Restaurant Technology Then and Now. Wow what a change!
Not too long ago, back in 2011, the Cornell School of hotel administration did a large study called The Current State of Online Food Ordering in the U.S. Restaurant Industry. Some of these statistics, recorded only 8 short years ago, are shocking and revealing. When I went back and read this research document, I was stunned at just how quickly the restaurant world has changed. In 2011, only ¼ of U.S. restaurants had adopted online ordering. Today, only 8 years later, virtually every national restaurant chain utilizes online ordering. In some cases, restaurants will [...]
Restaurant Online Ordering Through “You”
Restaurant Online Ordering through Third-Party Aggregators There's been quite a bit of negative press surrounding restaurant aggregators and delivery sites. Even though these sites don’t make food or own delivery vehicles, they’ve quickly complicated the world of restaurant online ordering. It’s only natural that consumers would pick up on this negative press and shy away from all online ordering technology. As a restaurant owner, there are other resources available that allow your customers to order online without having to go through a third-party aggregator. Technologies like TakeOut7’s online ordering (1) will allow you to utilize [...]
Not Thriving in Your Restaurant? You Need to Understand the Millennial Maze!
Restaurateurs today need to understand Millennials and their shopping habits if they plan on surviving and more importantly, thriving. It’s important to recognize that Millennials aren’t kids anymore. As adults, Millennials play a crucial role in the modern day restaurant industry. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, making them 23 to 38 years old. In fact, it’s likely that your doctor, dentist, accountant or attorney is a Millennial. It is also important to note that Millennials make over 60% of their purchases online. There are two key reasons for this: They can access [...]
5 Ways to Attract New Customers to Your Restaurant (without GrubHub, Uber Eats, etc.)
Claim and Manage Your Google Business Listing 1) The Google business listing is a free search result that is shown every time someone searches for your restaurant. The search results include a large panel with the restaurant image(s), information, and reviews with links to the website and online ordering. Most independent restaurants have not claimed their Google Business Listing, let alone optimized it with the best images and content. If you haven’t claimed your Google Business Listing, you are leaving yourself open to others entering their information into your account. More importantly, consumers searching [...]
Online Ordering: Key Facts & Trends
Overview: The Urgency for Independent RestaurantsAs an independent restaurant owner and manager, you must wrap your head around what is going on in your business and industry. First, the independent restaurants’ business (and brand) has been subject to major shifts in technology and consumer behavior over the past 10-15 years. National chain restaurants were early adopters of digital technologies – most significantly online ordering – as a result benefitting from double-digit growth, basically taking away orders and customers from independent restaurants. At the same time, consumer behavior and expectations are being influenced by their mobile [...]