A popular staple in today's restaurant world, QR codes surged post-pandemic popularity. We know of their popularity for online menus, but are there other ways QR codes could benefit your business and help you be more efficient?
Short answer? Yes! While there are depths to online menus that people don't generally consider, there are also many other reasons why using QR codes more could be a solution for your restaurant.
1. Self-Serve Ordering
Streamline the ordering process by having it entirely in your guests' hands! Guests can scan a QR code, bringing them directly to your online menu, allowing them to place an order and have it go directly to your POS.
Pros:
Lower menu printing costs
If you move entirely into self-serve ordering, you remove the need to have physical menus at all, a massive boon to fast-casual restaurants that frequently have to print off paper menus.
Fewer lines for QSR and Fast Casual Restaurants
There's nothing less appealing than showing up to your favorite quick-bite location and seeing a line out the door. The more people you have ordering online, the more approachable your restaurant becomes— it also removes one of the biggest frustration points for customers.
Easier to maintain dynamic menus
Have frequently rotating specials? Wanting to try something new? No need to worry about putting a new menu on the wall— swapping items on and off your menu becomes much simpler when it's all online.
Cons:
Lacks human interaction
You've managed to hire good people, but now you'll have less chance for them to show good customer service if most people order through a screen.
Inflexibility In Ordering
Depending on your menu, it can be challenging to convey the custom nature of each order. This leads to a type of forced simplicity when no in-person employee is there to take their order.
Confusing Navigation
For those who don't have awesome menu design (like ours), navigating a restaurant menu can be confusing and possibly dissuade the customer from ordering.
2. Touchless Menus (contd)
While briefly touched on above, going touchless with your menus provides more benefits than self-serve ordering. Other benefits include:
- Improve Customer and Employee Health - No menus is just one less thing to transmit germs around your place of business. Beyond being a personal health concern, this limits any potential bad press or issues with health inspectors.
- Reduce Waste With Quick Promos - Is one of your perishable items nearing its best-by date? Run a quick promo through your menu provider to move the product quickly and efficiently, negating potential waste and generating more traffic for your business.
3. Promote Downloads of Your App
A surprisingly effective tactic for brand awareness is making sure your restaurant is on 3rd-party delivery apps like Doordash and Uber Eats! While it doesn't net you as big a cut of the order, it broadens your audience and allows people to find you when they're hungriest.
Additionally, it provides unique marketing opportunities and the chance to move people from 3rd-party to 1st-party delivery. By putting a QR code inviting customers to your app on the delivery, you're hitting them when they're happiest— right as they're opening a delicious plate of your food.
Want to go above and beyond? Include a promo that incentivizes the download from the QR code (my favorite is "App for App"— a free appetizer with the app's download).
4. Encourage Reviews
In the same vein, you can use a QR code as an efficient way to direct customers to your review page or to Google/Yelp itself. For more information on how reviews can impact your business, click here! Including quick access to your review websites makes it even easier (and more likely) that customers will engage and leave a review.
5. Connect On Social Media
One of the biggest pains in any restaurateur's life is staying connected with your customers when their meal is over— social media has long tried to bridge that gap, but even that has its difficulties. Make the entire process easier for your customers by giving them a quick link to your socials for them to follow!
Locations for QR Code Success
Unsure where to place your QR code? Consider these locations:
- Doors
- To-Go Packaging
- Walls/Placards
- Receipts
- Banners/Sponsorship Billboards
- Order Kiosks
Give your restaurant all the benefits it deserves by leveraging QR codes today!
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