Few industries have felt the kind of drastic shift than that of our economic model of food during the current global pandemic. One of the main reasons being that customer behavior and expectations have changed.
Guests are wary of being in a crowd, more mindful of their spending, and, in some cases, less employed.
This results in one overarching question that encompasses all other – how does a restaurant brand respond?
The answer here is still as simple as ever, despite the web of questions and concerns flooding COVID-19 discussions and decisions. Brands must strengthen systems that get customers in and those that get customers out, efficiently and safely.
As Tillster CMO Hope Neiman explains in her latest Forbes article, brands should focus on building better order management workflows, launch better technologies to manage delivery and online ordering, and continue to provide warmth and hospitality of service.
Neiman shared a few strategies for those brands looking to reopen while keeping customer and employee safety and needs top-of-mind.
Brands should lean into mobile ordering and payment for on-site experiences by getting rid of menus entirely to reduce the need to disinfect between uses and provide a more contactless experience. With technology, brands can opt for a QR code menu experience, which takes customers to an online menu, accessible on a personal device. This allows orders and payments to be processed online, reducing hand-to-hand interaction between all parties.
Similarly, restaurants can build new ‘bring-to-table’ and ‘pay-at-table’ service models to reduce contact. One option is to integrate a cart into the food delivery and check process, allowing customers to take the food or bill themselves, supporting guest and employee health.
While guests adjust and adapt to new dining and ordering models, brands should ensure they remain flexible across all services provided. This can be accomplished with fundamental backend tech capabilities that support the processing of shifting orders, such as flagging orders, changing the queue and geolocating guests.
For those brands looking to know more about best practices for reopening, read Neiman’s full article at Forbes, and for more information about Tillster’s solutions, contact our team.
