How Mobile App Technology Can Help in a Restaurant Business

The food industry is a field where mobile apps have had a great impact, and one of the highest growth rates compared to other fields.

Of late, the market share of restaurant-related mobile applications has upped considerably, increasing the demand on restaurant mobile app development. Taking advantage of mobile app technology can help restaurant owners strengthen their presence in the market while concurrently helping them promote their brand online. In this article, we will take a quick look at the current market space, recognizing what main features a successful restaurant app should have. We’ll also highlight the benefits for restaurant business owners and give a tentative estimate of how much time and resources it would take to create a mobile app for a restaurant.

1. Online slot booking

There are hundreds of mobile applications that connect users with the nearest restaurants and offer them the mandatory details to reserve the table. Through online registration, numerous active restaurants are connected to such requests. They also help end-users book their positions or find whether or not it has a free table, reducing traffic bottleneck in front of restaurants. They also manage customers’ data and keep on updating them with pertinent information, such as markdowns, special offers, and striking deals.

2. Digital menu card

Websites like Foodlitter allow people to place their orders using a digital menu card, providing end-users with a highly fitting experience. Although a number of restaurants offer a similar facility for their mobile applications, very few of them have their digital menu cards uploaded on a mobile application. It enables customers to pick the food item with the click of a button, while helping you choose a restaurant as per your budget and preferences with regard to food items. Many applications provide end users with recommendations, particularly those who have not reviewed the menu card properly.

3. Online ordering & online delivery

Restaurants also eliminate the intermediary’s role in booking orders it allows end-users to book their order over the online mediums and mobile applications. Not only does it make food ordering easier for customers, it also saves the time an intermediary takes to jot down the entire order. Tracking the order delivery over a mobile application is also very easy. Once the order of the meal is placed online, it can also be tracked where the deliverer is. Restaurant owners, thanks to the use of GPS technology, can monitor where the deliverer is, thereby improving the delivery process as well.

4. Location–based deals

This is a fairly new feature which can help you to raise your restaurant sales. It is essentially a small ruse which sends a Push Notification to a customer who is close your restaurant, allowing you to lure your customers by offering deals that they can’t refuse.

5. Online presence, particularly on social media platforms

Regardless of what field of professional endeavor you belong to, it is important to have an energetic online presence on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with the changing trends. And if you create posts on these major social media platforms, your visibility is likely to increase manifold. If online marketing is done effectively, it can lure a large number of people in record time, and can also boost brand value and its image. Furthermore, since many people get to learn about new restaurants on online platforms only, it is necessary for every restaurant to have an active online presence, while allowing them to interact with customers directly and respond to their feedback.

These days, a number of restaurants also offer customers Wi-Fi facility as it appeals a lot of Internet-obsessed people who do not like getting offline for a long time for personal or professional reasons.

6. Loyalty programs

Loyalty programs help retain your current users and lure new ones. According to research, 65% of customers are likely to download your app if you offer them exclusive offers occasionally. You can offer schemes like discounts on every 5th or 10th visit which would help retain current customers. Conversely, introducing discounts on first five orders will attract new customers. Loyalty programs on mobile are much more effective than the conventional ones because they’ve got a personal touch to it. 

7. Offer customers new dishes & combos

Push Notifications can be effectively used to provide your customers with new dishes and combos that would allow you to acquire good sales over weekdays and weekends. Also, since time is of the essence, you need to send the notifications at the right time.

8. Provide ‘check in’ apps for online promotion

Customers are also given an extra feature that tell their friends about their exact location through mobile apps like Foursquare. This helps pull many customers to the restaurant as they get to know its name and services that in turn also serves as a real-time endorsement.

9. Respond to questions effectively

Your customers are bound to ask a variety of questions, and you should be able to answer them. A mobile app can help you answer all the questions of your customers. Most of the questions your customers ask are generic and you can answer with the help of an FAQ section. In addition, you can include brief information at every stage which would help your customers comprehend about your services effectively. You can do this linking your address to either Apple Maps or Google Maps, making it easier for a customer to navigate.

10. Online reviews and ratings

Websites like Zomato, Gayot, Dine, and Yelp allow users to give their feedback or opinions on the services of different restaurants. Customers often choose to view a specific restaurant’s ranking or reviews on such websites to decide whether or not they want to visit there. If you enjoy good rating on one of these websites, then there are high chances that people will visit your restaurant at least once. Remarkably, these websites allow restaurants’ owners to plan their activities to boost customer services in light of these reviews as they get to know what sections need to be improved.