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In 2022, with the introduction of ChatGPT, we saw restaurants – and just about everyother industry – look for ways to incorporate artificial intelligence within their customer operations. In 2025, I believe we’ll see the smart restaurant brands get very focused on how they leverage AI to improve the customer experience.
Omnichannel communications and value-oriented customer expectations are two elements challenging restaurant owners and operators, according to a survey from Klaviyo. Restaurateurs should monetize word-of-mouth recommendations through referral programs and social media contests.
With 59 percent of customers hanging up after calling in and waiting for a minute or less, according to Linga, restaurants are missing out on a lot of business. Call forward actions are programmed according to what the caller may be asking for. The most common asks are to make a reservation, ask a Frequently-Asked-Question (e.g.,
Too often, what customers found was a clunky experience marked by poor scanning results, slow click-throughs and the need to download third-party apps just to engage with the expected content. McDonald's started incorporating QR codes across their mobile apps and throughout their brand loyaltyprograms. Customer feedback.
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Widespread Adoption of Technology Solutions in Food Service In 2025, the food service industry will increasingly leverage technology for waste tracking and diversion. – Frenchie Audette, VP of Food Service at Divert In 2024, the restaurant industry continued to adjust to changes sparked by 2020.
Jessica Huang, CEO & Founder of Restaurant Marketing, understands what many restaurants are doing wrong in their efforts and how they're missing opportunities to attract and retain customers. While it's crucial to stay informed, stepping back and allowing experts to take charge can be key to overcoming these challenges.
A customer in Miami should bite into the same perfectly seasoned burger that delights diners in Seattle. Reliable experiences build brand loyalty, and systemic processes lead to reliable profit margins. It’s no secret that restaurants with more than one location depend on standardization to thrive.
Customerservice is at the core of innovation and good business practices. After all, the future in the hospitality sector quite literally lies in the hands of guests and customers, so it’s imperative that you always perfect your customerservice. Personalize the Customer Experience.
In today's digital landscape, restaurants have become prime targets for cybercriminals who take advantage of potential entry points from point-of-sale systems, online ordering platforms, customer databases, loyaltyprograms and third-party delivery services. Consider the alarming pattern over the past three years.
The quicker businesses can feed that information back into operations, the better, whether for personalized dining, staffing optimization, or advertising and marketing. Restaurants are already experimenting with using AI to handle drive through orders to allow human employees to focus on customer interactions in the restaurant.
. "If I had the opportunity, I would encourage them to employ voice analytics, not to automate ordering, but rather to analyze customer/employee conversations for insights into customer experience, operational efficiency, marketing effectiveness, safety compliance, employee engagement, and more, he said. "The
In the food service industry, branded apparel is a critical extension of your business's identity. The uniforms worn by staff, from kitchen to counter, represent your brand in every customer interaction, making apparel a strategic business decision rather than merely an operational requirement.
With new health and safety guidelines and constantly-evolving regulations, restaurant owners are faced with unique challenges to continue delivering a positive dining experience to customers. And while the pressures of the pandemic continue, customerloyalty can play a role in whether or not restaurants will sink or swim.
It's about consistently delivering top-notch quality, exceptional service, and an unforgettable experience. Moreover, as the hospitality sector becomes increasingly competitive, tapping into the nuanced aspects of customer behavior becomes necessary. For franchise owners, maintaining uniform excellence across all outlets is key.
You may serve the best food on the block, but if your restaurant doesn't match its dishes with plausible customerservice, your customers may never come back. That's why it's important to provide an outstanding dining experience from the second your customer's enter your restaurant, till the moment they leave.
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Restaurants collect a ton of customer data. Every online order, email sign up, and reward program interaction generates valuable insightsbut if that data just sits there, youre missing a major opportunity. Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while?
If your business isnt keeping up with the changes, you risk falling behind and not meeting modern customer expectations. For operators, restaurant apps mean higher sales, greater customer retention, and smoother day-to-day operations. Beyond mobile ordering, restaurant apps support operations in ways that were never available before.
All of them promise a seamless experience to the fast-food customer. How apps became the modern-day loyaltyprogram The mobile app trend in fast food kicked off in earnest in 2009, when Starbucks introduced the first ever mobile app to allow customers to pay for coffee with their phones.
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What was once a gradual process turned into a rapid transformation, permanently reshaping how restaurants operate and interact with customers. Customers have now fully embraced the benefits of using restaurant technology, and to keep up with guests evolving expectations, the tech industry is growing at an incredible rate.
Today’s restaurants are expected to deliver an Amazon-like experience: know customers’ preferences and dining habits and deliver food, whether tableside or to their front doors, without delay. This enables you to provide the modern eCommerce/omnichannel customer experience today’s consumers crave.
