Looking for the secret to boost your restaurant’s profitability? The answer lies in restaurant ordering systems. This easy add-on feature gives you the power to stay efficient while managing food orders, all the while providing a wealth of backend information to help you manage your restaurant teams for improved performance. Today’s online ordering systems for restaurants ensure you get the most for your restaurant dollar at a price that fits your budget, and online ordering systems are a crucial way to increase sales volume.
POS systems are devices used by waiters and managers to place orders at tables, online, and communicate them to the kitchen. Today’s platforms make ordering and obtaining payments faster and more efficient than ever.
Let’s review some of the remarkable benefits of the latest ordering systems for restaurants.
Online ordering systems provide a more comprehensive range of ordering options, and the newest platforms allow for more efficient and more correct ordering by your restaurant. Getting an order wrong damages your profit and customer retention. These platforms help ensure you stay in the black over the long term.
Waiters and managers can use smartphones and tablets with mobile apps with easy-to-use navigation to help them place orders correctly, add important details, run credit card payments, and even schedule deliveries.
This new online ordering system allows waiters, managers, and customers to send orders directly to the kitchen. This ordering platform is located directly at the table for easy access, helping dine-in customers place orders as soon as they sit. Customers can also add food as they go without calling a waiter or waitress, speeding up overall service. This online software benefit increases the chance of additional orders.
Since the ordering system is electronic, it can be kept up to date with in-stock menu items to prevent your restaurant customers from having to reselect. And simple interface reduces errors in dine-in ordering and saves time by sending orders directly to the kitchen without requiring separate inputting by your restaurant wait staff. It even allows for credit card payment.
All of this results in faster service, which means speedier turnarounds, increasing the volume of orders, and profits, for your restaurant.
POS systems also aid your restaurant with online orders, helping customers place orders for pickup or delivery. Online ordering is a smart solution if you are wondering how to manage your restaurant during the coronavirus. Even before the pandemic, this method of ordering has generated additional profits for businesses and set them apart from competitors. According to Statista, online food delivery has experienced the highest growth in the restaurant sector, with an overall market volume topping $58M in 2019. Investment firm Cowen Group predicts a 12% growth in annual online food delivery.
Installing an online food ordering system on our website helps customers avoid crowds while maintaining a quick pickup time. With your full menu integrated online, customers can browse your restaurant menu at their leisure, further boosting potential sales.
A wealth of third-party delivery services are also helping to make online ordering more popular. Contactless delivery means customers can still enjoy their favorite meals in safety.
Today’s online ordering systems in kitchens go beyond ticket printing. These advanced kitchen displays work with table-side ordering software for direct-to-kitchen ordering for faster processing. They provide updates on cooking times to help your restaurant manage customer expectations. They show the times when orders are placed to help kitchen staff manage their lines. And these unique online ordering systems notify waiters when food is ready, so food delivery is piping hot.
With online ordering systems that secure credit card payments and print receipts at the table or email them directly to customers, waiters and management can manage food payments faster for higher turnaround. Many ordering systems also split checks for multiple parties. With credit card payments done at the table, customers also have their cards returned immediately for safer transactions. Many online food ordering systems offer mobile payment support, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, for more manageable payments.
You can now take advantage of advanced menu management, update menu items on the fly, and even highlight special deals such as Happy Hour, time-sensitive offers, or holiday meals. You can even adjust the menu for each location and have different menus for different days of the week. There is little you can’t do.
Does a customer want to order “the usual”? Online ordering software helps you track order frequencies per customer, helping you better understand your customers’ favorites and preferences. This benefit shows you appreciate their business, and it comes in particularly useful for customers who have food allergies or order customizations. You can even provide unique rewards for repeat customers to show your appreciation and keep them coming back. You can even store customer data, such as emails or phone numbers, to announce special promotions or events.
Advances in online reservation software are now automating waitlists and reservations, reducing the time required for handling reservations and allowing more time for serving meals. There are also many POS systems for restaurants that integrate with reservation or waitlist apps like Open Table or Waitlist.me. Even Yelp can integrate with your restaurant, helping customers join a waitlist without having to wait in line.
Like a buzzer, these online ordering systems notify customers with an estimated time before their table is ready and when they are ready to sit, allowing customers the freedom to arrive at the restaurant when their table is prepared.
All these benefits add up to faster ordering, greater accuracy, faster turnaround, and improved customer service to keep customers coming back.
If you have been wondering how to choose an online ordering system for your restaurant, we can help at BNG POS. We have experience in each of these systems and can help you take advantage of each benefit at a budget that works for you. You can improve your ordering system one benefit at a time and transition into more terminals over time. You can also update your current software with third-party software. When you are ready for a full upgrade, we do that too, offering special packages for certain buying levels. Contact us to learn more!