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Technology has made a huge impact on the behaviour of your customers and how they choose to enjoy their meals. 50% of Canadians now use their smartphone to order food and drinks. Having a presence on third-party delivery apps like Skip the Dishes or UberEats it’s not only convenient to your existing customers, it’s advertisement to potential customers who are debating where they should eat.
The apps themselves make it easy for you, too. Long gone are the days of complicated software platforms that are more hassle to use than they are worth. These apps have easy-to-use interfaces and make the process smooth and simple to receive your orders, coordinate delivery times, and accept payment.
Is your menu on ordering apps and your website up to date?
The biggest let down for a consumer is to discover that the food they want to order isn’t actually available. SkipTheDishes and UberEats make it as easy as possible to update menu items within seconds and as often as necessary.
It’s important to note that though your menu should be up to date on third party sites, your entire menu doesn’t have to be included. Choose a few easy and portable menu items—like sandwiches, soups or salads— and feature those as delivery options. You’ll still benefit from the brand exposure on the platform and the additional revenue stream while protecting the integrity of menu items that don’t travel well.
These are determined by you. Yes, you do want to make sure that you are covering your costs, but you also need to think strategically. If someone can order something similar from multiple restaurants, their decision will likely come down to cost and delivery time.
Remember, today’s consumers don’t have the same level of loyalty as previous generations and will easily switch to somewhere new if it means a more convenient experience.
Skip the Dishes and UberEats allow you to set your own prep time and easily control the pace of your kitchen. You can adjust prep times whenever you need, such as at peak times or on days when you are down staff. UberEats will also adjust it automatically based on order volumes, time of day, and order size.
Ensure you stick to the determined delivery times as closely as possible. You don’t want a customer to be waiting longer than expected for their food to arrive, nor do you want their food to arrive cold because it was prepared too early.
Don’t underestimate the art of good packaging! No one wants to have their order delivered only to find that something has leaked out of its container or that food has gone cold and soggy. Proper packaging is key to ensuring that your establishment’s eating experience transfers to the home. This is a reflection of your brand and your commitment to your diner’s entire experience.
Don’t forget—your online presence goes far beyond the ordering apps themselves. Consumers are looking to a whole host of digital mediums when deciding where to order their food, whether they’re eating on or off-site. Making food decisions is usually an “in-the-moment” choice with over half of all dinner decisions being made day-of. Having a strong online presence is imperative to being selected when consumers are doing their last minute (and hungry) searching.
Here are some things to consider to ensure a seamless digital experience for your customers:
A responsive website will adjust in size to display nicely on a mobile phone without users needing to zoom in and out. Include your menu, contact information, and hours of operation. We love Squarespace and have a great post that breaks down (link to https://www.flanagan.ca/blog/8-Steps-to-Creating-Your-Restaurant-Website-on-a-Budget.htm) step-by-step how to get started!
Social media continues to have a huge influence on food choices. Having an engaging social presence is vital to staying competitive and promoting your brand.
Consumers may feel that these items are more difficult to re-create at home.
When someone Googles your restaurant name, this is what appears on the right side of the desktop search results. This is free advertising in a high traffic place! 88% of all desktop internet searches are conducted through Google.
Use these tips to increase your digital brand awareness, create another revenue stream, and improve your customers’ online ordering experience.
To get started with Skip The Dishes click here and fill out their form and someone will get back to you.
To get started with Uber Eats click here
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