to stock less amount of inventory as you may run the risk of not able to deliver the food items ordered by diners. With the help of smart inventory management systems such as inresto SCM, live tracking of inventory is now possible from anytime, anywhere. Based on your orders, the inventory status is updated automatically. One more benefit is that you will receive timely alerts on minimum threshold quantities specific to various outlets. The feature ensures that you never run out of food items demanded by customers.

Theft by employees is a major cause of concern for restaurants. The restaurant management software leaves no scope for theft as your supplies and raw materials are quite secure with the system.

Make use of valuable insights

For planning the future operations, it’s quite necessary to gather information on customer preferences and employee performance. The restaurant management software offers smart insights such as the fast moving and slow moving items in your menu. It helps you shed the low performing items and focus on the fast moving ones. Employee evaluation is pretty easy as you are provided with insights such as the time taken for serving a dish, kitchen turnaround time etc.

The platform also provides various reports that help you increase efficiency and cut down unnecessary expenses.

Manage multiple outlets effortlessly

If you are a restaurant owner dealing with multiple outlets, then the software aids you in managing procurement smoothly. Now it’s possible to fulfil all your requirements from the central kitchen and achieve huge cost savings. Streamlining vendor management is quite easy and it optimises prices and quantity. It also leads to optimum use of kitchen resources that cuts down the overall grocery cost and requirement.

Boost customer loyalty

The best way to increase customer footfalls at your restaurant is by focusing on your existing diners. Based on your customer retention goals, you can define a custom loyalty program. The criteria for rewarding loyalty points can be either the number of visits or the amount spend at your restaurant. The option of tracking the impact lets you make tweaks to the loyalty program based on customer repeat rates and Return on Investment (ROI).

In the post pandemic world, restaurant customers have become too demanding. To add to the woes, profits have become wafer thin. In order to meet their expectations, it’s an imperative to implement a modern day, digital restaurant management system. In addition to boosting profits, it will definitely help you gain an edge over competitors.

How To Use SMS Marketing To Get Better Return Of Investment (ROI)

Posted on 21/02/2019 by inrestoblog

With an approximate 98% open rate and 90% is read within 3 minutes, SMS is one of the most effective marketing channels to communicate with your customers and keep them coming back. Far from being dead and buried, even after the emergence of alternative messaging channels and marketing platforms, SMS marketing is alive and thriving.

Why SMS Marketing Should Be A Part Of Restaurant Marketing?

Even after having an amazing menu, ideal location and perfect staff, no restaurant can survive without consistent demand. While some marketers still grapple about the value impact of SMS marketing, there is no other marketing channel that can guarantee to be seen by the customer at such affordable rates. Here’s why it’s worth the effort

1) It’s Effective

Unlike email which has an open rate of approx 25%, SMS’s open rate can go up to 90% – which is perfect to hold customer’s attention. SMS message arrives quickly and is read in seconds – thereby performing 4-5 times better than any other forms of advertising.

2) It’s Omnipresent

Your coupon might get lost, menu gets buried on road or junk drawers, emails might land up in spam but text messages are available anytime you customer wants to refer to them. And since SMS is a more intimate form of communication, there are higher chances that your diners will go through it.

3) It’s Super Affordable

If used correctly, SMS can give you maximum ROI than any other marketing channel. The cost of 1 SMS in India is close to 16 paise. An enticing text sent at the right time can attract more diners. This means more profits.

6 Ways To Use SMS Marketing To Get Better ROI

The small difference between SMS Marketing and a Profitable SMS Marketing is the way you utilize this platform. Here’s how you can use SMS Marketing that will help you increase your business revenue.

Promote Your Limiter Period Offers

Limited Time Offers & SMS compliment each other. Send time-sensitive offers to your customers to drive immediate traffic.

“3 COURSE MEAL FOR Rs.740. Choose from a wide range of starters, mains, & deserts. FREE drink with all KIDS MEALS. Limited Seats. Hurry! Call us at 01234567890”

Send Exclusive Birthday/Anniversary Discounts

Personalized message is a warmer approach to connect with your customers. Extract the details of customers with upcoming birthdays and anniversaries and send them a short and sweet message with an exclusive offer, discount or a freebie, which is enough to win over a lifetime customer.

