Restaurant online ordering is a way for customers to purchase meals online. But what’s so great about it? Read to find out.
Restaurant online ordering is a way for customers to purchase meals online via website or mobile phone. These items can be enjoyed within the establishment, picked up, or delivered. In the past, online ordering was scarcely available. Now, it's almost everywhere you go. But what’s so great about it? There are many benefits to having online ordering available at your restaurant.
Benefits to Online Ordering
Streamlined restaurant operations: when customers send their orders online, it decreases the amount of time staff members need to be on the phone taking orders.
An improved customer experience: when the ordering process is easy, customers are more likely to complete an order.
More time to browse the menu: not only does an online menu provide more information about food options, but it allows customers to take their time browsing the menu.
More customer control over orders: because customers manage their own orders, they have the ability to order exactly what they want, providing clear and specific instructions.
Easier to place large orders: ordering online decreases the possibility of miscommunication and increases customer satisfaction.
Increased transaction amounts: Since customers have more time to browse the menu, there is a greater chance they will add extra items to their order.
Fewer abandoned orders: customers pay for their order digitally when ordering online. This reduces the chances of fake or abandoned orders. As a result, you reduce your risk and ensure you are receiving payment.
Terms to know
There are several terms that are useful to know when considering and setting up online ordering for your restaurant.
Mobile order: order, pick up, and pay- all from your mobile device.
Take out:food that is prepared, picked up, and taken outside to enjoy.
Curbside pickup: customers call ahead and order food, pull up to the establishment, and a server delivers the food as you wait in the car.
Off-premise dining: any dining experience that takes place off restaurant grounds.
First party delivery: when the restaurant directly provides delivery.
Third party delivery:food delivery handled on the behalf of the business. This includes Doordash, UberEats, and GrubHub.
Setting up online ordering
Now that you are aware of the benefits and important terms, let’s talk about setting up online ordering for your establishment. Online ordering provides a digital way for guests to order food directly from your restaurant. Through an online ordering service, your restaurant is involved in every step of the process. This means setting up your menu, facilitating orders, and completing transactions.
When setting up your menu there are several things to keep in mind. Think of the process customers would go through when ordering food online. Consider including pictures, descriptions of your menu items, and other things that make your food more appealing. Answer the question of how you can provide guests with a personal experience, especially when they are ordering food for delivery or pick-up.
When adding something new to your business, your staff is going to have a lot of questions. Inform them of the role they each play in this new dining experience, and train them so they are equipped to handle any questions customers may have. Consider hosting a training session with all staff members and talk through any questions or concerns.
GoTab is here when you are ready to set up your restaurant’s online ordering system. Contact us today to get started!
Tap Room Playbook Episode 2:
When you really think about it, with everything managers need to do in a tap room, the hospitality aspect is often overlooked.
Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.
The Situation
Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.
The Solution
Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience
Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.
“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.
“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.
The Benefits
Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.
Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
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