In order to build a restaurant app, it is very important to structure its base, i.e. build a custom point of sale (POS) solution to manage the menu, table reservations, and staff. With the help of an app, managing restaurant marketing gets simpler. Let’s take a look how!
Maintain Inflow of Guests/Orders
The biggest goal of any restaurant is a steady inflow of guests or orders. There are different ways in which a restaurant app can help with that:
Sending Location-based Push Notifications
Restaurant apps allow you to send push notifications to customers in your restaurant’s vicinity. This will help the guests remind them of a discount or Specials that your restaurant is offering. Sending a push notification, you are able to target guests that are looking for a bite to eat and influence them to eliminate or expedite their decision-making by choosing your restaurant.
Loyalty Points or Heavy Discounts
Gone are the days, where a separate card had to be issued to keep track of loyalty points or discounts. With the advent of the restaurant app, these loyalty points can be stored in the device. Also, push notifications can be sent to remind the customers to come in for a meal or a drink that would put them over the edge points-wise for their prize.
Did You Know?
- 65% of restaurant customers would be willing to download your restaurant’s app if you promised them exclusive offers and deals from time to time
- 80% of those people would proactively return to your restaurant to reap the benefits
- 52% of all restaurant-goers are willing to download your app and proactively return to your restaurant to redeem deals and loyalty promotions.
Reference Link: https://www.prfire.com/submission/restaurants-own-app-is-the-best-tool-to-build-customer-loyalty-reveals-a-study-by-judo-payments-2/
Better ROI on Specials
Push notifications or SMS can make the Specials night really special for the restaurant too. For instance, if your restaurant is holding a free Monday Margarita, the app can send out notifications to guests intimating them about the same. So, while choosing a restaurant, they’ll all be thinking about the Margarita night to get rid of their Monday blues. This simple boost push can boost business.
App Benefits for Customers Visiting the Restaurant
Waiting for a table for hours is the biggest deterrent for guests while planning to visit the restaurant.
Providing a Local Delivery Service to Avoid Losing Customers
If your restaurant goes full during the weekend, not only do the guests need to wait but there could also rise a compromise in the service and quality of food due to overcapacity. For days like these, the app can come up with a discount for home deliveries.
This will ensure that the restaurant will not lose customers and at the same time, the customer can enjoy their favourite meal from the comfort of their own homes. It is said that over 20% of US smartphone users will use a food delivery app by 2021, according to eMarketer.
Pre-booking Tables
While creating the restaurant app, ensure that the functionality of pre-booking the tables has been incorporated. This also gives restaurant owners an idea of the crowd that they will be expecting through the day. After accessing, if the restaurant owner thinks that she/he is not anticipating people, a same-day and last-minute booking discount can be declared.
Sending a push notification to guests subscribed to your app about a discounted night could turn the day. Some of the apps that offer this feature include, OpenTable, Yelp, Resy, and DINR. Also, apps such as Crave are designed for restaurant companies that want to offer last-minute deals to fill empty tables.
Also, book a feature of cancelling the reservation if the customer, for whatever reason, is unable to make it. Send the guest a push notification, 1 hour before the reservation as a gentle reminder. Apple, Google, and Microsoft provide calendar APIs that can be easily implemented in any app.
Pre-ordering from the Menu
Along with the pre-booking tables, also allow the guest to pre-order from the menu. Pre-ordering from the menu means less waiting time for the customer to savour their meal and more preparation time for the restaurant. This feature is best suited for businessmen who are in a hurry during lunchbreak or are having a short business meeting. One of the add-on features is where guests can pre-order from the menu and pick their order up (i.e. takeaway).
App Benefits for Customers Ordering Online
As a customer, a restaurant app allows you to browse through the menu, view the ambience of the restaurant and also view the ratings and comments made by other guests. The app helps them decide their food choices, and also when they wish to visit it; for example, some restaurants have a much better and vibrant ambience during the weekend.
Customers can also view:
- If the restaurant offers a certain type of food such as vegan, keto, low in sugar, low in calories
- If the ingredients are locally sourced, organic or farmed
Marketing Tips for Restaurant Owners
Sharing on Social Media
Social media is one of the best marketing strategies in today’s time, especially for restaurants. Food is a part of every person’s day-to-day life; which makes enticing a customer to order from your restaurant much higher.
You can ask a customer to share pictures of your food on social media to attract more customers and at the same time retain the original customer by offering a discount on the next meal or rewarding them with loyalty points. Getting your customers to share positive experiences on social media is a great way to advance the word of mouth and social proof around your business.
Click to Call and View on Maps Feature
Even though this is a basic functionality that should be included on all apps, sometimes restaurants forget to add their contact number in the app. It seems like a small detail, but it cuts down on the customer’s need to search for the number on Google, note it down somewhere, and then call you to get their question answered.
Also, it is important to add the map feature, which allows the user to view the distance from their current location to the hotel and navigate there without trouble.
Upload Mouth-Watering Pictures on the App and Social Media
Uploading a mouth-watering picture of food in a plate goes a long way. Like they say, the first impression is the last impression; a picture could get imprinted in the mind of the customer as soon as they open the app or your handle on social media.
Imagine a hot sizzling chocolate brownie on the plate with vanilla ice cream and a dark brown caramel sauce being drizzled on the sizzling plate. Tempting, isn’t it!
Personalize the experience
Personalizing the user experience ensures that they stay loyal. User profiles can include their list of favourite dishes, order history, and contact information such as a user’s address and phone number. With user profiles, regular customers won’t have to re-enter information at all stages of the ordering process every time they use your app. You can also use machine learning algorithms to offer curated food choices to your regular guests.
To Conclude
If you wish to set up a basic restaurant app that will serve you loads of benefit and increase your profits, you can contact the App Scoop mobile app developers and app development Team.