Build Long Lasting Relationship By Showing Gratitude

As soon as your customer make a reservation or walk-in, send them a “Thank You” message and provide them with necessary details. You can also include the special of the day or any event that you are organizing.

Decrease No-Shows With Reminder SMS

One of the major reasons for a no-show is because your customer forgot about his/her reservations. Ensure that you remind them about their upcoming reservations by sending a reminder SMS with necessary details. Also, add a Call to Action to change or cancel the reservation so that you can use the table in case of any cancellation.

Advertise Your Loyalty Programs

According to a study, retaining customers can increase your profits by 25% or even more. Of course, it makes sense to put in more efforts to nurture existing customers. Not to forget loyalty programs are one of the best ways to make your customers come back to your restaurant. Invite, Update & Remind your customers about your restaurant’s loyalty programs.

Ask Them For A Feedback

Didn’t take feedback? Worry not, send SMS to your customer and take feedback online. Instead of filling out a feedback form, send them a text an hour after they have finished, ask a couple of questions about the food, service, and environment.

Conclusion

With a data-powered marketing automation platform, you can easily automate these SMS marketing campaigns. This way your SMSes will send whenever a customer satisfied the criteria set by you. This way you can save time & money.

How To Embrace Data-Driven Marketing & Drive More Revenue?

Posted on 15/02/2019 by inrestoblog

Data is the new gold. It is not just numbers but an identity to understand one’s customers. Today, a restaurant wants to know what Neha wants and Manish wants. To understand your customers on a personal level, you need an unprecedented amount of data and machine learning and utilize it in the best possible way.

Taking The First Step Towards Data-Driven Marketing – Collecting Data

The best source of gathering customer’s details is from your customer only. Ask your diners for feedback along with their details like name, contact details, special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. Feedback gives you direct insights on multiple levels like what did your diner like or disliked about your restaurant – food, ambience, music, service, or something else.

With a digital feedback system, you can collect these data safely and gather all these insights in one place, giving you a proper timeline of your customers with dining history, feedback history and other information. Other than this, we would also suggest you to build a strong database by adding no-show customers, people who have placed an online order or take away orders, etc.

Why Data Driven Marketing Is A Must For Every Restaurants?
With evolving technology, 80% of customers prefer personalized experience from restaurants. Send one broad message to everyone is no longer advisable. Today, restaurants should focus on providing relevant experiences that are tailor-made for your specific customer’s needs. This way, you won’t only reach to the right audience but also increases the chances of getting more diners, thereby growing your business. Here’s why data-driven marketing is super important for your business growth.

“By focusing on customer data collection and analysis and combining those insights with artificial intelligence, TGI Fridays doubled their business over the past 12 months*.”

Why Data-Driven Marketing Can Help You Drive Revenue Growth?

Here’s why data-driven marketing is beneficial for your restaurant and can help you increase your sales.

Increased Customer Retention
The secret of retaining more and more customers is fueled by data. By knowing which customer hasn’t visited your restaurant for how long, you can run email and/or SMS marketing campaign. You can influence them with special loyalty programs, discounts, offers, new menu items, latest events, etc. Similarly, you can target no-show customers to visit your restaurant again.

Personal Marketing = Better ROI
The right type of marketing means sending the correct message to the correct audience at the correct time. For example, sending Isha a personalized SMS offering special birthday discount precisely 2 days before her birthday – a time when she might be planning her birthday party with family or friends. This in-depth information came from Isha herself when she gave her feedback during the last visit to your restaurant. Running personalized campaigns like this will help you reach more customers in the most relevant way, promising a better ROI.

Improve Overall Customer Experience
Today, it all about offering a world-class experience to your customers. With a proper customer timeline in place, you know your customers on a personal level – all at one place. So, the next time a customer visits your restaurant, your host will have a brief idea of his/her likes, dislikes, previous experience and more by just asking his/her phone number. This way, you will be able to provide a better experience and your customers will enjoy their dining experience at your restaurant.

