What can you do to boost online food orders from your restaurant? A few simple changes can significantly increase the number of orders placed online. See what’s worth improving, what to change, and which solutions to introduce (for example, which burger packaging to choose) to make delivery an attractive option for your customers—and a profitable revenue stream for you.
Online food ordering – why it matters?
Anyone who runs a food venue nowadays will certainly observe increased interest in ordering food for takeaway or home delivery. The trend that intensified during lockdown continues, and nothing suggests it will go away. Quite the opposite: more and more often, we combine the pleasure of eating restaurant food with the comfort of being at home, relaxing on our own sofa and spending time at home with loved ones. In this situation, ensuring convenient food ordering with delivery seems to be a truly basic action for the venue owner
Online food ordering – check whether you’re doing it well
The “order food” option in your venue has been available for a long time, but for some reason customers aren’t very keen to use it? Check why. Magda, the owner of a venue serving American cuisine, faced a similar challenge.
“I noticed that online ordering of dishes from my restaurant was not bringing the profits I expected. To change this, I ordered food online from my own restaurant several times. This allowed me to collect the necessary information and carry out a thorough analysis of the entire process – not only sales, but also placing the order, online payment and timely delivery.”
It’s worth analysing every point on the online ordering path – starting from the moment the customer finds the restaurant’s offer online through to receiving the ordered food. Such an assessment will certainly make it possible to introduce effective and practical solutions
7 practical tips on how to increase online food ordering
Here are 7 ways to increase the number of online orders in your venue. Check which tip you can apply and see how, in an easy way, you can raise delivery standards, make the whole delivery sales process easier and increase traffic in this channel.
- Install an online ordering app
2. Introduce an appropriate division of work
3. Ensure a high delivery standard
4. Choose the best disposable packaging
5. Invest in practical solutions
6. Be active on social media
7. Be active on social media
An app for ordering food online
If your customers can order food with delivery only by phone, it’s time to change that and move with the times. When choosing an online ordering app, check whether it will be compatible with your website and sales system. Also make sure that the online menu includes photos of the dishes you serve. Dishes that look appetising will certainly attract customers’ attention and encourage them to place an order
Appropriate division of work
Launching an additional sales channel requires introducing changes to the current division of responsibilities and setting further standards. To speed up issuing dishes, introduce changes to the division of roles. Establish a rule under which the person responsible for fulfilling online orders, when traffic intensifies both on-site and in delivery orders, focuses only on the delivery channel. This simple division makes work much easier and reduces waiting times for orders to be fulfilled
High delivery standard
Make sure food always reaches the customer on time. That it is warm and delivered in an undamaged state. Set high standards: make sure the driver always has a company uniform, is polite and smiling. At that moment, he is the showcase of your venue
In the delivery menu, leave only those dishes you are sure transport will not affect in terms of appearance, taste and consistency. Introduce solutions thanks to which dishes will taste just as good as in the restaurant. For example, if on-site you serve soup with croutons, for delivery don’t add the croutons to the soup, but pack them separately.
If there is a dish you are not able to serve for takeaway or with delivery, consider replacing it with another one. It is better to give up a dish than to serve it in a way that reduces its qualities.
The best disposable packaging
The condition in which a dish reaches the customer depends on many factors. To a large extent, on how it was packed. When choosing disposable packaging, always go for high quality and eco-friendly materials. Use packaging that effectively protects dishes in transport both against spilling, against damage, but also against steaming up. Choose packaging that stands out – e.g. through colour or graphic design. Use them to make your brand recognisable.
Practical solutions
Invest in equipment and gadgets that will allow you to raise the standard of dishes served for delivery and make work easier. A heated display unit certainly belongs here. A dish stored in it can wait for collection by the driver without losing its temperature. If you don’t have space for this equipment in your venue, equip the kitchen with heat lamps.
You will certainly also find insulated bags with a heater useful, as well as a thermos with a heating element that can be plugged into a car cigarette lighter. It’s worth thinking about this solution especially in the autumn and winter period.
Activity on social media
Just as you take care of your guests in the restaurant, do the same for those who use your venue’s offer by placing orders online. Remember to always respond to comments, thank people for kind words and for leaving a positive review. Let online customers feel that they are important to you, that you care about them and pay attention to them.
Don’t forget marketing activities online. Promote the online ordering option. Inform about this possibility in posts on social media platforms and on your website
A special promotional offer for online customers
Prepare a special promotional offer for online customers. A loyalty card or a stamp-collection system is a small cost for you, but for your restaurant guests it is an effective loyalty programme.
Online ordering system – summary
Ordering food from a restaurant online is extremely popular. Restaurateurs are aware of this too, and increasingly often they reduce in-venue dining space, using the space gained for, for example, expanding the kitchen. An online food ordering system is very easy to implement and it’s worth doing, because it is the fastest-growing sales channel in the food service industry. Use the practical tips, improve your online ordering system and let your restaurant guests conveniently order their favourite food to their home
