There’s no arguing the fact that making a profit in the restaurant industry is hard work. And when the goal of profits is achieved, it’s often done on the slimmest of margins.
Between the cost of of food, supplies, equipment and salaries, anything that will improve the bottom line will become an instant hit with restaurant owners. That’s one reason the use of mobile apps has revolutionized the food services industry in so many different ways.
From customer loyalty programs to inventory tracking systems, it’s becoming more and more clear that mobile apps are the wave of the dining industry’s future. They increase efficiency and productivity among employees and contractors alike, all while improving the customer experience.
The Use of Mobile Apps In a Restaurant
- Customer Loyalty Programs: Rewarding customer loyalty with an app is a perfect way to keep your very best patrons returning to your establishment over and over again. And because your app will show up in app stores and on the phones of your diners, they can also be a smart way to promote your business. You can easily send out coupons and specials to your loyal customers who have downloaded the app to their smartphone or tablet.
- Increasing Business: Imagine your restaurant is having a slow week, and you really need to fill some seats. Simply send out a special promotion to those loyal customers who’ve downloaded your restaurant’s app. This is a cheap and easy way to drum up business.
- Managing Inventory: There are apps you can use to keep a much more accurate count of your inventory. This makes it easier to keep track of the bottom line, and it ultimately helps your restaurant remain in the black.
- Taking Customer Orders: Many restaurants are now taking the traditional pad and pencil out of their servers’ hands, and replacing them with tablets or smartphones. This accomplishes several things: It cuts down on handwriting mistakes. It speeds up the ordering process, which leads to improved customer service. And it increases the amount of turnover for each table.
- Taking Reservations: Your customers can check on availability and seat reservations in seconds.
- Taking Payments at the Table: Instead of having lengthy lines of grumpy customers waiting to pay their check, servers can easily use smartphones or tablets to swipe credit cards at the table. Customers love the ease and convenience. (And they hate waiting in those lines!)
- Streamlining Communications: There was a time when it was commonplace to see servers rushing back and forth from a restaurant’s kitchen to convey information to the chef. Not anymore. Today, this sort of communication can be done quickly and painlessly with the use of a smartphone or tablet.
Without a doubt, increasingly large numbers of restaurants are starting to take advantage of mobile apps, and with excellent results. Unfortunately, a restaurant also happens to be the perfect storm for accidents that can easily damage a mobile device.
Protect Your Device With a Screen Protector
With food and drinks around every corner in a dining environment, the chances of your mobile device being damaged are significantly higher than they would be under normal circumstances. This is why you should considering protecting it with a NuShield screen protector.
Not only will a NuShield screen protector protect your device, it’ll also protect your employees from becoming sick. One of the easiest ways to decrease productivity is by having sick workers. The Triple A film screen protector has anti-microbial properties that will help reduce illness. Considering the amount of customer contact your servers have, this is an especially crucial concern.
Many restaurants have outdoor patios, and the glare from the sun can make it difficult to see. The NuShield DayVue screen protector keeps glare to a minimum, all while increasing productivity and protecting your tablet.
Mobile apps have become nearly invaluable in the dining industry. To learn more about protecting your own consumer electronic devices, visit us online at NuShield.com.