Running a restaurant is all about keeping customers and profits on the up and up. And with the industry’s current climate, restauranters must get creative with how they provide their delicious food.
As more customers choose to order in and enjoy their food at home, beloved eateries are rising to the occasion by offering delivery services. But exactly how does delivery benefit your business? Luckily, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help you answer that question.
Gives Exposure to New Customers
The benefits of offering delivery at your restaurant start with gaining significant exposure to new customers you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. The decision to order in and enjoy a meal at home is becoming increasingly common. Because of this, many of the customers who chose to dine-in in the past are no longer doing so.
This means that there’s potentially a customer base unaware of your restaurant. However, suppose you choose to integrate delivery services into your establishment. In this case, these people will suddenly have a way to access your menu and purchase your excellent food.
This is especially true if you choose to work with third-party apps, as they’re able to put your menu directly in front of hungry customers who are already searching the app for something tasty.
Boosts Online Presence
It’s no secret that delivery services can help produce a strong online presence for any restaurant. After all, most customers expect—at the very least—that they’ll be able to access an establishment’s menu via an official website.
Of course, this leads to more people navigating your site, which can put your restaurant on the online map. That said, incorporating delivery options and online food ordering systems for your restaurant is really the only way to ensure you have the site traffic you need to bolster your online presence.
Implementing these options means more customers flocking to your site and doing business with you. Plus, having convenient delivery and payment options will ensure that people return to your website. In turn, this will boost that crucial online visibility even more.
Provides Opportunity To Diversify Revenue
Of course, we can’t discuss the advantages of offering delivery without discussing its opportunity to diversify a business’s revenue. Restaurants have frequently had to close their dining rooms to the public in the last couple of years. So while it might have seemed inconsequential in years past, having a few different sources of income for your business has never been more imperative.
As a result, many establishments have adapted to these changes by offering more options like delivery, pickup, and curbside takeout. Restaurants can diversify where their profits come from by having these options. Further, they can provide their customers with safe, easy, and convenient options to enjoy their food.
And this can only be a positive thing for restaurants in today’s rapidly changing climate. So when you’re thinking about the benefits of offering delivery at your restaurant, consider that it provides a source of income for your business, even when times get tough.
Offers Free Advertising
Many don’t realize this, but offering delivery at your restaurant also allows you to participate in a bit of free advertising. This is especially true if you choose to collaborate with a third-party application, as they provide instant exposure for your establishment. However, having an official site with available delivery options can also help advertise your business effectively.
And if your website happens to be SEO optimized, the chances of your establishment and all the services it offers customers becoming more widely known are even greater. The best part about this is that you don’t have to pay for these advertisement methods.
Leads to Increased Check Sizes
Restaurant’s that offer delivery services have seen a significant increase in their check sizes with each order that comes through their system. To be specific, the average difference between delivery and dine-in checks amounts to an impressive 20 percent. Industry experts aren’t entirely sure why delivery orders are seeing such a considerable increase in check size.
However, the suspected reason is that it has something to do with group ordering or the need to stock up on food so that customers don’t have to cook their meals every night. Either way, offering delivery is a surefire way to rack in more extensive checks with each order and inherently maximize profits for your restaurant.
Makes Up for Reduced Foot Traffic
In today’s climate, customers choose takeout and delivery options more frequently. Because of this, many restaurants are seeing a lack of foot traffic at their physical locations. Thus, if your business only offers customers a dine-in experience, you might find that your profits drop.
For this reason, offering delivery and other services like it can help establishments fill in their profit gaps that result from fewer customers choosing to dine in. In this way, you ensure that people still have a way to access your menu and delicious food. Further, even if there’s no foot traffic, you still have a way to keep your business afloat through delivery services.
Gives Customers More Convenient Options
As we’ve seen, offering your customers convenient ways to dine has never been more imperative. After all, the restaurant industry and its consumers continue to evolve. And while it might seem a bit crazy, these days, customers might overlook your restaurant if you cannot offer them convenient forms of service like curbside pickups and delivery.
While the dine-in experience hasn’t disappeared entirely, it has become much less prevalent. So it’s wise to consider this when thinking about implementing delivery at your establishment.
Further, it’s never been more essential to offer customers convenient and safe dining options.
Doing so will ensure that you can garner a more extensive customer base and retain the loyal customers you already have. Luckily, delivery happens to be one of the most accessible and popular options available.
In any case, offering delivery services at your restaurant comes with a sizeable list of advantages. Hopefully, we’ve been able to point some of them out in this comprehensive guide. And remember, if you’re looking for a simple way to ensure your restaurant’s profits stay on the upswing and customers continue dining with you, implementing delivery services is an excellent place to start.
