Why Do Restaurants Need Well-Executed Mobile Apps?

At present, the use of mobile apps is increasing day by day. If people want to learn about anything, they easily do it on their phones using mobile apps, online websites, etc.

Despite this, Restaurants should also need a well-executed mobile app for restaurant ordering for their upliftment. If you prefer using an online food delivery app, restaurant finder app, or a simple food online app, you are on the road to achieving success.

Nowadays, food outlets are one of the businesses that provide more benefits from the emergence of mobile search. According to a recent survey, 81% of customers searched for a dish or restaurant using a mobile app.

Restaurant-related apps demonstrate higher growth rates with market shares. Mobile apps for business are one of the most significant benefits because they allow customers to look at your services and help your restaurant business maintain a strong brand image in the users’ minds.

The number of world-class restaurant apps is increasing day by day. Many people use this restaurant mobile app feature to order food, book hotel reservations, or find the best restaurant. 

According to reports by Statista, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the number of US mobile delivery app users from 36.4 million in 2019 to 45.6 million in 2020. This growth was predicted to reach 53.9 million users by 2023.

Restaurants should focus on mobile apps to increase their sales and customer engagement. 

Let’s discuss why restaurants must own mobile apps to manage their business.

Why Your Restaurant Needs a Restaurant App

There can be a personal choice as well as business requirement to get an app, but some of the common reasons why it has become a NECESSITY are listed below:

Location-Based Deals

By now, many people are familiar with restaurant apps. Restaurants set up small devices around the location to push notifications and deals to their customers to lure them into restaurants during meal time. 

Restaurants can also rely on a person’s GPS settings to tell them where they are and send out relevant deal information while seamlessly managing the ordering system.

Loyalty & Referral Programs

Restaurants can conduct loyalty and referral programs to increase their customers or sales. For example, a pizza joint called Pizza Ranch ran a promotion in 2015 that gave their customers 2X points for coming in and buying from them, which generated almost 67.6% more business for that day. 

Mobile-based reward programs are more personal than those that give punch cards to every drink buyer, which is one reason.

Mobile-based reward programs are more personal than those that give punch cards to every drink buyer, which is one reason.

Streamlined Order Fulfillment

Mobile apps, especially those that provide alternatives for pickup or delivery, not only boost income but also expedite the order fulfillment process. Order processors can examine exact order data and any specific instructions right on their screens, saving them from having to rely on manual phone calls where it can be difficult to grasp the customer’s request and write accurately.

Moreover, the ability to make payments within an app eliminates the necessity for front desk employees or delivery people to manage transactions independently. Conventional phone orders, for example, require multiple encounters with receptionists in order to record the order, check facts, validate the address, and guarantee the entry of credit card information.

By allowing users to place orders, enter additional instructions (such as dietary preferences), and verify addresses from within the app, this labor can be completely eliminated—even with modest pay rates, which are now set at $7.25 per hour. This saves about $2,000 a month in addition to speeding up the process for all parties.

Millennial Engagement

You would increase your sales among all demographics, but the millennial market is quite strong in the preferences. Customers try to use more and more online payment methods as they prefer to avoid carrying cash nowadays. 

They’d like to pay bills via mobile and will do the same again, and they also want to place their orders online via mobile phones or tablets. They prefer mobile payment over other options, and most choose to pay for their orders directly within the app.

Optimized Seating

Online means of making restaurant reservations will help customers save time as they do not have to wait for the tables to get empty or search for other restaurants. 

Knowing that you will have a table at your favourite places when travelling in an unknown city or just like to plan a nice night is essential for hungry eaters who prefer to do it quickly. 

Enhanced Customer Service

Building a mobile app for your restaurant is primarily about fulfilling the needs of the customer and their experience; by doing this, you can enhance on-site services and customer reviews, which will aid other customers in choosing their locations based on reviews. This will also benefit restaurant owners, as they will continue to attract more & more customers.

Creating a restaurant mobile app is meant to improve customer pleasure and experience, but it can also improve on-site service, which can boost reviews.

For example – 

You run a sandwich store that lunchtime office workers order from. The shop’s modest front area is packed with customers from 11:45 to 1:30 every day, trying to order or sit down.

