Nowadays, online ordering is a life path for restaurants, and it’s hard to deny the benefits of using an in-house online ordering system for restaurants.
Online food ordering is here to stay. Over 60% of U.S. foodies already request takeout or delivery once a week, and that number is relied upon to grow. You could join food delivery portals to engage with customers, yet how could you need to share your benefits when you can have an In-house online ordering system instead?
With the quick spread of Covid-19 projecting a dark cloud over the restaurant industry, at present it makes more sense than ever to get started with online ordering. Here’s the reason having your own online ordering system is preferable for your restaurants over third-party platforms like Ubereats or GrubHub.
Benefit #1: Online Ordering System Gets More Revenue
There’s a reason why guests love ordering online or through apps. Without feeling pressure to wrap up their order, customers are more inclined to explore all of their menu options, and they even end up spending more than they would when ordering over the phone or in person.
These days, guests have more opportunities to linger over a menu for minutes or even hours while they plan and anticipate on their own time. With no line behind them, the pressure for your guests to make speedy orders is gone, and they’ll be more inclined to get that extra menu item.
Benefit #2: Efficient Customer and Order Management
An online ordering system for restaurants helps enhance the customer-restaurant relationship by providing an end-to-end Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. It provides a complete sales dashboard with information about new/active/canceled orders, lifetime sales details, etc.
The white label delivery app comes with an order management system that streamlines the entire ordering process starting from order placement to final delivery.
Whenever customers place an order, an efficient online ordering system sends notifications via email or SMS to help the restaurant staff make the order execution faster. On the other hand, such software is also equipped with GPS systems that help you capture the entire address that in turn ensuring timely and fast deliveries.
Benefit #3: Online Ordering System Makes Orders More Accurate
Misunderstandings can happen in any restaurant, whether an order is being taken over the phone or in person. Honest mistakes can lead to wasted food, and even more importantly, frustrated customers who might not come back.
One of the benefits of online ordering for restaurants is that the customer has greater control. When the customer has control, they feel greater clarity and understanding about their actions. Since everything’s in writing, there’s no real chance for mix-ups. For guests with allergies or dietary restrictions, this is especially important. Many online ordering systems have simple, clear checkboxes to indicate allergies, making it easy for kitchen staff to adjust ingredients based on the guest’s selection.
Not only does this result in a better experience for the customer, but a better operational result for the restaurant. With fewer mistakes, there are likely to be fewer comped items to make up for the misunderstanding. This saves your restaurant money and stress.
Benefit #4: Monitor Your Order Experience in Real-time
This is the greatest benefit of the online ordering system, it gives precise information about the cash flow in the restaurant. You get to keep track of costs incurred during preparing an order and compare it to the cost you are giving it to the customer, all this while keeping track of the profitability. On a day when you receive hundreds of orders, an online ordering system will give you an accurate monetary translation of each order without having you look into cash registers.
Benefit #5: Customizable In-house Online Ordering Systems
With your own online ordering platform, you can make instant, real-time changes to your menu and design. In other words, you’ll have greater control over your brand. When customers place their orders, they will be looking at the website you created rather than looking at a third-party app.
Throw in some photos of your food and anything else you think will make your brand more appealing, and easily adjust menu offerings and wait times for accurate expectations and prices.
“Toast lets us customize a background image and upload pictures of the items on our menu. I always say that customers don’t just buy because of taste, they buy with their eyes,” said Daniel Ganem, Co-Founder & Executive Chef at Zuuk Mediterranean Kitchen.
Another perk of in-house online ordering systems is the ability to remove an item from the menu. If you run out of a necessary ingredient, you can remove the item from the menu completely and avoid disappointing a customer after the fact.
Benefit #6: Co-exist with Third-party Apps
Offering restaurant online ordering through an external source has clear benefits. In cities and highly saturated markets, third-party delivery apps are a great way to expose your business to new customers. Unfortunately, you’ll continue to pay that customer acquisition cost on every order that they place through that site, even after that first-time order, because of commission fees.
To encourage guests who find you through an aggregator to order from your site next time, add a promotion to your print receipts or menus offering a 10% discount on their next online order through your own online system. This will save both you and your customer money on future orders. It’s a win-win scenario, and you can still work with third-party websites to get your name out to new customers.
Benefit #7: You Can Maintain Profits with In-House Online Ordering System
Unlike an online ordering aggregator app like UberEats or Grubhub, hosting an online ordering system that’s integrated with your restaurant’s point of sale means you keep all the revenue from every transaction. No more losing large profit percentages to the middleman. Instead, paying a flat fee for this functionality allows you to plan for that expense entirely. The more you sell, the more profit you earn.
“We had a reduction in commissions last year which saved us almost $35,000. Moving the traffic away from third-party apps and focusing on that seamless experience with Toast is the way to go,” shared Shandor Collins of Trapper’s Sushi.
Online Ordering Systems are Here to Stay
These days, online ordering is the safest way that your guests can experience your food and hospitality. Make sure you’re getting the most out of every order. Be sure that your online ordering system sets you up to make first-time customers into regulars — especially once the COVID-19 crisis is over.