Most of us will visit a restaurant on a regular basis. They are establishments where we can enjoy great tasting food with family and friends.
Restaurants offer a social dining experience without the need to cook anything yourself!
Most restaurant owners report a happy flow of customers dining with them each day. But, a few are struggling to turn a profit.
You might be thinking this is down to problems with their menu or location. But, the reason can often get pinpointed to technology. Or, should I say, a lack of it!
If you run a restaurant, here’s how you can use technology to boost your profits:
Offer a range of payment options
You might be thinking that cash is king. But, in the 21st century, it’s crucial for restaurants to offer convenient payment options. One such example are card payment terminals.
Many restaurants also use restaurant card swipers. These are devices that work with mobile devices. They’re also more reliable than conventional terminals.
Plus, they don’t have to rely on fixed lines to process payments. You can also use them if your restaurant has a market stall selling food to go in upmarket areas.
Table paging
Many people go to restaurants without booking a table first. After all: it’s a convenient way to eat out whenever you wish. And you don’t have to adhere to a particular date and time.
The only downside to that approach is popular restaurants might have a queue waiting for a table!
One tech innovation your customers can use is a table pager. In a nutshell, you give your visitors a pager device.
They can then wait outside if they wish or order a drink at the bar. When a table is free, the device flashes, indicating that they’ve now got somewhere to sit.
It ensures that you don’t forget about customers that queue up for a table.
Smartphone table booking
Some people just hate phoning up a restaurant and booking a table.
Why? Because they don’t like talking on the phone. Or they just don’t have the time to do so. What if there was an easier way for those people to book a table?
Well, there is, and it involves something they use every day: their smartphones! You could offer customers the option to book a table using a smartphone app.
So, if they have an iPhone or Android device, the app can reserve a table in an instant.
You could also offer them discounts or special offers if they book using their phones.
Promoting smartphone table booking is a good way of reducing the workload on your staff. That’s because they won’t have to keep answering the phone while waiting on tables.
Facebook check-ins
Another way to promote your restaurant is by asking customers to “check in” at your venue.
In return, you could offer them a free bottle of wine or some other discount.
It’s an interesting way of promoting a restaurant. Their friends on Facebook can see where they are.
And it’s likely they will want to dine there too.
