Restaurant Technology Required to Keep Up With Dining Surge

Dining Out is an Irreplaceable Human Experience

Though the effects of the Coronavirus has been widespread across the global restaurant industry, customers are beginning to return to their favorite eateries as more and more people get vaccinated. This dining resurgence was inevitable, given that for many people eating out is more than just having a great meal, it’s all about the experience. 

In cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, dining out is a way of socializing with friends, co-workers and family. Also, the experience of having a meal away from home is intrinsically valuable to the residents of these cities as working hours are often long and eating out is a stress-reliever. Without the need to cook at home and by enjoying the atmosphere of being around good company, a healthy work-life balance often relies on residents of these bustling cities being able to go out for a meal. And now that the Coronavirus seems to be less of a threat, restaurants will likely begin seeing a new wave of excited customers rather than another round depressing operating restrictions. 

Is Your Restaurant Ready For More Customers?

With a large influx of customers, but with Covid-19 not yet relegated entirely to the history books, it will not be easy operating at a higher capacity so suddenly. Some of the problems restaurants may face in the wake of increased demand is a lack of staff, a lackluster queuing and booking system, not enough ingredients to keep up and perhaps even a menu that is too bloated. 

Staying on top of these potential stumbling blocks will ensure that your restaurant business is capable of meeting increased demand. After all, there’s nothing worse than having your restaurant's reputation dwindle because of bad reviews and low-quality customer experiences. In a world where social media and restaurant review apps are all the rage, you don’t want to be receiving poor feedback which will wreck your restaurant’s image and kill any momentum you might be building.

Tech to the Rescue!

Fortunately, technology is now capable of helping with many of the problems restaurants might face in the wake of increased demand – even with a smaller team of staff on-hand. Let’s face it, without a retinue of powerful technology to aid your restaurant business, it will be nearly impossible for it to go from tiny capacity back to nearly 100 percent in the blink of an eye. Even if it takes a little while for customers to return, it’s important to have the capability to accommodate them and to run your business at full capacity without the need to squander precious money on keeping a full team of staff always at the ready. 

Let’s take a look at some of the ways tech can help you alleviate the issues of ramping back up to full capacity.

What Can Tech Do for Your Restaurant?

When it comes to being efficient with your staff, tech can certainly be a blessing to any restaurant. With new tools like CRM, automation, cloud technology and BYOD (bring your own device) at your disposal, your staff can work harmoniously with technology to become even more efficient. 

1. For example, CRM technology can help staff recognize and serve VIP customers while giving restaurants an insight into buying and spending habits of patrons. 

2. Automation can allow certain processes to be handled directly by your restaurant technology without wasting your staff’s precious time – such as accounting.

3. BYOD tech can allow customers to access menus and other key information with their own devices without requiring having to attend to them for these basic tasks. 

4. Using a cloud-based POS system can enable your restaurant to incorporate modules such as a queue ticket kiosk so that you can run an efficient operation all through one system. 

5. Your POS can also inform you about what items are selling well and what aren’t, so you can streamline your menu and become more efficient when customer numbers skyrocket. 

6. Your POS can also provide an easy way to manage ingredients so that you are never caught short, forcing you to deny customers the ability to order what they want. 

7. Provide customers with multiple touchpoints by creating a branded website while also offering delivery. This will allow your restaurant to take advantage of dine-in customers as well as delivery customers. 

Toughest Times Hopefully Behind Us

Having to deal with ‘too many’ customers is a great problem to have. As the pandemic winds down and people vaccinate against the virus, there will be an inevitable influx of customers ready to return to their favorite stomping grounds. Make sure your business is ready for the good times ahead by preparing appropriately and incorporating the right procedures, measures and technology.