What Will A Modern Digitally Connected Restaurant Look Like?
A digitally connected restaurant?
Is this some new futuristic tech-driven marketing gimmick that only the top one percent of businesses can afford? Because the better half of the pool of restaurant businesses are yet to catch up with the snazzy AR-VR blah blahs.
Well, no. That’s not what I am talking about.
The concept of a digitally connected restaurant is pretty simple: a restaurant that makes optimal usage of digital screens.
Why does your restaurant need a digital makeover?
“Wow, I love the ambiance of this place!” We all must have said this, or perhaps heard someone say this at some point, right?
Well, that’s because we don’t always visit cafes and diners only to enjoy a fantastic nosh. We go there to have a fantastic time.
For many, even for the regulars, restaurant visits serve as an escape from the day-to-day monotony. And that is precisely why food service businesses need to provide their patrons with a break from the ordinary.
While there are plenty of ways to delight the restaurant crowd, nothing can compare to providing comfort and ease. Going digital means faster and better service and streamlined workflow, amounting to a dramatic increase in sales & improved customer experience.
So, what will a digitally connected restaurant look like?
For a long time, businesses have used digital screens only as electronic placards (mostly outdoors) for playing promotional content. But over the last decade or so, software integrations between different systems have granted more functional value to digital signage.
For the restaurant industry too, digital signage has quickly assumed a far more central role. Nowadays, if you go to a cafe or diner, chances are high that a screen will be staring at you from some corner. But, the issue is that many businesses are yet to mine the benefits of digital signage in restaurants up to its full potential.
That brings us to the idea of a digitally connected restaurant. To understand the concept, let’s go over the components one by one.
1. Digital Menu Board
What is the usual scenario when you visit any restaurant or cafe?
You walk into the place– go straight to the ordering counter to see the menu board (good luck if it’s a popular place; you will probably have to stand on your toes to get a glimpse of the menu!)– and then, on your turn, there’s that rush to order quickly as a long line of hungry people waits after you.
Now, here’s the same scenario in a digitally connected restaurant:
You walk into the restaurant– a digital menu board is right at the entrance– it shows a QR code on screen– you scan the QR code with your mobile phone or tablet– and now you can browse the restaurant menu on your personal device: not on any fancy app, simply on the web. You walk to a table and browse your menu from the comfort of your seat. You can now take as much time as you need and place an order at your own pace.
Simple, yet, convenient, isn’t it?
The fact is, such restaurant digital menu board solutions are slowly on the rise, simply because it doesn’t take much extravagance to switch from print menus or chalkboards to digital menus. Even a humble household TV can function as a bar or restaurant’s digital menu board.
Digital menu boards are also visually alluring. They can play dynamic content, and most importantly, tweaking & updating the menu can be done in a heartbeat!
Many modern digital menu board software also allow scheduling & day-parting of menus. It takes off a massive load of the restaurant staff’s shoulders.
