Must-Have Digital Checklist for Your Restaurant
The Malaysian government has recently lifted the dine-in restrictions, and many restaurants are reopening their doors for diners who have received complete vaccination against Covid-19. However, many diners are still very cautious about returning to this new normal.
This response is because as businesses are operating at a higher capacity, adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOP) such as checking vaccination certificates and sanitising the premises could be more laborious, thus exposing them to more risk.
Therefore, as dining in is not an ideal means of enjoying the best cuisines at the moment, restaurants should try adapting to new ways of serving their hungry customers.
As we are moving towards an endemic phase, restaurants are advised to opt for a better solution. So, to minimise the risk of infection, here are five ways for you to digitise your business.
QR CODE MENU
When you first step into the door of a fast-food restaurant, the first thing you see is the digital menu up above the cash register. That large, wide, and bright digital board you see is a digital menu that eases the ordering experience for your customers. This type of signage is a way more appealing solution to provide clearer visibility than the physical menu.
Digital menus are not limited to this, and some restaurants are now adapting to scannable QR codes stickers on the dining table. Easy. After getting a table, customers can easily scan the QR code and order from the website attached to it. No more fuss, no additional waiter needed to take orders, and most importantly, diners no longer have to worry about being in contact with another person. Hence, reducing the risk of infection among your diners.
We believe that digitising your restaurant through this method is an advanced way to reduce your cost as well. The reason being is that you no longer have to print another physical menu board in case you are redesigning or making any amendments to the menu item. Simply, you can update any new dishes and upload promotional visuals to make them more appealing to the eyes. Remember, adding visuals to your menu is more impactful than just words.
Also, in case a dish is unavailable on a certain day due to any inconvenience, you can simply cross it out from the website. Now, your employees can focus on providing an excellent dining experience for your customers. Impressive, right?
DELIVERY PLATFORMS
Even before the pandemic, the demand for food convenience was steadily increasing throughout the years. Many restaurants were slowly jumping into the bandwagon to go digital by partnering up with food delivery services. However, this need for digital convenience accelerates towards a rapid speed after 2020 hits as customers are relying on this service to get food because lining up and waiting at the store are becoming irrelevant these days.
But of course, there is no certain answer for all because different restaurants serve different customers. However, it is still important to venture into third-party delivery services as you can now cover more delivery areas and get customers within the application.
While it is good to venture into various delivery platforms, sometimes it can affect your business too. Reports say that these platforms can take up to 35% of merchants’ commissions, thus reducing the profits at the end of the day.
So be creative with delivery ideas. Here are our suggestions.
- Let your customers set up a delivery service to pick up their orders. This helps you reduce delivery costs or commissions taken by delivery platforms, so you can always maintain the affordability of your menu.
- Set a pick-up location. Whether you are at the curb of your restaurant or a small kiosk at the end of the street, customers can easily pick up their orders from you. They don’t have to pay extra for delivery, and you don’t need to increase your price to sustain your business.
- Order-based delivery riders. Of course, there are delivery riders who are not tied to any platforms or services. So, the service definitely won’t take up percentages of your orders, since the customers will only pay for the delivery.
Tadaaa! You can now get your food to travel without worrying too much about costs!
CLOUD KITCHENS
Experts are foreseeing Cloud kitchens to be the future of the food and beverage industry. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, people are becoming more cautious about getting close to another person. The same goes with kitchen staff and their customers.
No dine-ins, no takeout services, and exclusively operation on delivery. Sounds familiar? Surprisingly, many restaurants have already been operating similarly like a cloud kitchen, especially during the lockdown. This has helped them maintain social distancing among staff to reduce the transmission of this virus.
Since Cloud Kitchen is a delivery-only service, it serves a good balance to help fulfil customers’ needs. This method is good for those who are comfortable staying at home without exposing themselves too much.
For your convenience, you don’t need to hire a lot of staff to work for you. No waiters, no cashiers, just kitchen workers to produce delicious meals to be delivered to your customers. Plus, you no longer need to spend a lot on the rental because you only need a space to cook.
So why not try something new that offers lower operating costs, better efficiency, and even better expansion opportunities? Since it is 100% dependent on delivery, it is a good opportunity for you to go fully digital.
Want to learn more about Cloud Kitchens? Click here to learn more.
SELF-ORDER KIOSK
When you step into Mcdonalds, you’d see a large digital touch-screen kiosk where you can place orders yourself. It feels like you’re scrolling through their app, but instead, you’re standing in their physical store.
The best thing about this is that your staff don’t need to deal with the customers when taking orders physically. It is safe to say that this tech helps you maintain social distancing among your staff and diners, so you’re always protected from the virus. Plus, the customers no longer have to wait in a long queue just to place their orders.
And the best thing about self-order kiosks is that you will receive a more accurate order since they are directly coming from the customers themselves. It reduces ordering mistakes and errors when taking orders, so this would increase your customers’ satisfaction!
Another thing is, this helps you reduce labour costs too! Since the cashiers or waiters are now replaced with self-order kiosks, you no longer have to hire more staff to take orders for you. This will work a charm, especially when you plan on saving a lot on operating costs.
AI FORECAST
In any business, you know that forecasting your data and sales are important to get yourself ready for the upcoming months. It helps you get yourself prepared for the forthcoming months and gives you plenty of time to prepare.
But do you also know that order forecasting is another recognised way to digitise your business? With AI technologies, you can produce the best, warmest meals within one hour. Integrating weather forecasting, calendars, and past sales, AI technology can predict how many orders you need to prepare for your customers. This technology helps you avoid spending extra costs for them to end up as wastages due to overproduction.
On the other hand, delivery riders and customers no longer have to wait for a very long time due to a lack of menu item production. You can now serve more customers and improve on other parts of your business with a reduced waiting time.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this is a very good opportunity for you to upgrade your business for the grand reopening. Use this checklist as a guide for you to always be up to date with the current digitalisation trend.
You can also check out Food Market Hub to enjoy many other features to help with your restaurant’s digital transformation and enjoy effortless inventory and procurement operations with us. Visit www.foodmarkethub.com for more information.
