Although the factors that can influence the success of a restaurant are many, the use of technology has proven to be a fundamental element for the growth of food and beverage businesses of all kinds, from foodtrucks emerging to the large restaurant chains. 

If you also want to know how to increase sales in a restaurant through the tools that technology makes available, don't miss the recommendations we have for you!

What technology is necessary in a restaurant to increase sales?

Generally speaking, there are three main ways a restaurant can increase its sales:

• Attract new clients.
• Increase the frequency of visits.
• Increase the average ticket (that is, the average consumption per table or order).

Therefore, when considering what technology you will implement in your business, you must make sure that the option you choose allows you to address these three aspects in a complementary way.

1. Attract new customers 

Technology plays an increasingly important role in the way restaurants and food retailers create attraction, facilitating the arrival of new customers through various sales channels. Some of the tools that will help you here are:

Increase your presence on digital platforms

According to a study carried out by the consultancy Deloitte, 80 percent of people research on the internet before buying, so strengthening your presence in search engines such as Google and networks such as Facebook and Instagram are essential to publicize your brand and generate trust, create a digital image that arouses interest among your potential customers and promote the acquisition of your products or services.

Open new sales channels online

Food delivery was one of the most requested services on the internet during the pandemic, according to the AMVO, demonstrating the need for restaurants and food businesses to have online sales channels to reach more customers today.

To achieve this, you can use your social networks or your WhatsApp messaging, home delivery applications, your own online ordering platform or a set of all the above to reach more and more customers.

Make the diner's life easier

With only one hour available for lunch on office work days, many people will prefer to eat where they serve the fastest. If you want to be that place, an option that you can implement is a Self-service kiosk that eliminates waiting time and allows the diner to order and pay in a matter of minutes.

Offering the WiFi service will also attract people who have the habit of scheduling meetings with their collaborators or clients in restaurants, taking advantage of the comforts of the space to present, discuss and execute their projects while tasting a delicious dish.

It may interest you: 10 benefits of implementing technology in a restaurant

2. Increase the frequency of visits

 Once you have made the customer sit at the table, it is time to provide an unforgettable experience that turns your restaurant into a place they want to return to more than once. 

Provides an agile and error-free service

A common error in the service is the incorrect registration of the order by the waiter or a bad reading in the kitchen, generating discomfort or irritation in the diner when receiving their order and delaying the operation of the business.

To avoid situations like this, more than 80 percent of restaurants in places like the United States they use a point of sale system or software for restaurants, which allow total control over the registration of orders, maintain effective communication with the kitchen area and make payments efficiently, guaranteeing error-free service and customer satisfaction.

It may interest you: 6 qualities that a good restaurant system should have

Make the customer experience more interactive

One way to surprise your clients is to offer them interactive tools to enrich their stay, for example, digital menus in which you can configure your menu in more than one language (ideal to serve the international market in tourist and border areas) and your guests can see high-quality photographs of the products and relevant information, such as the caloric content or the history behind of each product.

Ensures a secure environment from start to finish

Technology has proven to be an important ally for restaurants during the impact of the pandemic, offering practical solutions to ensure that diners are not at risk of contagion during their stay.

One of the most successful has been QR menu technology, which displaced commonly used printed letters by QR codes accessible from diners' smartphones. Some providers have taken it to another level, allowing the diner to place their order from their cell phone without having to interact with a waiter.

3. Increase the average ticket

Loyalty systems are not only one of the best technologies you can implement to ensure that a customer returns (allowing you to reward each visit with special promotions, points and irresistible discounts), but they will also help you increase the consumption of each visit.

For example, Starbucks attributes the 40 percent of your total sales to its rewards program and has seen same-store sales increase by 7 percent, while a study by Manta and BIA / Kelsey showed that already loyal customers spend up to 67 percent more thanks to his constant visits to the same restaurant.

If you have a software for restaurants That includes a loyalty system or you have the possibility of acquiring one, it will be the ideal dumbbell to keep control of the visits of your guests and reward them appropriately until they become inevitable customers.

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4. Use technology to evaluate your strategies

The first step you must take is to clearly establish your sales objectives in the short, medium and long term, taking into account the production capacity of your kitchen business, as well as in service to the dining room, home or to carry out.

Once you have your goals defined, it is time to use technology to monitor business performance, either in real time or periodically, to assess whether or not they were met (and why) as well as define the following step to take.

Since you have an idea on how to increase sales in a restaurant with technology ... Let's get to work!

Now is the time for you to develop a short, medium and long-term growth plan for your restaurant, implement all the tools that can help you achieve it and evaluate the results obtained.

If you execute it correctly, you can be sure that you will be able to increase your sales exponentially and your business will grow successfully. If you want to know how to make the most of your sales from now on, we also invite you to sign up for the Program to increase the profitability of your restaurant. Find out all the details below!