If you run a restaurant and you are wondering how best to keep your business alive and well during the pandemic, then you may want to consider direct website ordering. 

Direct website ordering technology allows customers to order online and easily pick up their orders without clogging phone lines or taking up space in your lobby. This not only increases efficiency within your establishment, but it also allows you to better adhere to social distancing and cleanliness guidelines during the pandemic.

With this tool, you simply allow for orders from a website which go straight through to your kitchen, giving your staff and customers alike a simpler way to fulfill and receive orders.

Here are 7 ways direct website ordering technology can help your food service business thrive:

Keep Up with Social Distancing Guidelines‍

‍During this pandemic, it is imperative that businesses—especially those in the food service industry—are strictly following social distancing and sanitation measures to keep staff and guests safe. Online ordering technology can be a wonderful solution in these cases, as it enables your customers to order from home using your app or website without ever entering your building. You can even automate this technology to allow customers to let your staff know when they have arrived, so staff can bring their order directly to their car. 

‍Keep Orders High

‍It can be difficult for restaurants to strike the proper balance between keeping orders high and keeping staff and employees safe during this unprecedented pandemic. By using direct website ordering, you can ensure that both of these needs are met, keeping your orders as high as possible without putting anyone in any danger or sacrificing health and safety. By allowing your customers to use an online or mobile option to complete their orders, you can limit the number of guests allowed in your establishment at a given time. Rather than cut down on orders, you can keep them flowing by using automated technology that doesn’t have to be monitored or overseen by several staff members. 

Integrate with Virtually All POS Systems

‍No matter what POS system you might have in place already in your restaurant, chances are there’s a direct ordering technology that can integrate with it smoothly and seamlessly. That means you don’t have to worry about a huge onboarding process as you start using this tech—you can start using it right away to enhance efficiency and increase sales. You won’t have to deal with the extra costs or learning curves that come with switching to an entirely new POS system.

Benefit from User-Friendly Technology

‍Digital ordering technology is also incredibly user-friendly. Most people already know how to use direct website ordering tools through mobile apps and websites, and so you don’t have to worry about alienating people by introducing these for your restaurant’s customers. Anyone with a smartphone can easily take advantage of this online ordering service. What’s more, because this technology integrates seamlessly with your current POS system, your staff will also find the technology highly user-friendly. This technology is also tailored to your specific brand and service offerings, allowing a customizable approach to letting customers order online.

Enhance Automation

‍Using this kind of tool also allows for automation, which is a great way to increase efficiency without losing out on sales. With automating processes, you can ensure that staff are immediately notified of incoming orders and that these orders are properly tracked through each step of the fulfillment process. This means you also won’t have to increase your cashier staffing numbers to fulfill those online orders or deal with clogged phone lines.

Allow Customers to Order In Advance

‍From the customer’s perspective, being able to order food in advance can be a huge attraction to your restaurant. You can easily curb mealtime rushes by encouraging mobile and online users to order ahead of time, ensuring guests don’t have to wait when it comes time to pick up their order. One way this automated technology simplifies ordering, for example, is that if it takes 20 minutes to make an order once it's been placed, the direct website ordering system will automatically set the pickup time to 20 minutes from the ordering time. This gives your staff more control over how to tackle orders in the timeliest manner possible.

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