Restaurants have always been considered to need a personal touch, where the staff must attend each visitor personally. But times are changing, and automated systems are gradually taking over the ordering system in the F&B industry and helping deliver a more personalized experience. Some might think that’s counter-intuitive, but let’s dive a little deeper to see what’s going on.
- When Technology Teaches Manners
How often do you see a guest snapping his fingers or whistling while calling a waiter, while yelling “hero”, “boss” or even “oye”? If one of your waiters makes a mistake, many people don’t hesitate to reprimand them publicly, often loudly, while using demeaning language. Online ordering systems can minimize the chances of mistakes or delays when it comes to placing an order while increasing efficiency and reducing costs by reducing the number of staff needed on the floor. Furthermore, you may even gain the resources and time to train the remaining staff more thoroughly so they can handle such situations more appropriately.
- Avoiding confusion with newly appointed waiters
It often happens that new hired staff take time to pick up speed and are unable to serve your customers the way they expect. For instance, remembering your guest’s name, their favourites from the menu and maybe even their preferred table has a profound impact on how your restaurant is perceived and recalled. Now, with in-restaurant technology, like inResto DineIn, you will be able to keep each diner on record and keep a tab on their preferences so that you serve them better next time.
- Online Ordering and its many benefits
So many relishing and difficult-to-pronounce names on the menu, but how many waiters do you have who can can explain them all? It takes a while for the staff to memorize the menu and gain expertise in explaining it to a diner without having to go back to the manager or the chef. Imagine how convenient it would be if customers could get all the details of the dish through a picture and description, all on a tab or even their own phone? Along with this, the menu could be in multiple languages, thereby appealing to tourists and residents who speak other languages more fluently. There can even be pop-ups on the digital menu about food-pairing recommendations, deals and promotions on certain menu items or even specials for the day. No confusion, no waiting for the waiter, no more delayed orders, and no more dirty menu cards.
- Preventing bad reviews on Social Media
A diner’s visit to a restaurant is incomplete without diners putting a check-in status or posting food pictures on social media. But gradually, these have become platforms for people to vent about their bad experiences. With the emergence of food bloggers and food critics, and just discerning diners, a restaurant’s reputation is always at risk. Having a system that alerts you of bad feedback immediately can save your online reputation and maybe even gain a loyal customer. And now, this has already become a reality with feedback apps giving restaurant managers real-time alerts of bad customer experiences.
- Efficient Resource Management
Good staff makes for loyal customers, but what makes a good waiter? It takes a lot of time and money to train your staff to go beyond taking orders and serving, but also to be friendly with the diners and know how to make them happy. Now, you can replace personnel with ordering apps. Now, your 60 to 100 seater restaurant can actually be managed by one cashier and a couple of waiters. So why spend a fortune on training a large team, which is vulnerable to numerous variables, including human error?
Obviously, completely replacing waiters in restaurants is not feasible, but having a smaller team has many benefits. This is where technology can play an important role. Today, customers are much more accepting of technology, and you can take advantage of it by reducing manpower and human error for more efficient and effective operations. Furthermore, with the customer data you have, you can make the experience a lot more personal by offering them their favourite dishes, drinks and tables, and maybe even offer them a bit of a discount.
Let’s face it. The future of dining is here. Let’s make the most of it for the sake of our customers. inResto DineIn is one of the online menu systems that are making a huge splash in the industry. If you want to find out more about it, click here.
