One simply cannot argue that technology is changing the face of the restaurant business. From the dishwasher in the kitchen to the POS system out front, technology has taken over! The restaurant menu has gotten a makeover as well. The traditional hard copy menus are now being fast replaced with digital ones.
The digital restaurant menu gives wider access to the customers and can be easily customized, it also establishes and efficient customer service. The digital menus have an upper hand over the traditional menu for not just one but due to many benefits!
Restaurants are beginning to profit from using intelligent digital menus and this article will tell you how.
Restaurant Digital Menus are Crucial For Your Restaurant Business. Learn Why!
The global trend of replacing traditional menu is catching up in India. More restaurants are now starting to enjoy the benefits of intelligent restaurant menus. They are customizable and also help in upselling.
Intelligent restaurant menus can be broadly classified into three types:
- Digital Display Menu – Customers can view the menu display board and place the order to the cashier or server.
- Tablet Menu – Customers can view the complete menu and place orders via the tablet.
- QR Code Menu – Customers can scan the QR code to open the digital menu on their mobile phones and place the orders directly.
An intelligent restaurant menu is not only eye-catchy but also give you an edge over your competitors.
That’s not all! Here is a list of benefits that intelligent digital menus bring to your restaurant business and its sales.
1. Cost Effective
Unlike a traditional menu, digital menus eliminate the need to design, print, and reprint menus whenever new items are added to the menu.
A digital restaurant menu can be easily edited and the changes can be made in real-time. It eliminates the need for printing new menu every time you decide to make the slightest change in the menu which helps you in saving money.
It gives you the opportunity of being dynamic with your menu and changing it to match your customers wants, which is an added advantage.
2. They Help In Upselling
Digital menus help you upsell your most profitable menu item without being pushy. Adding a high-quality picture of the deal can lure the customers into buying that food item.
Digital menu offers an interactive experience to the customers. You can customize and display the high-margin items or beneficial promotional deals.
For example, customers will find a savoury picture of fries along with the combo tagline more enticing. Instead of the server asking them to add fries along with the burger during the order-taking process, you can display a savoury picture of fries along with the burger while customers are placing orders.
Customers prefer making their own choices when placing an order instead of having someone tell them what to buy. Installing an intelligent menu display will help you upsell and boost the individual check value.
3. Reduce Manual Fallacies
Having a display menu or a tablet menu gives the customers liberty of placing their own orders. Since the customers place their own orders, the chances of manual errors while taking orders is negligible.
You can offer the customers a hand-held tablet and let them place an order which directly reaches the kitchen. This will avoid any miscommunication and also makes the order taking process faster which allows your servers to attend more tables. The possibilities of sending the customers a mistaken order would be nearly minimal.
Also, having a digital display menu at your restaurant lets you schedule less staff even during peak hours. This saves you the extra money and also makes it easier for your customers to place an order without having to wait for a server.
4. Enhance Customer Experience
Digital restaurant menu enhances the customer experience by giving them a visual treat also it lets them place an order faster even during peak hours.
The comfort and the convenience that digital menus provide helps elevate the overall dining experience of the customers.
Digital menus promote efficiency by speeding up the order-taking process. You can also play interactive videos on the display menu and enhance the customer experience even more. This is also a great way of keeping the customers waiting for a seat entertained.
The digital restaurant menu can also be used to suggest food items to customers according to what they are looking for or point them to the popular dishes for the week. This will help you provide a personalized experience to your customers and they certainly would love it. If your service is able to sweep the customers off their feet they will keep coming back, and digital/tablet menus ensure that!
5. Rotate Menu Offerings
If you have a time-specific menu, for example, a separate breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, you know how tedious it can be to keep changing the paper menu on each table.
Having a digital menu will help you tackle that, just a swipe of the finger and the menu can be easily changed throughout the day.
Having a separate menu for different times of the day could be your restaurant’s USP and something that your restaurant can be known for. This will give the customers all the more reason to visit your restaurant to try different menu items throughout the day.
6. Ensures Contactless Ordering
According to Posist’s PRIME Report, it was revealed that 33 percent of restaurants have installed an e-menu using a QR code ordering technology at their outlet. QR based ordering keeps contact between patrons and the servers at a minimum, thereby maintaining necessary social distancing.
A digital menu allows your customers to view the menu and place the orders without touching the menu card. Customers can simply scan the QR code and the menu opens up in their mobile phone without the need of downloading an app. This ensures a smooth contactless experience and also accommodates the rules of social distancing in the restaurant.
Updating the menu from time to time will only show the available food items and avoid any confusions. This will help limit your menu and allow the patrons to make right decisions which would leave them satisfied and keep them coming back.
We have done that, but with flatscreens. Works well for fast casual.
It is a very comprehensive article. Technology has taken over and what is better than a digital menu, as it improves the strength and impact of a brand. It is a very well explained article. Good Read.
This blog share some informative article on digital sign board. I recently installed Digital Menu board at my restaurant. It’s was a great idea replacing paper menu with digital menu board. Bitsy Display have get their job done so amazingly and their work on installing a unique digital menu board for restaurant was outstanding. It was beyond my expectations, especially the service I received from them. Keep sharing.