Integrating technology into the restaurant setting is no longer something you only see in sci-fi movies. Every day businesses are coming up with new and creative ways for their customers to interact with their brand and streamline their dining experience. So, what is some of that technology and how can you effectively integrate it into your business? Here are some of our ideas, ranging from simple to ultra-futuristic for how you can use technology for ordering.

Mobile Ordering

At the very least, every restaurant should have a website and a Yelp. These give guests a way to find more information on you and interact with your brand. Your website should be able to be viewed on a mobile phone or you are drastically behind the times. To take that a step further, you can add an ordering feature or even make your own app to allow for easier ordering for your guests.

If you are a type of place where people are constantly coming into your establishment, having the ability to streamline the ordering process and save them wait times can put you a step above the rest. Your clientele is already on their phones and interacting on an online forum, by taking advantage of this behavior you can now integrate your brand with their lives and pull them to your business. The fewer stops you have, and the easier it is for a customer to find you and order from you-the more likely it will be that they will go to you when they get hungry.

Delivery

UberEATS, Door Dash, Grub Hub, Postmates-there are so many avenues that people are using to have their meals delivered to them that it seems like dining in is beginning to be phased out. While these options aren’t free for you to use, they can make you more appealing to a greater number of people and can become an asset to your business. It is always a good idea to at least investigate any option that can take the friction out of the process and make it as easy as possible for your customers to get what they want and to get it from you. Do some research and see if putting your restaurant on one of these platforms makes sense for you and your customers.

HomePods

Alexa, Google Home, Cortana- all the big technology companies are creating their own artificial intelligence systems and they are becoming integrated into people’s homes and are beginning to interact with different brands for ordering. While this is still a relatively new technology, companies like Domino’s have already partnered with these so all customers have to do is say “Alexa order me a pizza’ and twenty minutes later their usual order shows up at their door.

Sound like something you are interested in? Contact Orderscape, this company helps connect restaurants with these artificial intelligence programs so that the device can have access to the online menu and ordering feature. Making your business that much more accessible to people.

Why You Should Be Interested

You might be thinking “yeah but, I sell burgers. I don’t deal with artificial intelligence, why should I start?” Intelligent systems are being integrated into the home at a rapid pace, eventually, you will have a fully connected home and people are already connecting their home to things outside of it. By understanding how people use these things you get a deeper look into your customer’s behavior and can use it to better market yourself to potential customers. This makes you more competitive and more accessible to people and can make your brand a more integrated part of their life, which is good for business.

What If’s

So, we’ve talked about ideas that already exist, but we want to spitball some ideas of what could be.

What if your technology could tap into your habits, and text conversations and suggest restaurants near you or that coincide with your habits/schedule? What if computers could learn your dietary restrictions and make menu suggestions then easily order them for you? What if your phone could ask you what you are in the mood for then give you recommendations on where to eat based on your location?

Computers are getting more advanced every year, and they are being used to benefit consumers in a whole new way. These ideas may seem farfetched, but they are starting to become a reality.

Integrating technology into your business doesn’t have to be ultra-futuristic, start small and work your way up with ideas that fit your market and your brand. Start with a simple website and take baby steps from there! It will make you more accessible to your customers and make integration less daunting!

To listen to the full podcast, click here.