If you search, “10 most dirty things that we touch every day”, chances are that restaurant menu would have made it to the list, unapologetically. It’s touched by everyone, from restaurant staff to the guests, and only a few handful of restaurants make the effort to clean the menu every time a guest leaves.

Now on the bedrock of pandemic with safety in focus, restaurants are doing away with physical menus and bringing in the technology to provide a safe and hygienic dining experience to their guests, whilst keeping their staff safe. Offering a menu that’s been used by hundreds of others is about as welcome right now as the mold on the 5-day old pasta. It can make you sick, worse, kill you!

So what exactly is this technology? How does it work and is it really necessary to adopt it?

Let’s find out in this article.

Decoding Contactless Technology

Smart QR code menus are emerging as the game-changer in the restaurant industry and enabling the much-needed contactless-ordering. Big F&B players such as Starbucks, McDonald's, and many more have already started leveraging the potential of QR Menus. Your diners can seamlessly scan a QR code, access the restaurant menu, order food, as well as pay from their own smart device. It not only ensures no-human contact, but also mitigates the risk associated with devices exchanging hands.

A contactless menu can be as simple as a one-page website with a digital menu or a fancy custom mobile ordering app that your customers can use to schedule advance order or make reservations. All in all, the idea is to create a platform that your customers can use to review menus, place a phone or on-premise order through their own device. This eliminates the need for handing anyone a menu. Bonus: you won’t have to get separate menus printed for on-premise and off-premise ordering. Simply have a separate section for both and upload the digital version of each menu.

So what are the benefits?

Imagine enabling your guest to order, receive, and pay for their food all by themselves. Going contactless can have unimaginable benefits for restaurants. Not only will you eliminate unnecessary contact with another person, but also you can optimize the restaurant to fit into the current demand. Other functionalities from this technology can include:

• Contactless reservations
• Personalised recommendations
• Waitlist sign-up
• Online check-in
• Access to royalty and rewards programs
• Upsell opportunities
• Ability to review past orders, save favorite customized orders, and reorder favorites.
  

Gain Customers' Trust

People are skeptical of going outdoors for a traditional sit-down meal, but that doesn't mean that they don’t crave the experience that allowed them to enjoy a carefree, fun and interactive meal with their friends and family. Your customers are looking for a sign or let’s say assurance that dining-in at their favourite restaurant will be safe like before. You can gain their trust back with assurance of safety by enabling Contactless Technology that ensures minimal to no-human contact.

Fast and Safe transactions

Contactless Ordering ensures fast and safe transactions. From accessing the menu to placing the order and making payment - everything can be done with a click of a few buttons. According to a survey, Contactless Ordering and Payment cuts down the Table Turnover Time by 40% which is quite significant in terms of business, especially with the cap of 25% seating capacity. Faster table turnover means higher revenue, moving more customers in and out of the door during peak hours.

Your customers can also schedule their orders in advance so they don’t have to wait in long queues. Apart from that Contactless Dining option also allows customers to schedule their visit to the restaurant that would significantly cut down the wait time outside the restaurant.

Flexibility of devices

It doesn’t matter if the customer is carrying a smartphone or a tablet, running on iOS or Android operating system - the restaurant mobile app will be designed to support all devices across platforms.  Restaurants can provide a Free Wi-Fi service to ensure smooth and hassle-free transactions.

Brand positioning and Increased revenues

Grab the attention of your diner using captivating banners, food graphics, and videos in the ordering app. Contactless Ordering allows restaurants to entice customers with discount banners, special offers, personalized recommendations and much more to boost average cart size. The technology also offers upsell opportunities that restaurants can leverage to increase revenue per order.

How does Contactless Ordering Work?

Contactless ordering is mainly a three-step process.

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Step 1 - Scan The Menu

Guests visiting the restaurant can use their smartphone to scan the QR code placed on each table. This will allow them to access the restaurant menu, get personalized deals and recommendations, as well as explore different combos scheduled for the day.

Step 2 - Order The Food

After browsing the menu, guests can add the items to the cart and send their order directly to the kitchen. The order is then placed, and an Order Ticket Number is generated. Customers can track the status of their order via the same number.

Step 3 - Contactless Payments

Say no to exchanging Debit/Credit Cards. Guests can make the payment from their own device using the mode of payment that they prefer the most.

QR-backed contactless ordering system is your key to delivering a safe, frictionless dining experience. In times like these, ensuring the safety of your customers and employees is of the utmost importance. Gone are the days when people would come to your restaurant and order from paper or plastic menus. Touchless menus are the future of food ordering, and it is here to stay for good.