The restaurant industry has come a long way. Eating out has moved from an activity to change things up, to a much needed convenience in people’s busy lives. Specially the younger generation of today who’d rather pay to go to a place where they’re served delicious food than risk their own cooking – believe me, I’ve tried, and suffered!
For years the dining experience has consisted in two forms. Either it’s a self service model, where diners order and collect their own food and carry it back to their table, or a waiter waits on diners, gets their order, and serves it as well. A few have introduced tablets to take orders instead of paper based menus or offered free Wi-Fi connections but has the restaurant industry really embraced the technology that we literally eat and sleep with?
Unless you’re living in some remote cave, you should know that this is the age of the customer. Delivering a customer experience that leaves your diners in awe will give your restaurant a lasting benefit. It’s all about wowing your guests.
Here are a few ways to deliver awesomeness to your customer before they even taste your food:
- You can offer a dedicated homepage to anyone who logs into your Wi-Fi network, with menu and ordering details right on their browser (mobile + laptops).
- Use digital loyalty cards to know and record customer data. For example, if they order a meal regularly you can suggest that meal as soon as they enter their card information into your system before ordering.
- You can use a dedicated app for your restaurant to amaze customers before they even arrive. The app can have:
- Reservation – Amaze customers by giving them the option to reserve their table, and decide their actual location through a map of your restaurant’s interior within the app.
- Menu – Enable diners to see your menu before they arrive, and decide what to order, even enable them to order food from home so that they receive it as they arrive. This will save them time as well as free tables for incoming customers more quickly.
- Ordering & Billing – Allow separate ordering and billing through your app. For example, if three persons are have ordered food; allow them to pay separately depending on their individual orders.
The technology is there! It’s just now up to you to use it. For example, Microsoft Surface is an amazing tool that can turn your restaurant table into digital communication tool, displaying detailed dish information, live videos from the kitchen as a dish is being made, interactive orders and much more.
Explore the possibilities and share with us your ideas for a dining experience that will leave our jaws dropped – and not just for the food!
rameezilyas 