We thought we’d put together a quick guide to help newbie cooks get set up on Esca. We’re going to keep this one simple, we’ve created a step by step guide to help you create your menu quickly and easily. As usual, if you run into any issues, contact us via email at hello@escamenu.com or the messenger chat in your Esca account.
Step 1
Now, before you can register on escamenu.com you must be invited. To get an invitation you need to fill in this short application form giving us some details about you and your business. We will be in touch within 48 hours to let you know if your application has been successful.
Step 2
You will be unable to create your menu until the above step is completed. Once the Stripe application form has been filled you’ll be automatically redirected back to your Esca account where you can start creating your menu.
Step 3
Remember, people eat with their eyes before they ever put money towards a meal. Try your best to make your menu as visually appealing as you can. This is a crucial part of running an online food business, the extra time you invest into creating the best menu you can will be rewarded by your customers, both old and new.
If you don’t trust yourself to create a great menu we’d be happy to do that for you. We offer a custom menu build service for €5 per menu page complete with photos of your meal, a description, ingredient and allergen info. Contact us via email if you’d like to avail of this service.
Step 4
This step is not compulsory, but for those who have existing businesses operating via social media, Esca enables you to take online payments from prospective customers via your social media page. You also get a QR code you can use to attract new business. We recommend turning this code into a sticker and applying this sticker onto all your meals as they are collected or delivered to customers. You can view your menu URL and QR code via the little square beside your name and profile picture (on mobile this appears beneath your name and profile picture).
Step 5
Order statuses are a quick way to manage the life-cycle of every order in your Esca menu. Order management is a crucial part of managing your food business and communicating any changes with your customer. Since Esca is fully automated, you rarely need to directly contact your customer via the messaging function in your profile, except when specific details are needed.
Final Step
You should now be fully set up and ready to go on Esca. You can use it with your existing customers while gaining new ones also. Remember, you are your own brand with Esca, so make sure you sell yourself as well as possible. Start growing and streamlining your food business today!
Bonus Step
This might be a bonus step but it’s quite an important one so pay attention. Esca enables you to build your business around your daily schedule. We’ve built tools that allow you to inform customers of your working hours and service schedule easily. To do this, follow the below steps.
- Sign into your Esca Account
- Go to settings
- Select what type of service you’d like to operate; On-demand or Pre-order. On-demand means you are always ready to prepare an order as soon as it arrives, similar to a take-away or restaurant.
- Set your availability (your availability should be set to the days and times you will have your customers orders ready for collection or delivery). Basically, if you only cook on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday you should set your profile to ‘Pre-order’ and your availability to those days only. This means customers can order from you at anytime but only get their food on those specified days.
- Select whether you offer collections only or delivery.
Clearly outlining your working hours and service schedules is an important part of ensuring a smooth experience for your customers and the best way to secure a return visit.
