If you own a restaurant or plan on starting one, you’re likely interested in the market's profitability. In 2024, revenue in the food market reached USD 10.07 trillion and is expected to grow by 6.53 percent every year.
However, the food industry is highly competitive. So, what should you do to ensure that your restaurant grabs more attention and gains more customers?
Shortcuts:
Focusing on building your online presence and investing in the right apps and software for restaurants can be a great place to start.
These digital transformation initiatives can enhance your visibility, streamline operations, and contribute to business growth.
Your restaurant's growth and success lie in its ability to be visible and relevant in the digital world.
Knowing the critical factors to elevating your marketing can lead to excellent results, especially if you’re a small business.
Fortunately, there are many ways to increase brand awareness online.
It is best to define your target audience before marketing yourself digitally. What kind of people are they?
What are their needs that your restaurant can meet? You must answer these questions to strategize accordingly.
Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik
If your goal is to establish your presence online, you must make a website for your restaurant. A domain in your restaurant's name will allow potential customers to find you online easily.
You have complete control over how your business is presented on your website. You can customize this corner of the internet according to your branding.
Whether your restaurant is formal and fancy or quaint and quirky, you can showcase what makes it appealing through your website.
Customers love having options, so you can easily guess that they’re also considering your competitors’ offers while they look at yours.
Since customers have needs to address, you should anticipate them and lessen the friction.
Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
You can brainstorm your customers' possible questions and create content that answers them. For example, you can create an FAQ page on your website about your menu, service area, and more.
Better yet, you can add a digital menu to your website using POWR. It doesn’t require you to know how to code; you don’t need a web developer to add it.
Adopt a mindset of continuous improvement. If your target market has received your website positively, you should track what worked and identify which areas could improve.
Using Google Analytics to check your website's performance can be helpful.
Image by Myriam Jessier on Unsplash
Optimizing your landing pages can also help generate leads. Using a keyword tracker, monitor the keywords you have used on your website and optimize when you see them drop in rank.
If a specific page has a high bounce rate, you can reconstruct it to make it more appealing to customers.
You must work on your Google My Business (GMB) profile if you have a brick-and-mortar business. This strategy will help you maximize your online visibility.
An optimized GMB account will lessen the friction whenever your customers search for your details, such as opening hours, contact number, and address.
Updating your GMB profile has many benefits for your restaurant and customers. It provides insights about your business and offers a visual glimpse of your establishment.
You can earn a reputation for being responsive to feedback and appear on top search results in your local area. It’s a win-win situation.
Social media is essential for your restaurant's digital transformation. Its power is astounding, especially for businesses.
You can increase your brand's visibility and gain loyal customers by being active and engaging on social media platforms.
Image by Freepik
Select which social media site best showcases your restaurant. Prepare and post valuable content that promotes engagement with online users.
Explore influencers in the restaurant space to potentially partner with.
Consider polls or replying to comments. Once you have identified your customers’ needs and personas, you can align your social media posts accordingly.
Sponsored ads are a tried-and-tested way to increase brand awareness. With today’s technological advancements, you can target specific demographics with your restaurant ads.
This option might cost you, but it’s still a worthwhile investment.
Remember to routinely check the ROI of your paid advertising. It will help you determine whether you should continue your ad campaigns.
Image by Freepik
When running a business, you may have many things to do quickly. That’s why having the right software and apps is essential to your growth.
They can increase efficiency, boost productivity, improve customer service, and help you make data-driven decisions.
In a US Chamber of Commerce survey, 85 percent of businesses report that technology platforms helped their business succeed, and 94 percent report that it helped them run their business more efficiently.
Besides streamlining your restaurant’s operations, tech tools help set the foundation for your business’s long-term success.
Image by gpointstudio on Freepik
Figuring out which apps and software are most suitable for your business might be intimidating, but don’t fret.
All you need is a guide to help you narrow down the right ones. Some questions you can ask yourself include:
To identify what app or software you need, you must figure out which areas of your business need fixing or boosting. You can also gain valuable insights by asking your staff for their insights.
After identifying which areas need improvement, you can determine what features your chosen app should have. It should solve existing problems in your business operations.
Research is crucial when looking for apps to boost your business's overall performance. Scour the internet for suggestions. POWR has many to choose from, and that you can use for free. Then, you can curate a list for your selection.
Now that you have a list of apps or software that addresses your needs, you can conduct in-depth research on each one. Gather all the pertinent information, including price, functionality, and reviews.
Once you have collected your data, you can start comparing the benefits. See which apps are fit for your business needs and goals.
Before jumping in and buying the software or a subscription to the app or software, ensure you test it out first. Most companies offer free trials that you can use to your advantage.
See how the app or software works for you and your team. Does it meet your needs? You can purchase it if you and your employees are happy with its performance.
Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik
Adapting to a digital environment can be pivotal for your restaurant.
According to a food tech survey conducted by Panasonic in 2020, 71 percent of businesses in the food industry consider “digital transformation as very important to business agility.”
Managing your establishment and staff can be simplified with the right app and software. Restaurants primarily equip themselves with the following:
Keeping your finances in order is crucial to running a successful business. A reliable accounting software system eliminates possible errors.
There are many reasons why it’s beneficial to get accounting software. The accuracy, automation, and accessibility offered by this system allow you to streamline your work, making it essential to your restaurant.
Here are some options:
Penn State University states, “A point-of-sale (POS) system is the set of hardware and software components that allow businesses to facilitate sales.”
A POS system is how you record transactions in your establishment. Over time, it has evolved and allowed integrations with other software, making it an invaluable tool for any restaurant.
Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
Research shows that 69 percent of restaurant owners report a POS system’s integration with other systems as its most important feature.
When finding the best POS system for a restaurant, consider factors like integration capabilities, user-friendly interface, scalability, and security features.
Popular options include:
You can expand your business’s reach and increase sales by integrating online ordering software into your POS system. People love convenience, and you can tap into that.
An online ordering platform gives customers more options and allows them to buy your food quickly. This convenience leads to a significant increase in customer satisfaction. And if your customers are happy, your business will thrive.
Consider these options:
It's not uncommon for restaurants to partner with third-party delivery apps.
Although employing their services is expensive, it is often worth it. Aim for services that integrate into your POS system if you want to kill two birds with one stone.
Check these options:
Manually managing payroll can be tedious, so using a system that speeds up the process is ideal.
It’s where the payroll software comes in. You can keep track of your employee's performance and work, allowing you to calculate and distribute payroll accurately, efficiently, and promptly.
Image by Freepik
Here are some options worth exploring:
Scheduling software can help you manage your employees' schedules more efficiently.
This technology saves managers time handling employee shifts and time-offs. It also prevents errors and conflict since everyone can track availability, increasing satisfaction.
Popular apps include:
You must remain consistent with how you train your employees. Training software will help establish consistency.
From onboarding trainees to monitoring their performance, you can track your employees' progress from day one onward.
Here are some choices:
Many factors contribute to a business’s success.
Elevating your online presence and investing in the right tools can be the changing point for your restaurant. Use this article to guide your online marketing initiatives and search for the right website apps.
After all, having the proper knowledge and resources can help you take your business to new heights.