The goal of all restaurateurs has always been to provide a welcoming space where customers can congregate and enjoy their meals. The COVID-19 pandemic had thrown us a curve ball and made everyone realize that something had to change. It was time to acknowledge that handling cash and printed menu cards had become a thing of the past, as customers grew increasingly wary and sought ways to reduce physical contact. To fight against the odds, technology has paved the route for us with a contactless ordering system, an effective yet convenient game changer that you need to adopt to retain your place in the big leagues
You might be skeptical at this point: could placing an order using phones really be as quick and easy as doing so in person? Read our blog to know more!
Revolutionizing the Restaurant Industry: The Rise of Contactless Ordering
Did you know? According to a report by a business journalist (source: Restaurant Dive), 79% of customers prefer online ordering, and 78% say that they enjoy the benefits of ordering with QR codes. Yes, you got it right. Contactless ordering has come a long way, and now it’s time that all restaurants have it implemented – not as a feature, but as an essential. Pizza Hut made the first online food order in 1994, marking the beginning of the history of contactless ordering.”
In the mid-1990s, many restaurants adopted telephone ordering methods – not from the standpoint of contactless ordering, rather as convenient ordering systems.
When the pandemic wreaked havoc, the world fought back together without actually being together. Likewise, in restaurants, guests and employees should act together by following contactless ordering for the greater good. With contactless ordering, you can provide your customers with a safe and efficient ordering experience, and they can place their orders through their mobile devices, minimizing physical interactions and eliminating the risk of infection.
Understanding Contactless Ordering: Benefits and Solutions for Your Restaurant
- What exactly does contactless ordering mean?
- How does it differ from a regular ordering system?
- Should I adopt a Contactless ordering system for my restaurant?
- What kind of contactless ordering solution should I adopt?
Fear not! We are here to answer them all!
What exactly does “contactless ordering” mean?
Contactless ordering refers to the ability for customers to place orders without physically interacting with a steward, server, or cashier. “You can do this through a variety of channels, including QR codes, mobile apps, and self-service kiosks.
How does it differ from a regular ordering system?
A traditional ordering system is one where stewards or waiters receive the guests and note their orders down on a piece of paper or just remember them and communicate the same to the kitchen. In a traditional ordering system, there would be either an absence of, or minimal social distancing between the steward and the guest. Also, manually recorded orders have the risk of human errors. In the case of a contactless ordering system, every process involved in order taking is automated, and the best part is that the ordering processes are handled by the customers themselves. So any possible errors due to miscommunication would be eliminated.
Should I adopt a Contactless ordering system for my restaurant?
It’s very simple: If you own a restaurant and wish to upscale your business, upgrade the environment, and enhance the customer experience, then your first step towards it is to adopt contactless ordering.
What kind of contactless ordering solution should I adopt?
While QR codes can be an effective solution, there are other options available, such as mobile ordering applications and self-service kiosks, that restaurants can choose from depending on their specific needs and preferences.
QR Code Ordering vs App-Based Ordering: Which is Right for Your Business?
It is clear that the adoption of various forms of contactless ordering is unaffected by the size of the restaurants. Now, we have mobile applications, websites, and QR codes for placing orders, and the option of choosing the best alternative varies from restaurant to restaurant. If you are looking for a safe, inexpensive, and effective method of ordering for your dining guests, then QR ordering is your best shot.
The user interfaces of app-based ordering and QR-based ordering are identical, but there is quite a significant variation from a customer experience point of view. Downloading an application and going through the hassle of allowing multiple access permissions just to place a single order might make most customers uncomfortable. However, giving customers the freedom to place orders by simply scanning a QR code using their phone camera would convince them to use QR codes for ordering. Talk to a restaurant solutions expert to know which method would be a better fit for your restaurant.
The Power of QR Codes in Contactless Ordering:
Did you know? Statista reports that the number of consumers who are expected to scan QR codes with their smartphones will increase by 16 million between 2022 and 2025.
Another report (source: YouGov) predicted that over one billion smartphones would have had access to QR codes by the end of 2022. QR’s promising future is evident from these statistics, and technology has played a significant role in enabling customers to view menus, place orders, make payments, and see appetizing food visuals simply by scanning a QR code, without the need for physical menus or physical interaction with staff.
