By Adrian Johansen, Contributor
The hospitality business has always been difficult, and even more so since COVID-19 wreaked worldwide havoc. Given how tumultuous 2020 was, the last year has necessitated a complete transformation in the way restaurants function. Takeout orders and delivery have taken the lead in a world where it’s difficult to sit in a crowd. However, 2021 looks more promising than the last, and people are adjusting to the new reality that is a result of the pandemic.
Through all of this, it is imperative that your restaurant also changes to suit the new world. This new world has become more attuned to technology and using technology from different industries can greatly benefit your restaurant. Updates and innovations continue to happen every day and staying on top of them can help you understand which ones will benefit your business the most. Here are some tech ideas that could help your restaurant become ready for a minimum contact experience:
Digital Reservations
Shifting your reservations to a digital platform makes it easier for both you and your guests. You no longer need to have a person dedicated to handling reservations, leaving your staff free to better serve your guests already in the seats. All updates, cancellations, and requirements can be easily digitized.
In turn, your guests will also be able to easily access this information online and can instantly book tables or make changes to their reservations. Most importantly, it makes the whole process more convenient for all parties involved. Given the need for increased efficiency as a result of the rise of e-commerce in the food and beverage sector; any level of improved convenience will be a welcome addition to your business.
Self-Ordering Kiosks
To better the contactless experience, many restaurant chains such as McDonald’s have put in self-ordering kiosks. This avoids the hassle of standing in a line or shouting out your order. It also places your order directly into the kitchen without having to come in contact with a human server or waiter. If you are a fast-food chain, a fast-casual, or a restaurant with a fixed menu, self-ordering kiosks might be a boon for your business.
Digitized Payments
While you digitize other aspects of your restaurant, ensure that your guests can pay digitally and online. Several examples of point-of-sale technology are available to you, but the key reminder is to convert your billing system to one that can work without cash payments. Card payments through machines, QR codes, or apps are some examples through which you can initiate a billing process.
Mobile payments using various methods and online wallets have also become common and are widely used by restaurants and other businesses. You can also choose a payment service that customizes the system according to your specific needs. More and more customers are now looking for this service in restaurants and these processes will serve you for many more years to come.
Kitchen Display Systems
Out of the many customer-facing technologies that improve efficiency, kitchen display systems rank high in terms of popularity. These systems are meant to show the orders placed inside the kitchen directly on-screen as opposed to a waiter bringing in order slips. They decrease the time of the order service and also avoid any confusion regarding the order.
If your restaurant has a large kitchen that gets very chaotic with orders coming in the form of slips, you might want to consider this.
Boost Deliveries & To-Go Orders
If your restaurant has more than one branch, it makes sense to develop an app for your business. Use this app to not just promote new offers and events to your loyal customers but also to boost your delivery service. Online ordering has become extremely common as people are no longer able to step out with as much ease as they once used to. This is a huge opportunity to boost your sales with little effort.
Digitized Inventory
This is another tool that can increase your restaurant’s efficiency by leaps and bounds. Maintaining inventory in any restaurant becomes a task for the strong-hearted. Keeping track of what’s needed daily or what is going bad is time-consuming and difficult. Therefore, installing a digital inventory system can make the whole process easier. All one has to do is update the stock at the end of the day and the software can tell you what you will need to get for tomorrow.
In conclusion, it is important to keep updating yourself with technology not just in the restaurant business but in other fields as well. Simple changes such as the ones suggested here can make a big difference in how your restaurant functions. These can also help in retaining guests and acquiring new ones with impressive efficiency and contactless experiences.
While upgrading and adapting is the need of the hour for all businesses, this is especially true for the hospitality industry. If people can feel safe with the service you offer, the chances that they will show up at your restaurant are higher. The pandemic has left all business owners struggling to come to terms with the new ways of conducting daily affairs, but the resilience with which people have survived is remarkable, and shouldn’t be disregarded.
Choose technology that will help your business become more resilient to the current times and also help you expand your business despite the obvious struggles of the year.
