Humans are digital nomads. We love living a digital life, and whatever we need should be available at a click away. The restaurant industry is no exception. Today, with over 87% of Americans ordering food online, technology has paved the way for restaurants to increase their market share and stay profitable even in the time of Coronavirus.

But, do you know restaurants can also sell meals in advance? In fact, the pens that are already leveraging Order-ahead or Order for Later features for online ordering, takeaway and curbside report upto 15% increase in orders.

Pre-order or advance food ordering lets you serve clients who simply don't like waiting in long queues, and prefer the convenience of food delivery at their doorstep. An online ordering system with an Advance Order feature helps restaurants capture pre-orders, serve more customers in a short span of time, and boost profit. Only if the 'Order for Later' button is added to your website.

Let's quickly move ahead and delve deep into how restaurants can leverage the Order for Later button to grow sales.

Capture the untapped segment

Corporate workers, party hosts, study groups, and playschools - the list is unending. With online ordering you can reach all these people and beyond, in your neighbourhood or the next neightbout and the one a few miles away at a tap on a button. Now add the flexibility of ordering in advance and you’ve earned yourself a lead.

Integrating an Order for Later button to your online ordering system can enable time-pressed customers to pre-order food for delivery and take-away with a click of a few buttons on their smart devices.  

Increase Average Order Size

Being able to place orders ahead of time and dine/pick-it up without having to wait encourages millennials to explore more and order more. Customers don’t feel the need to rush through the order when they order in advance. They take ample time to discuss orders with people around, explore different menu options, and most of the time end up placing more than planned. This also gives ample opportunities to restaurants to upsell their best sellers or recommend side orders at the time of checkout to encourage users to add more.

Streamline Operations

How amazing it would be to know how many meals you have to prepare for lunch and how much they’d cost. Most importantly, get a ballpark figure of the revenue you’re going to make in a day! That’s the magic of Advance Ordering technology. It helps your employees streamline kitchen operations, effectively manage inventory, as well as increase delivery efficiency as they know exactly what to prepare based on the pre-orders that come in.

In addition to this, having an accurate count of orders gives the team sufficient time to put the orders through the kitchen according to time. This means that chefs will not be under any pressure to prepare customers' meals at the last minute.

So what are you waiting for? Upgrade your restaurant ordering website or an app now and ask your technology partner for an “Order for Later” Button now! This small change can bring about a huge difference to your business’ bottom line, of course, positively!