The restaurant industry is constantly evolving, and embracing change and leveraging technology to enhance operational efficiency and the customer experience is essential. Balancing operational and guest needs involves adopting technology that makes back-end processes more efficient and improves the front-end customer experience.
Consider a large Mexican fast-casual chain that implemented a tuition coverage program for employees pursuing degrees in fields like agriculture, culinary arts, and hospitality. Similarly, a prominent fried chicken QSR recognized the limitations of its existing scholarship program, which primarily benefited traditional students.
If you have not put in a takeout or delivery program, it's not too late. If you do not have sufficient staff to deliver food, then you can partner with a third-party food delivery service. This way, your customers can satiate their cravings for your specialty meals from the comfort of their homes. Rewards and Offers.
As a result, quick-service and fast-casual restaurants are increasingly harnessing big data and automation to give their customers what they want before an order comes out of their mouth – or their brand’s app. Gluten-free buns, please. Supersize it – every time. Five Reasons for Upping the Personalization Ante.
Restaurants seeking to capture more Gen Z and millennial diners should support this fast-paced lifestyle with meaningful loyaltyprograms that save time and encourage return visits. To maximize consumer loyalty, divide diners into separate groups to help you speak to them directly.
These metrics give you a clear picture of your delivery performancefrom order volume and customer retention to delivery speed and profitability. Without KPIs, spotting inefficiencies in your workflow is nearly impossibleleaving you without the data needed to make informed decisions and grow your online sales. What Impacts Order Volume?
Customers expect to browse menus, place orders, and pay for their meals with just a few taps of their phones. For restaurant operators, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge: how to implement an online ordering system that maximizes revenue while maintaining control over their customer relationships. billion in revenue.
More than half (54 percent) of independent restaurant owners report making half as much or less than this same time last year, according to a report from Alignable with 51 percent saying customer spending is “much lower” than 2024. Tariffs, attracting new customers, and inflation top the list of concerns.
Restaurant operators are now looking for solutions to retain customers as colder weather and economic conditions threaten their bottom line. Customers now expect more than a simple rewards program or general mailing list. Finally, this connection of on- and off-premises data can be used to recover customers.
Nowadays, running a successful restaurant takes more than great food and good service. From improving your Google listing to leveraging customer reviews, these tips will show you how to boost your visibility and drive more traffic to your restaurant. To do so, you must have an optimized website and engaging social media profiles.
“At a time when restaurants are continuing to face increased costs of operation, owners must be cognizant of not only the customer experience but also the impacts their changes will have on loyalty patterns. Open communication with customers is valuable in gaining insights before rolling out price changes.
PLNT Burger further incentivizes plant-based purchases by turning that data into a loyaltyprogram, rewarding customers with free food for amounts of water or land “saved.” Climate messaging can’t work if customers are too put off to walk through the door once, let alone habitually. without interruptions. We call it out.
Text and online ordering and self-service kiosks enabled with contactless payments became mainstays in franchises. While there are budgetary differences between a chain restaurant vs an single location, investment in technology must be made in order to meet new customer expectations and ease the burden of staffing shortages.
Understanding consumer loyalty psychology can enable restaurants to create systems supporting recurring business and assist in overcoming financial difficulties. The Power of Personalized Communication Developing close connections with your guests calls for frequent, customized contact that makes them appreciated and noticed.
Even restaurants traditionally associated with their unique dine-in experiences, such as Benihana and Fogo de Chão, now have branded delivery programs. As delivery becomes a larger part of the sales mix, brands should think about the factors that contribute to a successful delivery program. Do We Own Our Customer Data?
As such, implementing a robust food delivery and takeout service has become critical for restaurants’ longevity and success. Here are five ways to enhance your restaurant’s takeout and delivery operations to improve customer experience and open the door to more profit. Consumers crave convenience.
Smart QSR and fast casual chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack reconfigured their strategies to lean heavily into delivery apps, digital ordering, and loyaltyprograms. These are free services, and they’re being left untapped by many small eateries, simply because of lack of resources or failure to recognize their importance.
Without customerloyalty, it’s difficult to succeed in any business, particularly when you’re competing in a crowded landscape like hospitality. Connect with Guests to Drive LoyaltyLoyalty pays off in spades. Consider your own restaurant loyalty experiences. No Marketing Staff? No Problem.
To capitalize on this momentum, here’s how to use QR codes as part of your recipe for creating brand awareness and improving customer experience. Customers can choose the content they’d like to see before being redirected to their final destination. QR codes can also direct customers to download your restaurant’s app.
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