Succeeding in the restaurant industry has never been easy, but these days when most people are locked down at home and life has come to a grinding halt, restaurants are entering survival mode and need to figure out how to get by.
Forget lower and shrinking margins, higher labor costs and rising rent. This time, what can kill a businesses is the fact that customers are not coming at all, and revenue is almost at a full-stop.
With this in mind, we've jotted down fundamental steps that every restaurant can take to take to overcome these harsh times:
If you haven’t set up your online presence yet, you must set it up now! Among Appfront’s restaurant network, we have seen restaurants’ digital volume rise from 20%-35% pre-COVID to 50-60% and counting since the beginning of the pandemic.
Now that everyone is ordering food online, business' must become visible from every possible channel. You need a platform that works seamlessly both online (web) and mobile, allowing your customers to find you on social media and also on the Apple and Android (Google) stores.
As the virus spreads, we have added a mechanism whereby delivery can be left outside the door and only after the driver has left, customers will receive a message that the delivery has arrived. Restaurant owners can use this option with their own drivers or via Appfront's delivery partner network.
With Appfront, all touch points can be eliminated as the platform enables tipping and/or payment via the delivery app.
Let your customers order, park and pick up their food. With curbside pickup, you can deliver your food directly to the vehicle, minimizing human contact.
Notify customers when their food is ready and encourage them to drive through without entering the store - this will create a virtual line that encourages a more streamlined pickup experience.
Offer your customers discounts when they buy prepaid cards. For example: give $10 cash back for every $200 pre-paid. This way, you will get the necessary funds for operation up front, while maintaining happy customers.
Now more than ever, we need our regulars. Engage with loyal patrons, explain the situation to them, reward them for being loyal, and incentivize them accordingly. Get creative when it comes to segmenting and rewarding your best customers. Most importantly, let them know that you are going to get through this together.
Selling gift cards online is a great way to let your favorite customers purchase for themselves or share with friends. Use these to increase your reach to more audiences and generate more revenue.
In our view, during tough times, if the right measures are taken, restaurants can come out even stronger than before.
Upgrade your restaurant's operations with our free Curbside Pickup, No-Contact Delivery, and Virtual Drive Through add-ons and stay ahead of the competition during these challenging times. Get in touch with us to learn how.
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