In an industry that gets more competitive by the day, data-driven marketing can provide you with the much-needed edge over others. Using guest data and understanding customer behavior s extremely necessary to make intelligent decisions and eventually grow your business by prioritizing investments.

*Data Source – The Wall Street Journal

Predictions For The Restaurant Industry In 2019

Posted on 15/02/2019 by inresto

new age restaurant and bar

As restaurants race to keep up with the constant demands of customers, the industry at large is undergoing significant changes. Every year, restaurateurs introduce something new into their business models, to show that they are different than the rest. Trends this year may be new or the existing ones with a twist added.

Social media has completely taken the various industries, including the restaurant business. Restaurants are continuously striving aesthetically present food, that is appealing to the eye and palate, so that diners can post it online. Off late, food bloggers and social media influencers have become an integral part of the restaurant marketing campaigns.

Though restaurants are already familiar with technology, owners are now looking for sophisticated technology that can be more than just a billing software. Automated and smart billing processes, customer relationship module, stock and inventory control, along with real-time reporting and analytics can pave way for reduced costs and optimized operations.

Big data is power and restaurateurs are tapping this resource to deliver enhanced service to their patrons. Gone are the days when collecting customer details was all about sending promotional emails or SMSes. Today, eating preferences, ordering history and behavior are recorded in POS-integrated CRMs to not only understand diners, but also customize campaigns to attract more footfall.

Another emerging trend is the fast-casual restaurants, which are basically eateries that are a mix of quick-service and full dining restaurants. These places offer the convenience of a quick-serving restaurant and also the quality and service provided at casual dining restaurants.

Cloud or ghost kitchens are another trend that can be seen in 2019. With an increase in the number of online food deliveries, restaurant operators are investing in cloud kitchens, as they are a smarter way to run the food business. Since these kitchens are comparatively low on investments, they are slowly becoming popular.

The restaurant industry is quite dynamic, with constantly evolving trends . Restaurants need to adapt and innovate owing to the changing customer demands, challenges and extreme competition, to stay ahead.

How inResto Transformed Imperfecto Into A Digital Restaurant?

Posted on 14/02/2019 by inrestoblog

Owned by Bel Cibo Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., Imperfecto made its grand entry in the Restaurant Industry in 2013 with their first restaurant in Hauz Khas Village shortly followed by the second one in Gurgaon’s Cyberhub. After claiming prominent spots in two of the most popular hubs in Delhi NCR, today Imperfecto has 6 outlets in Delhi NCR.

They have been a vivid user of inResto products. Recently. We got into a conversation with them understanding their mantra to manage one of the busiest gastropubs in Delhi and how technology has helped him simplify these tasks.

Chaotic Manual Walk-In & Reservation Management
Prior inResto, walk-ins and reservations were managed manually. Since all the outlets are located in the busiest locales of Delhi-NCR, the number of walk-ins were huge. The unorganized way of managing these high number of walk-ins lead to customer attrition and eventually revenue loss. Also, the manual door management was an added manpower cost as well as time. There had been times when the host went inside to check for vacant seats and another guest just walked in the restaurant, leading to more chaos

With the advent of technology in almost every process of running a restaurant, Imperfecto understood felt the need of a system that can help their staff manage walk-ins and reservations more effectively, especially during rush hours.

With inResto Reserve in place, the staff of Imperfecto was able to manage bookings from various sources including direct calls, social media pages and table reservation platforms like Dineout. Also, with table management feature, the host was able to monitor the real-time status of tables, even on the rooftop, making walk-in and table management a cakewalk.

Customer Data is Super Important
Located in the most popular location, Imperfecto has its own pros and cons. While a good location increases the visibility, the same eventually made it difficult for them to sustain the number of new and repeat customers on a daily basis. That’s why Imperfecto organizes events regularly, even on weekdays to attract more and more customers. The challenge here was to inform the correct customers about these daily events. While Facebook & Instagram pages helped them spread the word, they cannot deny the fact that personalized messages targeted to a specific segment of customers proved to be extremely effective to get more customers.

