February 2020 - inresto

Time Hacks for Restaurant Operators: Work Smarter, Not Harder

Posted on 27/02/202008/07/2020 by inrestoblog

In our superficial world, we often position money to be the most important thing in our lives. But there is something far more important and valuable than money – time. Time is one such resource that cannot be bought by money, but can be instead turned into money!

We live in one of the most amazing times, wherein we are blessed with abundance of connectivity, internet, and information. However, we still do not have an abundance of time. This begs for the importance of time management.

Time management is a conscious act of planning and utilizing your time to work in a far more efficient and productive manner. In any business, time management is of utmost importance to get tasks done, meet deadlines, and attain success.

For a restaurant operator, the role is highly stressful, demanding, and busy. On any given day, the role pulls them towards every possible direction; from addressing customer needs to look at the food quality, from addressing staff needs to check the P&Ls. These pressures and responsibilities eventually lead to burnouts and decreased productivity rates. Thus highlighting the effective need for working smarter and not harder.

Time Hacks for Restaurant Operators to Ensure Efficiency

Usage of data tools

With the help of data tools, restaurant operators can figure out potential and ongoing trends in the industry and fix any visible gaps in the operation. Restaurant analytics like average cooking time, speed of service, and busy working hours are immensely helpful for operators to ensure an optimal level of efficiency.

You can also turn into an efficiently operating restaurant.

Pay at the table service

Similar to a restaurant, time is highly important for the customer as well. Hence, the usage of pay-at-table service enables the customer to make payments faster and saves considerable time.

You can facilitate this with DO-PAY : Contact us at info@dineout.co.in

Online Kitchen Software

Online kitchen software is used to notify the kitchen staff about any new orders. This ensures timely delivery and less wait time for the customers, thereby heightening the productivity level of the restaurant.

Get your Online kitchen software now!

Training Manual for the Employees

In order to help both new and existing employees to understand the functioning of the restaurant in a better manner, operators must create a training manual. This not only allows them to gain extra insight into the restaurant but also enables them to work accordingly.

Allowing Online Bookings

Allowing online booking options for the customers is a highly effective technique for restaurant operators to ease down operations and save time. Although managing the same can be tedious at first, it can be highly effective in the long run. Add to this, it broadens the revenue channels of the restaurant.

Get more assistance on how you can go about this here.

This list is in no way exhaustive, and there are a number of time hacks that restaurant operators can use. However, it ultimately boils down to understanding the critical areas in your restaurant workflow and making changes therein, accordingly. Although advertised as hacks, these techniques are what differentiates one from working smarter than working harder.

Not Just a Millennial Thing: The History of Brunch

Posted on 25/02/202008/07/2020 by inrestoblog

Be it a Mother’s Day invite or just an excuse to start drinking at 11 a.m., brunch is surfing the wave of ‘millennial trends’ for five years now. However, believe it or not, brunch has a long-standing history that dates back to the 1890s.

The word was used for the very first time in 1895 by a writer called Guy Beringer in his article ‘Brunch: A Plea.’ The term, a portmanteau of the two words ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch,’ was introduced by Beringer in an attempt to start a Sunday meal that was lighter than the typically heavy Sunday supper. Beringer made his case strong, as he implored, “Brunch is cheerful, sociable, and inciting.”

Modernized Brunch Vs. The Original Deal

Nowadays, brunches have become a meal for youngsters and college students to gather and socialize. However, the brunching scene back in the early 1900s was very different. During that time, brunch was generally a meal for the upscale crowd, which could easily get away with day drinking with charm, and could blatantly disregard Prohibition. Brunch, during prohibition, was arranged in homes to gather and gossip over. Cookbooks from the 1930s would recommend a brunch hostess to make alcohol available for her male guests while including mocktail recipes for her female friends.

The scenario has changed a tad bit since then. The modernized brunching became mainstream in 2015. Restaurants today are seen offering brunch specials to their guests, which include different package deals with famous breakfast foods and heavily discounted alcohol/cocktails. While brunching was reserved for the upper class previously, the middle class has now become comfortable with the entire concept.

