Almost every industry has the opportunity to embrace mobile these days. Mobile technology is becoming so prevalent in our daily lives from the digital transformation happening across every industry to the dramatic increase of mobile in our daily lives. So, today we are going to look at all of the opportunities for restaurants to embrace mobile both inside and outside of the restaurant's four walls.
Make Menus Mobile
One way for a restaurant to gradually start introducing mobile is through the use of mobile menus. Creating a mobile menu is actually pretty easy. You just need a mobile-friendly website that has the menu on it, and a QR code for customers to activate it with. Using a mobile menu in your restaurant is a much faster way for customers to view all the food options, especially in a quick-service restaurant (QSR), and avoids wasting a ton of paper by constantly having to print out new menus for each guest that comes in. This has been a super popular trend for restaurants as they figured out how to best serve their customers during COVID-19.
Some QSRs even took it to the next level by designing their entire restaurant around mobile. These are restaurants that don’t include mobile service as an afterthought, it is the entire focus of the restaurant. It is focused on how to optimize mobile ordering both inside the restaurant and in the drive-thru. Burger King is one of many QSRs that have started to implement mobile-focused locations and are moving on from in-person dining.
Ordering Online is Easier Than Ever
Embracing mobile technology also makes it easier for customers to order their food ahead of time online and either have it picked up or delivered to them. We are all familiar with DoorDash, UberEats, and all of the other third-party delivery services, but we are also seeing many other restaurants coming out with their own apps where users can either order ahead to avoid waiting in line or place their delivery orders directly through the restaurant.
The popularity of food delivery apps has been increasing consistently every year, and with COVID-19 taking away in-person dining last year, we saw the number of consumers ordering delivery through apps rise to 111 million users. So whether restaurants want to come out with their own mobile ordering option, or embrace a third-party option is up to them. But, not offering mobile ordering is a huge missed opportunity.
Offer Exclusive Promotions Through Mobile Apps
In addition to offering ordering options through a mobile app, you can also delight your customers by offering special promotions or a loyalty program. Starbucks is a prime example of a wildly successful mobile app. They offer a loyalty program where you earn stars on every purchase, trade-in rewards for free drinks or bakery items, and access special promotions on different drinks or order combinations.
A lot of QSRs can take a page out of Starbucks’ book and discover how they can use a mobile app not just for online orders, but as a way to keep customers coming back to their restaurant.
The restaurant industry has a huge opportunity to embrace mobile technology right now, and many restaurants, especially QSRs, already have. Whether it is including mobile inside the restaurant or outside through mobile apps and ordering, embracing this technology will help improve your customer’s experience.
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