Why is it important to have a user-friendly digital menus for restaurants and bars?

Doyo - DoYourOrder Importance of User-Friendly Digital Menus for Restaurants

2020 was the year when the world stopped as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Great things came out of it: For once millions of people stopped commuting to the offices saving millions of CO2 transport emission. The savings in commuting time could be reinvested in doing plenty of more useful things. On the other side, the social distancing policies for the first time propelled several QR code technology which now are used for payments, displaying website or digital menus in bar and restaurant. The main drive in this case was health: reduce the risk of people in getting exposed to the virus by making them use their own devise instead of using a paper menu. The advantage of having a menu digitalized brought clear advantages: the most noted one was the ability to be able to change the offering more frequently without having to spend a lot of money in printing. But few places seem to be moving back to the old way of working. With paper menus. Why? Why moving back to a filthy piece of paper? Rarely cleaned and most of the time with products out of stock?

A short answer: most of the digital QR menus out there are user unfriendly. A mere upload of a pdf document into a google cloud solution and accessible via a standard QR code. A menu which is not readable and which in most cases requires the user too zoom in. In case owners, run out of stock on any specific item, they would have to log in to their PC and go on the cloud document to delete it and upload a new one without that item. Very few do this. Once the item is again in stock, then you would need to go back and add it manually. If the client would ask you for a card in a different language, servers would bring them another QR (most of the restaurants don’t even bother translating the menu in any language). Probably one that has a different offering than the main one, because the translated menus are updated less frequently and with less care then the main ones. Most of those menus do not have a picture, and if they do, it is rarely for all items served.

Would it not be nice to be able to have a digital menu which actually adds real value to the client and to the restaurant owner? And it is actually free? We have the solution for you as we are offering modern and user-friendly menus for free. Updatable anywhere at any time by using a smartphone

For clients using Doyo has the advantages of accessing an automatically translated menu with pictures. They would also have the ability to easily exclude dishes they are allergic to. For owners they would be able to add easily new product to the stock by using their phone. Hide immediately the ones that run out of stock. Read more here: digital menu link. We hope that eventually, few of the people are actually willing to upgrade to our full-scale platform services. If not, we really try this awesome technology not to die, by giving it away for free! Peace.

Productivity in restaurants has been low for decades compare to other industries such as the logistic, manufacturing or service industry. For the most part, people keep working the same way. Entering the industry is also fairly simple and there is a lot of competition! The combination of low productivity and high offering results in low margin (the money the restaurant owner brings back home). No other industry has a high bankruptcy rate as the hospitality industry. A “bad month” can be enough to wipe one year of work! You can increase margins by offering a very special offering (i.e here in Europe Peruvian or Hawaiian food is quite the hype). Something the competition does not have yet. This will allow you to charge a premium. However, soon or later competition will catch up and reduce your margin. Eventually, key people working in the restaurant such as the cooks allowing you to do the special offering would get more expensive for you because they are in higher demand. Which will also put further pressure on profit margin.

Another way to increase revenues is to bring more people (increase the average table occupancy rate) by running advertisement campaign which now days are digital. Also, this requires a bit of know how and a lot of work from the restaurant owner to increase on line presence and make a decent Instagram, Facebook or other social media account. Doing a proper on-line page is extremely important and it is your responsibility to monitor that and be in control. Once done, Doyo can help you to create more traffic on your page, which increases your popularity, which will result in a higher number of people coming. Also this feature is offered for free by us. Forever.

Another way to increase revenues is to increase the number of returning customers. This will also help you stabilize your revenue stream. Great client experience can be brought back to the following components

The quality and taste of the food that you are preparing
The waiting time: the less the better
The menu: the better it sets client expectations of a certain dish the better

We can help in reducing client waiting time and setting their expectations so that they actually are happy to return.

Looking at ways to increase the revenues stream is important and difficult at the same time. There is an easier and faster way to make more money to bring home: saving cost. Thereby boosting your margins and passing part of the savings to your clients by offering a completive prices product or to your own bank account (in case you are in a niche market).

By streamlining your production process and inventory management
Improve work process and automate work flows

Improve work process and automate work flows is mostly done via the front to back digitalization of your ordering process. Having the client post an order, would eliminate manual work from the waiter for instance. On the other hand, giving the possibility to the kitchen to coordinate food delivery across department reduces expensive staff overhead (department managers) and reduces the number of errors.

Use your own TV (Google TV) as a KDS (cheaper and bigger)

For suitable Bars or kitchens not too hot or humid you can use you own smart TV as a KDS. As better alternative you can use Google /Android TV. In the first case, you need to go on the browser of your smart TV. Go on doyourorder.com, click on sign-in and log in with an account belonging to your kitchen/ bar or any other production department. Unless your tv has a “magic remote”, you need to install a mouse to your tv (ideally wireless). This will allow you to interact more effectively with other departments and servers/waiters when it comes down to coordinate a delivery or flag the food when ready. Few bars use a small TV screen as a POS!

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Stop wasting time making a table plan for your restaurant. Use numbered QR code instead!

Setting a numbered QR code on a restaurant or bar table has many advantages:

Reduce error connected to billing the wrong item to the wrong table down to 0.0%
Reduces waiters error in delivering items to the wrong table down zero to 0.0%
Reduces time in maintaining a digital table plan
Increases customer experience and satisfaction because the same numbered QR code can be used to display a digital menu with pictures and translated in 8 languages. It allows also for prepayment

Setting a numbered QR code on the table reduces ordering errors. Reduces maintenance efforts in table planning and increases client experience: the same numbered QR can be used by the client to see the menu. Or even order!

Digital table plans are annoying to set up and most of the time the cause confusion. Think about when a group of people is coming and you need to “merge the two tables in one” to avoid debiting items on two tables: you might end up billing only one table, while the items of the other will be debited to the next client. Think about the client that is sitting at the table next to the bar and his items need to be transferred to another table. And you forget “to move” the ordered items with him. Or, even worst, you debit them to the wrong table

Also, while table plan do make absolute sense to the manager doing them, for their employees (especially new one) might be difficult to understand. How many times do you see waiters walking around asking who ordered those items? Yes. You might put a number on the table to avoid confusion. But how many time, does that number gets moved around causing items to be ordered and delivered to the wrong table? There is more efficient ways to work and to invest precious time to focus on the client instead of maintaining a digital table plan. Start now by setting up a free digital menu with pictures and translations?

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Ready to get started?

Download the app and let’s start your digital journey together!