It’s great to host a brunch. The difficulty is marketing it. inresto’s campaigns module can do the job for you effortlessly.

Steal the Deal

Brunching has become a ragingly common norm among industrialists to gather and socialize over. This cultural trend is especially visible among people from the restaurant and the hospitality industry. A lucrative add-on to this? Sunday brunches have now become THE meal to socialize over. Modern brunching has continued to rise in popularity and is a trend that is likely to stay.

It is safe to say that brunch is the new IT girls in meal-town. Many restaurant owners are cashing in on this opportunity by not only including a brunch menu, but providing group discounts, crazy alcohol and cocktail discounts, and a cherry on the cake- introducing Sunday brunch specials.

You diners must be aware of the crazy discounts and Special menu additions for brunch. Send them personalised SMS & emails and make them aware.

Let’s Talk Money

While brunching may be all hyped up, could it truly be money-making for restaurant-owners? Uh, yeah! Brunching has provided a gateway for many restaurant owners to make room for a little extra money-making, and allowing them to create a unique identity. If you’re looking to beat that competitor down the street who is rocking it at dining, you could very well build a brunching empire. With more than 12% rise in visitors and about 25% rise in revenue generation, brunching should definitely top your priority list, as a consumer as well as a restaurant owner.

Are you ready to Brunch it?

Smart Ways to Collect Customer Feedback at Your Restaurant

Posted on 20/02/202008/07/2020 by inrestoblog

As a proud restaurant-owner, knowing your customers better on an individual level has to be your top priority. It’s not just about personalized meeting, greeting, and seating, but also about acting on interesting insights into their unique needs and preferences – in food, service, and ambience to craft a truly delightful and memorable dining experience for them.

Know your customers

To curate a dining experience that your diners love, you must know your customers well. Gathering their feedback is the first step to that. It will highlight the areas that require work. It also reveals the unique needs and preferences of individual customers that you can tap into, to surprise and delight them, earn their long-term patronage, trust, and loyalty.

But getting customers to provide feedback is a challenge. Studies suggest only one in every 26 customers bother with feedback forms – either because it’s too much effort, or because they believe their feedback won’t be acted upon. Besides, It’s a delicate balancing act to extract actionable insights, without coming across as nosy and intrusive.

Here are some smart techniques to circumvent some of the challenges and successfully extract valuable customer feedback:

Design an effective feedback form

1. Minimize The Customer Effort

The objective is to engage as many customers as possible.

Break the form into 3-4 wieldy parts (or stages), making it easier for the diners to fill.
Use multiple-choice queries and associative/comparative questioning techniques. Incorporate key questions like “How likely are you to recommend this place to your friends?”

2. Digitize The Form

Digital forms can be filled out on-premise. It makes the process quicker, more interactive, and less tedious. Not only does it reduce customer effort, but it is also beneficial for the restaurant.

-Reduces printing costs: The restaurant can change the design elements as well as the questions anytime without having to print new forms again and again.

-Enables Instant Grievance Redressal: If the restaurant has received a bad review, the feedback app instantly notifies the manager or the owner, and they can gratify the customers with discounts and offers to make it up to them on the spot.

Give them compelling reasons

From special discounts on their favourite dish to complimentary helpings of their favourite dessert on their next visit, gratify them every time they provide their feedback. This also serves to drive repeat visits.

You can also run an online survey on a similar concept- Put up modified versions of feedback forms on your social media pages and relevant online fora. Offer gratification for respondents – deals and discounts on their next meal – which will also drive greater footfall at your restaurant.

Add a personal touch

You, as the owner, your partners or senior associates, must take personal initiative to chat with customers over dessert or coffee, to understand their likes and dislikes. Candid chats around various aspects of dining out can get you better insights into consumer preferences. You can then get staff-members to transcribe the insight you’ve gathered onto the feedback form. Over time, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of which customers to target – regular patrons, influencers, and opinion leaders.