A mobile ordering system can greatly decrease this congestion. Customers can pre-order, allowing your staff to arrange, price, and prepare orders for speedy collection. This reduces carryout customers’ time in your shop, making them happier, and increases space for dine-in and waiting customers.

Also, this method speeds up order processing. GrubHub reports that phone orders take two minutes and mobile app orders 45 seconds. This efficiency speeds up service and improves pickup. It also frees up your host to greet guests instead of making long calls, minimizing wait times.

Social Sharing

One of the best parts of owning a mobile app in your restaurant’s other online profiles is the ability to collect more reviews as soon as someone happily leaves. Similarly, run reservations, orders, or payments through your app. You can set a timer after the transaction is complete and ask your customers to review your app, or they can also share their experience on social media, which can help you improve the ordering experience.

Online Reputation Management

Instead of asking people for social shares when they leave & are satisfied with your restaurant experience, you can also send them push notifications. This way, you can request them to leave a review & feedback so they can also feel happy that their opinion matters; meanwhile, you can also customize your services.

Effective Promotion

Sending them push notifications can quickly solve eating-out decisions. On weekends, you can eat in your restaurant that night as early as lunchtime. If your restaurant is running some popular dinner plates, you can send them push notifications, as they can think of validating it by eating at your restaurant again. They will choose your restaurant again because you are now managing their online ordering decisions. 

Convenient Menu Access

According to research, customers are likely to stop in restaurants only if they can easily see your menu online. Instead of making funny mobile responsive web pages, it is better to ensure your menu is easy to access, front and center, in your app.

62% of customers are less likely to visit a restaurant if they cannot easily access its menu on their mobile devices, according to research conducted by Chadwick Martin Bailey. If your menu is integrated into your app, it will be easily accessible and prominent, saving you from having to rely on unwieldy mobile-responsive websites.

Seamless Communication

You can add a click-to-call button for customers with questions that they would like to have answered about the menu, reservation times or locations. It looks like a small detail, but many customers look for a mobile number in Google, note it down somewhere, and then call. This click-to-call button feature is instant and helpful for customers as well.

Coupon Redemption

Coupons have been one of the most popular ways of boosting business. But nowadays, people don’t read physical newspapers where coupons have been traditionally printed, so you have to be more creative with coupon delivery. If you are sending your coupons via mobile, you are most likely to increase customer expectations as they do not like to carry tiny pieces of paper (coupons) with them and with this mobile coupon feature, they will surely try to visit your restaurant to redeem the coupon. This will make customers happy as well.

Referral Programs

You can try some referral loyalty programs where you can make your customer happy by promising them more reward points for sending out SMS or social referrals to their friends. You can develop an online ordering system or app as a tool for your restaurant’s marketing campaign that can boost referrals. Also, don’t forget to write the terms and conditions along with the privacy policy for coupons.

Visual Appeal

You can use images of your food on your website and in the menu to prompt a desire for the plates you want to sell more of. Seeing a photo of a food that is ready to eat taps it into a core. The better the photos look, the more hungry customers will be, and they will also try to order them.

Solution for Owning a Restaurant Mobile Application    

Restaurants must create an excellent mobile ordering app to become popular locally. Nowadays, missing a mobile app’s digital storefront means losing customers. No-code technology restaurant mobile app development is easy for non-technical people. You can make a customizable restaurant app without affecting your budget. This can be done by converting your restaurant website into a multi-functioning mobile app with the help of online restaurant app builder tools. These tools simplify the procedure and minimize time and cost, allowing any restaurant to have a strong internet presence. 

Want to know how to create a restaurant app without coding? Check out our recent blog. 

Conclusion

Now that you know why restaurants need well-executed restaurant ordering apps, it is also better to use one of them for your restaurants. Today’s young generation does not like to go to every restaurant and search for better places, food, etc.; they search online for it. They want to make online reservations instead of waiting for the tables to get empty; they choose to see online menus instead of going to every restaurant. You can provide online images of your food, coupons, and referral policies to customers through mobile apps. 

If you decide to own or build a mobile app for your restaurant, it will help you in many ways, and you have the potential to be one of the top 5% of restaurants in your area. 

Ready to take your restaurant to the next level? Build your app now with Twinr or book a demo and start reaping the benefits of a powerful mobile presence!