How to Use Them in Your Restaurant:
Integrating Contactless Ordering into Your Restaurant:
In the modern world, most processes involve the term “integration”: we integrate our documents, integrate our identity with the government, and strive to integrate everything possible to streamline processes and create a better management system. If you have a restaurant POS system, implementing and integrating a QR menu is a cakewalk! You need to generate a QR code for each table on your POS and display them prominently in the restaurant.
Top five benefits of QR code ordering for Restaurants:
Restaurant owners avail many benefits by adopting QR code ordering. The top five benefits are listed below:
Cost savings and efficiency
How often have you reprinted your menu to reflect new dishes, festive offers, or due to wear and tear? It’s quite a number there; worry not, QR menus can be updated instantly and even allow you to offer daily specials. With the method in which stewards collect the order manually, there are chances they miscommunicate the right orders with exact preferences/modifiers. Contactless ordering streamlines this total ordering process, eliminates the risk of errors, and increases the efficiency.
Reduction in order turnaround time
The time it takes for customers’ orders to be prepared and delivered is reduced as the time steward takes to collect the order details and take the order through the kitchen flow is cut off and the orders directly reach the kitchen. A restaurant can improve its overall customer satisfaction and increase the number of customers it can serve during peak hours. This can lead to higher sales, minimizing waste, and optimizing staff scheduling.
Less staff and least skills
The 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry report estimates that labor expenses account for about one-third of restaurants’ total sales. Using the contactless ordering method can reduce this expense. The stewards do not have to mug up the menu and explain the dishes to the guests. Instead, anyone with the least skills can serve the dishes to guests by using a phone to do these tasks.
Data management and analysis
Do you know what is more valuable in the modern world? It is not gold or an expensive car; It is data! QR code-based ordering systems identify dining preferences and other basic details of individual customers. Restaurateurs can use this to analyze and make informed decisions, such as creating customized offers for each customer.
Menu toggling
There is no sincere love than the love of food. You, as a restaurateur, know that the most disappointing words guests can hear in a restaurant after ordering food are, ‘Sorry, sir, we have run out of the dish you ordered for the day’. The QR ordering system can resolve this unpleasant yet unavoidable situation. You can manage the availability of dishes on the online menu by removing items that are out of stock. You can make this available again once it is back in stock, thereby avoiding disappointment for your customers. This approach improves the guest experience by preventing disappointment.
Top four benefits of QR code ordering for Customers:
QR-based ordering offers convenience for customers in the ordering process. Here are the top four benefits enjoyed by customers:
Contactless payments and easy checkouts
Customers feel comfortable carrying no cash but their mobile phones to make payments. QR codes allow customers to order their food in no time without having to interact with the staff or wait in a long queue for their order number to show up. By supporting all types of online payment methods, contactless ordering facilitates easy checkouts. It also enables customers to pay at the counter if they choose to do so.
Multi-language support
Have you ever been to a tourist spot or any other place other than a native one and struggled to order the food of your choice? How often have you felt the language barrier between your taste buds and the dishes at the restaurant? Worry not, QR-based ordering has made it simple by offering multi-language support, allowing diverse groups of people to order their favorite food from their favorite restaurants.
Contactless assistance
How many times have you hesitated to call a waiter for any requests or needs apart from food ordering? It is a challenge commonly observed by many, and QR ordering has made it easier. You can request any need through QR, whether it is a call for water, cleaning the table, or even a need for tissues.
Personalized customer experience
How good would it be if the restaurant suggested your favorite item at the top of the menu when you visited the restaurant? QR ordering provides customized menus that allow you to order your favorite food without scrolling through the entire menu.
Why should you choose Gofrugal’s Contactless ordering for restaurants?
Gofrugal has been providing robust restaurant solutions for nearly two decades and started working on contactless ordering before even Covid showed its rage. Today, we provide restaurant POS both on-premises and on-cloud with diverse features that include contactless ordering and QR-based ordering systems. The unique benefits of Gofrugal’s contactless ordering systems include menu toggling, contactless assistance, and, most importantly, restaurateurs’ trust in simplifying and managing their operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to the restaurant industry. Contactless ordering has become an essential element in providing a safe and efficient customer experience. By adopting a contactless ordering system, restaurants can offer customers a convenient way to place orders and pay for them. With the promising future of QR codes and the growing trend of contactless ordering, restaurants that fail to adapt to these changes risk falling behind in this highly competitive industry. Adopt Gofrugal’s Contactless Ordering System and stay competitive!
