Gone are the days when a complete set of cooking tools and equipment and a reliable food supplier were all you needed to run a successful food business.
Today, there are more ways you can innovate not only with the food and beverages you offer but also in aspects like monitoring customer journeys.
In fact, the global pandemic triggered a ripple effect across all businesses that highlighted the importance of having an online presence. Because of social distancing measures and capacity restrictions, restaurants and other food businesses get fewer guests dining in their physical establishments.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that there’s no future in the foodservice industry. All it means is that you must move or expand your business online to reach customers who still want your food but cannot leave their homes or office.
In short, if your customers can’t go to you, then you should bring your food to them.
Ready to migrate your food business online? Here are three tips to make the adjustment easier:
Use a third-party food delivery marketplace.
If you were just starting your foodservice business when the pandemic hit, it can be difficult to set up your own website and online ordering system. This is where third-party food delivery marketplaces come in handy.
Think of them as software-based middlemen who serve as a link between restaurants (you and others who provide food), drivers (those who earn money through transporting food), and customers (people who order and eat the food).
A third-party marketplace offers several advantages, the first of which is its existing customer base.
Since many of these platforms have already established their brand, signing up with them means you won’t need to spend a lot of effort, time, and money in creating your marketing campaign. If you have a start-up food business, this can be quite useful in introducing your brand to the market.
However, they charge fees in exchange for this service, which range from 10 to 30 percent for every order. This means that any price-related advantage you had might lose its appeal with customers because of additional charges from the third-party marketplace.
On top of that, 43 percent of food service professionals agree that these platforms tend to interfere with restaurant-customer relationships. Since they serve as a go-between, there’s little chance for a restaurant to develop solid relationships and loyalty with its customers.
Plus, these marketplaces might also cater to your direct competitors, which means you might have a harder time taking a bigger chunk of your target market.
Enhance your POS system.
A POS system helps make processing dine-in and take-home transactions in your restaurant more efficient, but did you know that newer versions can assist you with online orders as well?
For example, Revel POS is made to handle both on-site and online food service transactions. This easy-to-use system has features that support you and your team in boosting efficiency and accuracy in your transactions, whether they are dine-in, takeaway, or online ones.
Of course, if you already have a POS system in place, you can always implement additional features to accommodate online order-taking.
Since customers are more likely to order directly from a restaurant’s website or app, having a POS system that makes managing orders and deliveries easier is definitely a great investment.
Create an online menu.
There are many ways you can create your online menu. Besides adding them to third-party delivery marketplaces, you can also launch your own site through e-commerce programs or have one built from scratch.
The bottom line is that you need to create your own virtual restaurant.
As mentioned earlier, most customers prefer to order directly from a restaurant’s platform. Plus, having an in-house ordering system will ensure that you have a bigger revenue since you no longer need to pay for intermediaries.
On top of that, custom online ordering systems also ensure that you have a direct line to your customers. This will make it easier to build strong relationships and loyalty among your target market as it allows you to take charge of all the promotions on your portal.
Migrate to Digital
The digital age has changed a lot, especially after the global pandemic affected most sectors and economies. Migrate to digital today with these tips and watch your food business evolve to become successful in the new era.
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