Jeremy Julian
Jeremy Julian
The post-pandemic labor shortage is hurting practically every industry, and restaurants are no exception. When you can’t find enough people to help with customer service-related tasks, customers get frustrated and leave bad reviews. How can you improve your customers’ experience as you work to recruit enough staff to keep your restaurant running smoothly? Thankfully, there are automated services to help.
Ordering food is a significant, time-consuming step in food service. Traditionally, it requires a server or cashier to ring in the order and speak with the guest about their preferences. However, technology like food ordering apps, touch screen menus, and online ordering options (with third-party delivery) are filling the labor gap. How can using food ordering tech help your restaurant during a labor shortage?
Some trends that happen due to necessity die out once conditions change, but the high demand for delivery is one pandemic trend that has remained after relaxed restrictions. People have discovered the convenience of having hot, chef-quality meals delivered to their door and don’t want it to ever stop. This trend has gone beyond fast food, with takeout from sit-down restaurants becoming standard expectations.
If you have a curbside or delivery option for your restaurant, you may feel like you need a separate employee just to take takeout orders. However, this can take away from your in-person services that are now “back to normal” after relaxed restrictions. Thankfully, food ordering tech can fill in for an employee and inform your cooks on what to prepare instantaneously.
Just a quick Google search provides you with a wealth of online ordering tech that you can purchase for your business. These systems each serve a purpose, so do your research to find out the best one for your establishment. For example, Slice is wonderful for pizza restaurants because it’s catered to ordering pizzas for delivery or pickup.
While finger slips on an app can still happen, online ordering tech makes it much harder to be misunderstood. Traditional takeout orders happen over the phone, where miscommunication can often happen.
It can also be difficult for non-native speakers to communicate exactly what they want with this method. However, being able to scroll through a menu with text and pictures helps all your customers pick what they need. They can also take their time and make sure that they have made the right choices.
Fewer errors mean less backtracking, reordering, or management attention to complaints. Get the order right the first time, and you’ll have happy customers and staff that have more time for other tasks. There is less chance of having your workers stretched thin and everybody gets what they want.
Do you want to learn more about how food ordering tech can help your restaurant? Ask the Restaurant Technology Guys!