Going beyond the Feedback Form

1. Organize special events to gather customer feedback

Invite customers to events at your restaurant wherein a part of your event can be dedicated to gathering feedback. Get market research professionals to conduct group discussions and/or one on one interviews, to explore what’s going well and what needs fixing, and take action accordingly.

2. Conduct social media listening and monitor online review sites

Customers tend to freely voice their issues related to eating out, on social media platforms, and online restaurant review forums. Hence regular monitoring and analyses reveal valuable customer insights from these entirely neutral sources. For you to do that, your restaurant must have an intuitive app and website as well as social channels. Apps like inresto’s WhiteLabel Solution can help you do just that and more.

Remember, your customer is your restaurant’s raison d’être (the reason for growth). For your customers, however, you start out as just another restaurant. As the owner, it’s your business to turn ‘just another’ to their favourite one.

It’s therefore, absolutely imperative to know your customers and to use that knowledge to create memorable dine-out experiences. You can convert every first-timer to a regular then a loyal customer and finally to an active advocate of your brand.

Who knew taking feedback can be so versatile yet fun & easy. Adopt these ways in your restaurant today and connect with your customers. You might make great connections along the way. 🙂

How are Loyalty Programs and Campaigns driving Sales for Restaurants

Posted on 18/02/202008/07/2020 by inrestoblog

Technology is making our lives simpler and more convenient in every way. Businesses across sectors, whether online or brick & mortar, are increasingly turning to digital technology to become more efficient. The Restaurant industry is no different.

Among various technology solutions available, personalised loyalty programs and targeted marketing campaigns are the most effective tools to gather a huge paying customer base, which is also loyal to your brand.

According to a study on the ‘Global Food and Beverage Market’ by Cushman and Wakefield, the Asia Pacific region is the fastest-growing when it comes to spending on dining out. The average annual growth rate is estimated at 7.5% during the period 2017-27.

How is technology helping you to keep your customers hooked?

Your restaurant has great food, and your diners love you, but what can you do to build a special relationship with your diners? Make your diners feel special on their every visit, and every time they want to dine out, they will think of you. Loyalty programs can help you do that effortlessly.

You need to understand your customers’ patterns and shower them with offers. And, this does not mean that running offers will lead you to losses. On the contrary, it is the perfect strategy to gain profits.

There are customers who visit your restaurant at least two times a week. Some visit less often, but whenever they do, they like to spend a hefty amount. There are also customers who have a favorite from the menu and order it on their every visit.

With Loyalty programs, you can recognise such customer behaviour, categorize them into segments, and create programs tailored to their preferences.

There is nothing like a good loyalty program that can keep the diners hooked to your restaurant.

There is more you can do with it-

Provides you a choice between point-based and instant discount based programs. Restaurants have total control over the entire process, including the rewards to be given.
Creates a reward program on billing value and frequency of visits.
Enables effective and hassle-free customer interactions.

According to the Restaurant Success Report of 2019, 64% of guests look for loyalty programs while dining out. Among them, 50% of customers say that loyalty programs – and the rewards they offer – are important factors in picking the restaurant they choose to visit.

Spread the Word and Reach Out to your Customers

You have created the most effective loyalty programs for your customer base, but how will your customers know that amazing offers are awaiting them at your restaurant?

Of course, you can hand them gift cards when they visit you, but you can reach a larger audience by making use of technology.

‘Campaigns‘ is a tool that enables you to periodically reach out to your target customers. Messages and Emails that contain offers and experiences tailored to their individual preferences create compelling reasons for them to come back – effectively driving up the frequency of customer visits to the restaurant.

People often reach out to their phones whenever they have to choose a place of dining. Their smartphone becomes their best friend. When you send them personalised campaigns that contain offers, discounts, and experiences that your restaurant will provide them, your restaurant gets noticed, and there is a more likely chance that they visit you.

There is more to it-

Imports customer data to set-up personalised campaigns.
Automates the process of targeting the customer base through text messages and emails.
Performs exhaustive analytics to assess campaign performance and suggest course corrections as and when required.