Just like any other restaurant, the host used to collect the details either before the customers walked into the outlet and/or while filling the feedback form. The pen-paper method of collecting this data used to put extra work on the staff to organize the same in a proper manner post their shift. Another challenge was to use this data effectively to run for future leverage. With inResto, the customer data collection became super organized. Also, the proper customer timelines helped their marketing team to understand their customer and run targeted campaigns for better ROI right from inResto’s platform.

Restaurant Management Made Easy With inResto
With inResto, Imperfecto got a robust solution which let them:

Easily manage Reservations from various sources and walk-ins on a single dashboard
Seamless configuration of the floor and section layout and monitor the real-time status of tables to improve table turnaround time
Maintain customer records, preferences, dine-in history on a digital platform to offer personalized service, thus improving the overall dine-in experience
Collect & organize feedback digitally. Take immediate action for negative feedback to salvage the situation and enhance the overall customer experience.

“inResto is super easy to set up. We just gave a few details and the setup was entirely done by inResto team.” Karan Kumar, Manager – Informal by Imperfecto – Janpath

Results
Driven more revenue and increase profitability by lowering table turn around time

20% increase in repeat business by offering a personalized experience to guests – by capturing guests preferences, visit history etc.
120 manhours saved every month
30% Increase in operational efficiency
300% increase in the customer database
Over 500,000 customers reach via targeted campaigns

inResto along with Dineout has opened new avenues for Imperfecto to not only manage their restaurant more effectively but also reduce the manual effort, thus helping them offer the best dine-in experience for all customers.

Image Source – Dineout | Imperfecto Facebook Page

Restaurant Trends to Watch for in 2019

Posted on 08/02/2019 by inresto

The restaurant industry is growing, thanks to rapid innovation and technology. Whether it’s online food orders, tablets instead of the traditional cash registers, or even waiters taking orders on a device, these trends have helped the business flourish and multiply. There has been a gradual change in diner habits and eating out trends, and restaurants strive hard to keep up with customer demands. With a number of people stepping out to eat, or ordering in, the restaurant industry is witnessing a continued growth.

The most popular change in the restaurant industry is mobile technology. Restaurants are incorporating mobile solutions in their business models. So be it payments or ordering food, everything today is done in a jiffy.

Enter iPad menus for ordering food directly from the kitchen. Paper menus are becoming a thing of the past and being replaced by iPads. Though not many restaurants use digital menus, this trend is sure to change the way food and beverages are ordered.

Given the stifling competition and number of restaurants sprouting almost everyday, diners have no dearth of choice. In order to appease the millennials, restaurants are coming up with unique concepts and innovative menu items.

Restaurants are experimenting with technology, from artificial intelligence to high-end restaurant software. Off late there has been an increase in the number of ghost restaurants. These places don’t have seating arrangements but only a kitchen that cooks and delivers online orders. This has also helped restaurants lower overhead cost to operate a full-fledged eating place.

According to a research institute, 2019 will witness a 30% increase in the implementation of mobile POS systems and ordering kiosks. Technology has helped restaurants streamline their operations, making them more accessible. That said, digital transformation trends have taken restaurants by storm and the change is quite evident.

If you are looking for POS Software for your restaurant contact us now. We are the restaurant software company in India based out in Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore & Delhi. Our Restaurant Management Software takes care of all your restaurant’s activity include kitchen orders, restaurant billing, inventory management, cash flow, online ordering, orders delivery, customer loyalty, reservation & booking and much more.

4 Last Minute Sales-Boosting Tricks For This Valentine’s Day

Posted on 07/02/2019 by inrestoblog

More than 55% of Indian consumers plan to go out for a meal on Valentine’s Day. Don’t miss the chance to ensure that your restaurant is the top choice for diners. This means that the next week is a great opportunity for your business so make the most of it.

So, here’s presenting 4 amazing ways to increase your restaurant’s Valentine Day’s Profits.

Add A Little Romance To Your Restaurant
Valentine’s Day is a special time where your diners would love to have a quiet and subtle environment where they can talk while dining. Ensure that your seating and decoration is as per the relaxing environment. For that special Valentine touch, scented candle votives, sprinkled rose petals and a vase of red and pink flowers would do the job. You can also add a white or blackboard with romantic messages.

