In today's competitive landscape, it is crucial for restaurants to prioritize the establishment of a contactless ordering system to maintain revenue and remain competitive. Even prior to the global impact of Covid-19, the restaurant industry was already adapting to evolving consumer preferences by embracing virtual ordering methods that are both contemporary and efficient.
The Covid-19 pandemic has further intensified this shift, as customers actively seek out the safest means to place orders and make payments, minimizing physical interactions with others as much as possible.
Contactless ordering refers to a method in which customers can place their orders and make payments without requiring close proximity to other patrons or restaurant staff. This process is facilitated through the use of mobile devices.
To initiate the contactless ordering process, customers simply scan a QR code displayed either at their table or at the restaurant's storefront using their smartphones. This action promptly directs them to the digital menu. Once there, customers can select their desired items and enter their credit card information for payment.
Subsequently, the kitchen staff receives the new order, prepares it, and either delivers it directly to the customer's table or announces the order number for the customer to collect. This approach eliminates the necessity for customers to queue in lines, place their orders directly with servers, or handle physical menus shared among multiple guests.
This guide will provide an overview of the process involved in establishing a contactless ordering and payment system at your restaurant. The steps are as follows:
Create Digital Menu with an Online Ordering System
Create and Display QR Code at Your Restaurant
Customer Scans QR Code and Submits Order from Phone
Order Sent to Kitchen and Prepared by Staff
Food Order Sent to or Picked Up by Customer
Create Digital Menu with an Online Ordering System
To initiate the process of establishing a contactless ordering experience for your restaurant patrons, the initial step is to generate a digital menu that can be conveniently accessed through their mobile devices.
A highly recommended approach is to employ an online ordering system like DizLog, which ensures seamless synchronization of all data between the online menu and orders placed in-person at the point of sale.
By adopting this method, you can consolidate all ordering and sales data into a centralized location, eliminating the need for manual comparison and analysis across multiple systems.
Create and Display QR Code at Your Restaurant
After successfully creating your online site, the subsequent task is to generate a QR code specifically for your digital menu. This can be effortlessly accomplished through a range of free QR code generator websites.
Once the QR code is generated, you can save it as an image file and proceed to print it out.
Ultimately, you can prominently display the printed QR code at various strategic locations within your restaurant, where guests will have easy access to scan it. This can include placing it on a sign outside or at the entrance, affixing it to a wall, or directly positioning it on your customers' tables.
Customer Scans QR Code and Submits Order from Phone
After the QR code is shown at the restaurant, all your visitors need to do is bring out their mobile devices and utilize either their iPhone camera or a free QR Code application on their phone to scan the QR code. Once scanned, they will be instantly redirected to your digital menu, allowing them to choose menu items and add them to their virtual shopping cart.
Order Sent to Kitchen and Prepared by Staff
Once a customer places an order from their mobile phone, you will receive an email containing all the order details. Additionally, a popup notification will appear on your POS screen to alert you about the new order.
The order details will also be visible in the Orders section of your POS, allowing you to review and access them easily.
Furthermore, if you have set up one or more kitchen receipt printers in your DizLog account and enabled kitchen receipt printing, online orders will be promptly sent to the designated printer(s) as soon as they are placed by restaurant guests.
Food Order Sent to or Picked Up by Customer
After the kitchen staff prepares the guest's food order, they have the option to either deliver it directly to the customer's table or call out the order for the customer to pick up themselves.
Overall, this contactless ordering process ensures that restaurant guests receive their food in a safer, faster, and more efficient manner compared to traditional in-person ordering methods.
Conclusion
As observed earlier, transitioning to a contactless ordering system in your restaurant has become crucial due to the significant change in consumer expectations and behaviors, particularly after the impact of Covid-19.
By utilizing DizLog, you can swiftly and effortlessly implement this contactless experience for your guests. Furthermore, you will have the advantage of consolidating all order and sales data, both from in-person and digital transactions, in a single location for convenient access and improved operational efficiency.