About 50% of the recipients find automated email services helpful, as per the Restaurant Success Report of 2019. The importance of this tool cannot be overstated, as it can significantly increase a restaurant’s acquisition and retention rates.

Loyalty programs and marketing campaigns have proved to be a powerful tool in retaining a loyal customer base. Adopt these technology solutions in your restaurant and see for yourself. There will be a lot of familiar and happy faces you are going to see often!

How to win your customers’ hearts this Valentines Day

Posted on 10/02/202008/07/2020 by inrestoblog

Did you know restaurants rank Valentine’s Day as the second busiest day of the year?

According to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, consumers spend about $13.19 billion on Valentine’s Day, enough to afford all the travel plans every person made after watching ‘Yeh Jawani hai Deewani’.

A restaurant is a place where love stories begin and moments of love brew. The place where he first proposed, their first date after their wedding, her first blind date, or be it funny date arranged by parents, a restaurant always plays an essential part in creating beautiful love memories. It is a part of every proposal story they will tell their friends.

Everyone knows one cannot choose their family, but they can choose their partner. As much as love can make you go WTF, there’s no denying we’d all be a little less rich without love in life!

Here’s how you can make their merry moments merrier:

1. Valentine’s day demands ‘The Food of Love.’

There is nothing like too much red on Valentine’s day, so spice up your food menu with Red velvet pastries, heart-shaped cookies, and cute love themed cupcakes.

Create unique combos and Platters, like a beer combo with some chicken finger food, a bottle of champagne with a bouquet of flowers, and heart-shaped chocolates.

Let’s give the couples more time engaging in intimate moments and less time picking various items from the menu.

Your diners must be aware beforehand that a Valentine’s Day special food menu awaits them so that they can pick the right venue for the day. So spread the word by sending them an email and SMS campaigns.

2. Run Hatke Offers

Send personalised cards at your diners’ tables, which might go something like, “You both look adorable together! Have a nice evening.” The card or a scroll(if you want to do it the cupid’s way) can be designed in love-themed templates like this cupid one or even the classic heart-shaped ones.

Collaborate with a photographer and capture their special moments, which they can cherish for life. You must post these pictures on your social channels and get all the people talking about your restaurant.

Along with that, the efforts put in the decor, the food, and the setting must be captured and put across the web- on dineout stories and Instagram stories so that new customers searching for a restaurant on the web so that new customers can also get aware of the ongoing events at your restaurant.

You can create the most desirable romantic date fantasies for people watching your restaurant’s stories and pictures on the web.

Send personalised messages to your customers so that they remember you while deciding a place for their special evening. Here’s how

3. Organize fun activities

Collaborate with a band or an artist for live music to set the mood at your restaurant. Music can make or break the mood. Romantic music such that your diners are drooling in love, and there is euphoria!

Artists like Prateek Kuhad, Hari & Sukhmani, and bands like Agni are just some of the top picks when it comes to setting a romantic mood with some music.

Salsa night: There is no bond like the one you make with a partner on the dance floor. You can call professional salsa dancers and get all the people grooving on the dance floor. Singles also get a chance to mingle with new people and dance their hearts out!

4. Plan a Singles’ day out

If you thought just calling out couples on Valentine’s day is a hit plan for your restaurant, you are wrong! Shout out to all the singles out there and organize a party.

The golden rule of the party: Couple entries strictly not allowed!

Decorate your restaurants with funny quotes or memes for single people. When love life’s DOA, memes are your best friends.
Let the ‘We hate couples’ club and ‘I can’t ever get out of the friend zone’ be your guest for the day.
Organize a comedy stand up or screen shows like ‘Haq Se Single’ by Zakir khan at your restaurant to hype the mood.

With social media, SMS, and email campaigns, you can create a very quirky campaign with memes and quotes that will catch your target audience’s eye.