Get Creative With Your Menu
Valentine’s Day calls for food for love! Create a prix fixe menu for couples with oysters, heart-shaped dishes, chocolate, desserts, etc. Even with your fancy restaurant, stick with an approachable and familiar taste. You can go creative with love-evoking dish names. You can extend your creativity to the bar as well with fun love inspired drinks and wine for this special occasion.

Give Your Customers An Experience
Approx 78% would choose to spend money on experience over buying something desirable. Other than food and ambiance, make your guest feel special with a small gift like complimentary valentine special dessert, welcome cocktails, etc. Don’t forget to promote them on your social media channels and offline to make your restaurant the go-to place for customers.

Make Your Loyal Customers Feel Special
Increasing customer retention rates by 5% increase profits by 25% to 95%, according to research done by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company. Run valentine special discounts for your loyal customers and convey the same via email or SMS. With a restaurant CRM tool, you can run targeted campaigns to customers who haven’t dined in the past 3 months or have visited more than 2 times. Don’t forget to use language that drives emotions like “What’s Your Plan This Valentine’s?

With careful planning, you can make Valentine’s one of the most profitable day for your restaurant. Give your restaurant the reason to choose your restaurant over others.

Data Source – TOI | Eventbrite | Bain

5 Seating Layout Mistakes That Are Affecting Your Business

Posted on 04/02/2019 by inrestoblog

Did you know that 65% diners say that getting their preferred seating arrangement in a restaurant would increase their loyalty? Investing in a perfect seating layout means investing in the success of your restaurant. A smart seating layout is an important element of Restaurant Revenue Management (or RRM). RRM is basically examining the most effective ways to sell the right seat, to the correct customer, at the best price, and for an ideal duration of time.

Decoding a seating layout that helps your restaurant sales can be daunting. You might be doing many small yet major mistakes, affecting your restaurant’s sales. What are those mistakes and how you can overcome? Read on to find out!

#1 – Not Utilizing Restaurant’s Data To Drive Business Decisions

The idea behind collecting any sort of details from customers is to drive better business decisions. Collecting this data on a digital platform allows you to recognize your restaurant’s trends that can help you improve your service. Identifying and analyzing simple metrics like average wait time by cover size, most used sections/tables, preferred table types of your customers, average time spent on each table, etc. will give you important insights that would help you optimize your seating layout.

For example, if the average waiting time for 3 people is more, then you should increase the number of tables having 3 or more seating.

#2 No Clear Paths

Having plenty of seats to accommodate your customers is surely one of the major aims of a smart seating layout. But, people’s comfort should be kept at the forefront. Ensure that you have mapped a clear and direct path that would take your servers from kitchen to serving station (kitchen) to table, bar, etc. Similarly, the pathway from door to tables and then to the washroom for your customers should be clear. The space between seating should be at least 2 feet. Most importantly, keep a clear pathway to fire exits in case of emergencies.

#3 Not Investing In Millennial Seating

If you wish to attract insta-savvy millennials, don’t go for yesteryears’ seating and tables design. Invest in tables and chairs that can be easily moved. A mashup in flexy furniture design, communal tables, variable tables, riotous amount of bright tone pillows is surely in. Create a communal dining environment by impromptu shoving tables, something like younger patrons expect.

#4 Boring Uniform Seating

Same seating for your complete restaurant might be easy but unfortunately, it’s boring! For example, having fixed high booth seating everywhere might make your customers feel like a maze. It also obstructs the view of your restaurant for other diners. Diners might struggle to contact the staff and vice versa. Booth seating is fab but when placed on the perimeter of your seating area. Experiment with the middle area with open tables which are easily movable in order to accommodate both small and large parties.

#5 Keeping Everything Public

While an open kitchen and right-in-front bar attract your customers, areas like wait stations, restroom areas, and storage area should be kept out of your customer’s sight. Make them easily accessible with proper signage and without keeping them in the full view of the restaurant.

Do you have any useful tips for a more efficient seating layout? Do share in the comments.