Last month, we reported that NetWaiter now offers the option for restaurants to accept Dine-In orders.  Customers can select the Dine-In option when completing their online order and then come to the restaurant to have their meal served to them.

What’s the importance of this?

Let’s look at a simple statistic that was recently released: Google reported that 50% of consumers stated they prefer self-service to full-service in retail environments.   It’s faster, more accurate, and with today’s technology, can be more tailored to their needs.

Faster, more accurate, and tailored to their needs.  In other words – convenient.

We often hear anecdotal reports of customers who order meals well in advance of their arrival because their time is limited.  Rather than wait at their table for a waitress to take their order, they call in advance to save time and have the meal waiting for them upon their arrival.  With this new feature, they can forget the phone and simply place their order online.

With a limited amount of time, employees can still get out of the office for lunch – by ordering in advance, they can get back to work on time.

Again, it all comes back to convenience, even in a Dine-In situation.

Enabling the option for customers to place Dine-In orders is easy through the NetWaiter Management Console.  The updated Reporting section and the new Sales Dashboard also include the Dine-In order statistics.

A recent online issue of Nation's Restaurant News included a feature - 10 Ways to Build Business Inside Your Restaurant's Four Walls.  The article was good, with information and advice that all restaurateurs can use.  Might we suggest a follow-up article - 10 Ways to Build Business Outside Your Restaurant's Four Walls.

At the top of the list should be Online Ordering.

Allowing customers to order takeout or delivery from the convenience of the internet, including mobile phones and tablets, is a major innovation for the restaurant industry.  Studies indicate that customers like to place orders online due to the degree of control and convenience it provides.  Restaurants love it because they receive larger average tickets, the convenience encourages more frequent use, and they have the ability to sell more meals without overburdening the wait staff.  Of course, these are just a few of the benefits.

According to a study by the Cornell University School of Hospitality, 43% of survey respondents ordered food online in 2010.  Take that same group, and narrow it down to respondents between 18 and 35 years old, and it goes up to 60%!  Both these figures are at least a year old and we know they are higher now.  At NetWaiter, we venture to say that within the decade, and probably much sooner, restaurant customers will expect online ordering.  Within some demographics, this is probably already true.  Restaurants that don't have online ordering will lose out on valuable business from valuable customers.

A recent article from Nations' Restaurant News talked about how the large chains are getting away from value, convenience, service, and speed in their advertising. Evidently their studies are telling them to focus more on the menu and the quality of ingredients.

 

That's good, if focusing on those elements helps bring customers through the front door.  But it is also important to remember that study after study reminds us that customers who order online are a different breed. They look for other things. 

Consider:
•    A sizable portion of customers that come to you for takeout have been to your restaurant.  They know the quality of your dishes and they have a high degree of trust that you will deliver on it.  By converting them to online customers, you take good customers and make them better.

•    Thanks to the proliferation of multi-restaurant portals, there are also an increasing number of customers who are coming to you based on your portal presence (and remember, almost 50% of customers who see you on a portal will check out your proprietary website before ordering because they don’t fully trust the information on the portal).  If these folks are new customers, they are going to judge your restaurant by your own website.

•    Either through first-hand experience, referral, or a sense of adventure, many online customers are already sold on your menu and quality.  They are looking first and foremost for convenience and control.  They want it quick, they want it right, and they want it when they want it.

The Bottom Line:  When it comes to promoting online ordering, stick to the basics – the added convenience and control.  You might also add that your takeout items are always as good as what they would be in your restaurant.  Just keep your website looking good and the orders will keep coming in!