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The Strategic Essence of Branded Online Ordering for Fast Casual Restaurants

In the ever-expanding realm of fast-casual dining, where the pace of growth outstrips industry norms, a profound shift is underway. This sector, dedicated to personalization, freshness, and cutting-edge automation, is not merely a culinary trend; it's a movement. The allure of quick, elevated dining, the innovation across design and ordering experiences, and the orchestration of production through automation are redefining the dining experience, elevating fast casual beyond the confines of traditional fast food.

Yet, amidst this culinary evolution, one strategic pillar stands out— owned online ordering. Far more than a trend, online ordering is the cornerstone of a calculated move. It's a deliberate step towards declaring independence in the digital era while steadfastly retaining control over the most crucial aspect: profits.

The Third-Party Conundrum

In the early days, the entrance onto the digital stage often involved third-party platforms. While they served a purpose, they also introduced a challenge - relinquishing control. These platforms became intermediaries, shaping how your brand was perceived, dictating the terms of engagement, and, most notably, taking a sizable chunk of your hard-earned profits as the toll for using their digital highway, often resulting in a negative guest experience and complicated hoops to jump through when problems persist.

The Strategic Turn- Branded Online Ordering

The fast-casual dining narrative is evolving, and at its epicenter is the strategic decision to own your destiny through branded online ordering. This isn't a mere technological upgrade; it's a revolution that reshapes the dynamics between restaurants and their patrons.

Why It Matters: The Three Pillars of Branded Online Ordering

1. Control Over Experience:

Your brand is more than a logo or a menu; it's an experience. Branded online ordering through a POS provider like GoTab allow you to retain control over this experience from the first digital interaction to the last bite. No longer confined to the constraints of third-party platforms, you can curate every touchpoint, ensuring that the essence of your brand shines through.

2. Personalized Engagement

The digital realm is not just a transactional space; it's an opportunity for meaningful connections. With branded online ordering, you're not merely processing orders; you're engaging with patrons directly. Online ordering with GoTab's Fast Casual POS allows operators to personalize promotions, share updates, and create an interactive space that resonates with the uniqueness of your brand.

3. The Bottom Line- Boosting Profit Margins

In the relentless pursuit of profitability, every dollar counts. Branded online ordering liberates you from the burden of third-party commissions, allowing you to retain the full profit from every order. This isn't just a financial advantage; it's a strategic move that contributes to the sustainability and growth of your fast-casual venture.

The GoTab Advantage-Seamless Integration, Streamlined Experience

Enter GoTab, the avant-garde companion in this journey towards branded online ordering. Seamlessly integrating with your website, social media channels, emails, and any platform where you engage with patrons, GoTab ensures a cohesive and convenient ordering experience.

The stage is set, the narrative is unfolding, and at the heart of it is your fast-casual establishment, embracing the power of branded online ordering. Join the revolution, where owning your destiny isn't just a choice; it's the strategic key to unlocking unprecedented success in the digital age.

Check out our Fast Casual POS features to learn how we optimize your operations!

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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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