Technology at the Table: Gadgets Surrounding Dinner

Technology has been seamlessly integrated into every aspect of our lives. From the moment we wake, until just before bed.. there it is, beeping and buzzing all day long. It should come as no surprise that the way customers chose your restaurant, make reservations, order, and even pay afterwards is all completely centered around technology. Here is how to best adapt.

Getting Guests Through the Door

Technology isn’t just for millennials, it’s a way to make behind the scenes easier and guests more satisfied with their experience at your venue. The restaurant industry is a very saturated market and even choosing a new restaurant can be a very arduous process. Before a new customer tries your restaurant for the first time, they’ve probably compared it to a plethora of other restaurants in the area (or serving similar cuisine) on online platforms like Yelp, Zagat, or Zomato just to name a few.

Bringing the Restaurant to Them

Now to eat in or to make a reservation is the question. If you don’t have a delivery system in place, you’re missing out on so much potential business. Mobile ordering has taken the industry by storm. Restaurants from casual to fine dining are incorporating it and here are a few options for adding it to your venue. Consumers are beginning to expect the convenience technology brings throughout their everyday lives to be present in how they eat.

Reserve the Right to Satisfy Guests

If you already have a mobile-friendly delivery system in place, don’t forget about the guests who want to dine more traditionally. Calling as the primary way to make a reservation just won’t cut it anymore and emails are next to get the boot. Diners are using programs like Yelp SeatMe or OpenTable to arrange a table, or even seeing where they stand in line with certain apps. This type of system makes life easier for both your staff and your guests. If everyone knows where they stand in line and have a rough estimate of when they’ll be seated, no more pestering the hostess or hunting down the next eaters to be seated.

Make the Most of Screens at the Table

Now when it comes to technology at the table, times are changing fast. Incorporating digital menus will save countless of dollars in printing costs, is great for reducing waste, they are updated in realtime, and can better showcase your menu than a traditional paper bill of fare can. Uncorkd’s intuitive menu design is easy to use for guests and staff alike. Digital menus from Uncorkd increase sales through consumer education, upsell tools, and gathering useful analytics about what your guests are viewing. Digital menus at the dinner table align with what consumers expect from their dining experience.

Check Out That’ll Bring Them Back

In this Age of Instant, it should come as no surprise that consumers don’t want to have to wait around to pay their tab after the meal. Some restaurant-goers also dislike having their credit card out of sight for extended periods of time. The solution: payment apps. While most customers would be unlikely to download applications for an individual restaurant, they would appreciate the convenience of being able to split a tab among friends or quickly pay after their meal. OpenTable is one of the most popular apps of its kind, but guests will also use payment sharing apps like Venmo to pay back a friend after their meal.

Even though your guests have successfully checked out, adding these tech-saavy changes will surely bring them back again!

Check out Uncorkd to find out more about how digital menus can completely transform your beverage program and improve guest experience.