Introduction
Today, the restaurant industry is consistently evolving, and owners need to adopt and embrace new tech solutions to transform their operations. As far as innovations go, tableside ordering continues to be in the spotlight. With tableside ordering systems, restaurants can improve their customer experience and operational efficiency. Tableside ordering systems can also help restaurants increase their revenue and sales.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a 4% change in the restaurant industry’s recruitment rate with 6.2 million employees. Modern restaurant operators have an excellent opportunity to tap into tableside ordering and streamline their in-house customer service offerings. It is a brave new world – tableside ordering technology can help restaurants mitigate the impact of staff shortages.
Tableside Ordering Basics
As the title suggests, tableside ordering involves making payments and taking orders directly from the table. It is a direct approach that involves using smart mobile and tablet devices. It is a new tech that offers a wide range of benefits to new and established restaurants.
Tableside ordering works as a payment system with a contactless approach. Like a physical menu, customers can use it to browse through the menu and order their favorite food and paychecks in an instant. But some guests may need assistance from a server to browse and select items from the menu.
You’ve probably noticed how servers now use a dedicated handheld tablet or a smartphone device to record and process orders. This style of operation works as a tableside service. Tableside ordering also has multiple methods. For instance, tableside ordering systems can work through mobile POS systems, QR code ordering, and kiosks.
Predominantly, mobile POS tableside ordering is used the most for top-notch efficiency. Mobile POS tableside ordering also makes it possible for restaurants to eliminate the need to have a constant server on-site who makes endless trips to and from POS stations.
Without further ado, here is how tableside ordering can help restaurants transform their in-house operations:
How Tableside Ordering Can Work in Favor of Restaurants
Heighten Customer Experience
Restaurants can allow QR codes to place orders that would empower their customers to pay and order items from their own smart devices. In the service industry, customer experience can break or break a restaurant.
With tableside ordering, you can enhance the customer experience without relying on traditional promotional tactics. In short, when customers can order and make payments from a smart mobile or tablet device, it instills a high degree of satisfaction.
Make Orders More Accurate
Even Michelin-star restaurants often mix up orders. With tableside ordering, restaurants can not only speed up their service but also ensure all orders are accurate. Placing orders in real-time on a tablet or a smartphone device reduces the chances of mistakes. A high degree of accuracy to execute orders also improves the customer experience.
In any restaurant, mistakes are often inevitable. Still, servers can leverage tableside ordering service to make order placements wireless and avoid making mistakes. Servers can use tableside ordering to ensure customers are fully engaged, which reduces the overall chance of placing a wrong order.
When the tableside ordering system comes into play – the server inputs the order into the smart table, which gets sent straight to the kitchen. Improved order accuracy also puts less pressure on the restaurant’s staff. It also allows restaurants to save resources on food expenses and cut out waste.
Minimize Paper Usage
With a tableside ordering system, restaurants can reduce their paper usage and overdependence on manual paper receipts. And when the restaurants are busy – paper use adds up and incurs significant costs. Whether it’s a credit card or cash payment, not every customer wants a paper-based receipt. Not to mention, most paper receipts are thrown out as soon as payment is finalized.
Improve Security
Usually, restaurants are worried about rising credit card fraud and how it impacts eateries. As tech solutions evolve, cybercriminals find more ways to credit card fraud in the restaurant space. In fact, direct credit card fraud has been haunting the restaurant industry for some time. Restaurants usually hand over their credit cards and don’t make second guesses.
While it may seem professional and efficient, it inevitably leads to credit card fraud. With a tableside ordering system, restaurants and diners can cut out potential fraud. And that’s because the credit card of a customer remains in their hands and sight, leaving no chance for fraud.
Contemporary restaurant owners are at the forefront and ensure their tableside ordering POS system is in compliance with the newest PCI security standards. It is no wonder Apple Pay has become an ideal payment option for customers to make secure contactless payments. It offers added security when a customer makes a payment and doesn’t expose any information to external parties.
Speed Up In-house Restaurant Service
One of the best perks of using tableside ordering is that it makes placing orders and making payments faster. With decreased dining time, restaurants can serve more customers. It also gives staff more time to serve customers in the restaurant. All these outcomes are bound to help restaurants increase their revenue stream through tableside ordering.
When there’s no waiting period for customers to place orders – it accelerates the entire checkout process through contactless payment. As more and more orders are sent straight to the kitchen – it saves a significant chunk of time for the restaurant.
Centralize Information for the Server
A smart tablet or smartphone device provides a server’s instant menu, inventory management options, payment options, and automated pricing. So, if a customer with a peanut allergy wants to know if a specific dish has peanuts, the server doesn’t have to run back and forth to the kitchen to ask the staff. Instead, staff members can communicate this information to the customer from the mobile device at the table.
Get More Positive Reviews and Increase Tips
Once restaurants use a tableside ordering system, they’ll notice an improvement in customer engagement, service speed, and order accuracy. All these factors work out for servers and influence customers to make big tips. It is no secret that heightened customer experience leads to better tips.
Through a tableside ordering system, servers can handle more customers on more tables and get more tips. Customers notice things, and the digital shift to modern-day tableside ordering won’t go unnoticed. It will likely render a great customer experience and influence satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on Yelp and Google.
Become Tech-centric
Implementing and using tableside ordering service shows customers that a restaurant is ready to evolve and adopt future-proof tech solutions. Top-tier restaurants opt for the newest tech solutions from the start to lead the charge in the industry.
And contrary to misguided perception, restaurants don’t lose their unique charm by adopting new tech solutions. Instead, it guides restaurants and diners in a growth-driven direction. Implementing tableside ordering also makes restaurants more flexible. For instance, diners ready to make new tech changes are reaping the long-term benefits of tableside ordering service solutions.
Make Order Taking and Payment Seamless with Tableside Ordering
Clarity matters – get a cup of coffee and review the information. There are many examples out there that affirm tableside ordering, as digital technology, is highly attractive and works wonders for restaurants Besides, customers expect a more refined and efficient dining experience in 2023.
If you want to step up your overall guest experience and customer engagement, you’ll implement tableside ordering tech for your restaurant. In the last decade, digital technology has had a significant improvement. New technology has evolved to the point where restaurants and other service entities can optimize and streamline their core operations.
One of the best aspects of tableside ordering is that it can be personalized to meet a specific restaurant’s needs. It also gives customers more control over their orders and improves their experience. So, instead of waving to a server to inquire about the menu and place an order, customers can utilize the tableside ordering mobile service to review menu items and place orders more conveniently.
Final Thoughts
With tableside ordering technology, you can use small tablet and smartphone devices to make a positive impact on your restaurant business. With tableside ordering, restaurants can better connect with their customers. Whether you run a small or big restaurant, tableside ordering is one of the best ways to improve your existing system’s functionality.
Expect tableside ordering service to become more popular as more restaurants seek to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. With tableside ordering, restaurants can achieve high mobility across their systems. It would make it easier for your restaurant to keep up with changing demands of customers, digitize the customer experience, and boost sales.
