Tips to take your restaurant online

Food and hospitality businesses across the globe have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing them to adapt to other models of operation in this time of uncertainty. If you’re a cafe or restaurant that’s long been avoiding making the move to online ordering and delivery systems, it’s more important now than ever before that you solidify these opportunities.

Many hospitality venues are shutting up shop completely, hanging up the ‘Closed’ sign even just temporarily. Some are closing their doors for good – but it doesn’t have to be that way. Even the stats prove how crucial this avenue is for tapping into new customers: on average, half of Australian households have at least one person that orders takeaway each and every day. That’s a huge opportunity to take advantage of, and could just be the make or break of your current profits.

Essentially, the takeaway food industry is now a $22 billion market in Australia, and opting to use online ordering methods gives you the ability to be a part of this action. So to help you get started, here are a few key tips.

Choose your platform wisely

These days there are a number of options to choose from when it comes to takeaway and food ordering systems. Impos’ hardware is integrated with functionalities like Order Ahead, which allow you to capture a market that’s looking for on-demand food delivery.

Your business can also chooses from other software options, such as:

• OrderUp: Backed by their renowned technology, the OrderUp platform makes pick-up and delivery even easier to implement. They’ve also got a number of options available for COVID-19-affected businesses.
• Mobi2Go: This one provides efficient customer ordering online, but handily also ties into your Facebook page. This gives your customers more touch points when placing an order, and your business more credibility.
• Mr Yum: Flawlessly presenting your menu in a sleek mobile ordering platform, Mr Yum is perfect for local delivery, and even table-ordering for when you’re able to offer it again.

If you’re not sure what integration suits your needs best, the Impos team will work with you to understand the nature of your current business circumstances and what kinds of options can help you increase your profits.

Use social media to communicate your takeaway options

Especially right now, communicating with your customer base on the changes to your business is integral. Let them know that you’re still open for business and can deliver the goods directly to their door. Use your social media channels – like Facebook and Instagram – to inform locals that you’re ready and raring to go.

Additionally, provide information on what platform you’ve chosen to offer this and how they can easily access it. Try to provide as easy a process as possible, so that they don’t run the risk of abandoning their transaction.

Train staff on new systems and requirements

Any new kind of software or hardware needs a little bit of time to adjust to. Impos is made to be simple and easily accessible to all staff, so that training can be kept to a minimum. Our team will provide information on how to use your POS system for online orders and keep staff in the loop of any integrations and changes.

On your end, it’s important to convey to staff the benefits of these systems and what they can expect in terms of their day-to-day responsibilities. Allow them to ask any questions and provide support wherever possible, especially if using online ordering is completely new to them.

For more information on how to use online ordering to your advantage, get in touch with our friendly team now for a no-obligation discussion.