5. Dress code Party

There can be a simple dress code party planned where you invite your diners, saying they must wear red and black.
Or you can add a funky touch and make it interesting by asking your diners to come dress as a famous couple. It can be a classic Raj & Simran couple, Anjali and Rahul from Kuch Kuch Hota hai, or the very sensual Ram Leela.
A vampire couple or greek mythology inspired couple, basically tell them to be as weird and quirky as they can. And you can reward the best dressed with a free meal!

It’s always exciting for couples to play dress up, and you can add spice to their lives with different themes like this. Make it engaging for them by making them act like the couple they have come dressed as or make them dance on Bollywood songs, and they will remember you as their best host!

So get started on those Valentine’s day preps, and select ideas that you think will be a hit for your restaurant. Aren’t you already excited for D day?

You can get creative and wild with your ideas and put up a great show, but it is not good enough unless your customers know about it. Running Campaigns is, therefore, your key to create a buzz amongst your audience and make your show a hit!

Let us help you do that. You can get in touch – Contact us: http://inresto.com/contact.html

The Restaurant Affair- Hyderabad Chapter

Posted on 06/02/202008/07/2020 by inrestoblog

Introduction

The Restaurant Affair is an interactive summit that talks about the business of tomorrow. It is a unique offline forum to educate, engage, and promote the adoption of technology within the F&B industry. Whether it’s a small restaurant chain or an established eatery, every restaurant is upping its game to strive in the competition, and ‘The Restaurant Affair’ helps every restaurateur to achieve that and network with fellow folks of the industry.

The Hyderabad Chapter was held at Novotel HICC on 21st January. Food industry experts and leaders shared their radical views on the ongoing technology trends that are helping the industry boom and making it more than merely about food and cooking.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ankit Mehrotra, CEO & Co-founder, Dineout said,

“The restaurant industry is very fragmented and largely unorganized, for which the adoption of technology is a necessity in this digital era. With ‘The Restaurant Affair,’ we want to change the way restaurants function in India and help showcase the technological prowess of our products. We’re loving the response and the increasing participation of restaurants who believe in our mission and stand together with us.”

Panel Discussion

The panel was graced by Hyderabad’s restaurant industry stalwarts- Chef Chalapati Rao- Simply South, Mr. Manish Dayya- Novotel HICC, Mr. Prosenjit Roy Choudhury- Absolute barbecues, Mr. Viren Shah- CreamStone ice creams.

Our Co-founder Ankit Mehrotra, led the panel discussion and asked the esteemed panelists intriguing questions. The discussion was mind-boggling and educated our audience on how they can manage a restaurant successfully. Experience teaches you more than any book written ever, and hence we tried to gather all the Gyan that our panelists had to offer, who have been in this game for quite some time now.

Dineout’s Journey

Mr. Vivek Kapoor, our Cofounder, took the audience through an inspiring journey. From being just a discovery and reservations platform to being a restaurant enabler, how dineout has come a long way.

He took us through the Dineout product suite, which helps empower restaurants & enable growth.

Game Changer 2020

Our Co-founder, Vijayan Parthasarathy, took the stage to shed light on the technology solution that is the game-changer for the restaurant industry in 2020 – Valet– resolves all the parking woes at your restaurant!

Technology Workshops

There was a guided tour of various technology solutions for our audience. The live demos helped restaurateurs understand how they can streamline and manage their restaurant’s operations effortlessly. They had the first-hand experience with the latest technology solutions.

If you missed being a part of the event or happened to miss this session, you can experience our entire product suite here.

Casual conversations brewed new connections & we bonded over food & wine.

If you are enticed to be a part of a restaurant affair like this, let us know at info@dineout.co.in so that we can meet you while we’re on the road. The next destination of our tour is Kolkata, and we can’t wait to meet the chefs & restaurateurs of the city, which is every foodie’s must-visit destination.

You sure don’t want to miss out on opportunities to network with restaurant peers, sneak peeks at the latest industry technology, and lots of time- and money-saving tips for your restaurant. See you in your city!

The Restaurant Chronicles | GIRF 2020 is live | Kitchens that Fly High and more

Posted on 04/02/202008/07/2020 by inrestoblog