5 Reasons Why Restaurants Need Contactless Mobile Pay-at-Table Solutions
With vaccines rolling out, 2021 will hopefully be the year that restaurant operations can resume as normal. However, as states open back up, restaurants will face staffing issues, as much of the population won’t be vaccinated yet and won’t want to risk working in restaurants where risk is high. Further, many restaurants will still be financially recovering from capacity limits and shutdowns and might not be able to afford the staff they need.
Staffing issues like these are why restaurants need to leverage contactless mobile pay-at-table solutions that will allow them to operate with only table runners and kitchen staff. Dine-in customers can scan a QR code at the table to browse the menu, place their order, and enter their payment information from their phone—no servers needed. Keep reading to discover why this kind of solution will be critical for restaurants in 2021.
Reduce Face-to-Face Contact
Regardless of states opening up, health and safety should still be at the forefront of all restaurant operations. The use of mobile pay-at-table solutions will effectively reduce face-to-face contact as servers aren’t needed to tend to customers. Instead, only a food runner will briefly interact with customers to deliver their order to their table. This will ensure that harmful pathogens aren’t spread between customers and staff.
The use of this solution will also help restaurants bring in business once operations return to normal. Many people will be hesitant to return to indoor dining; however, with an order and pay-at-table solution, restaurants can encourage these customers to return and assure them it is more than safe to dine in at the establishment.
Streamline Restaurant Management
In addition to reducing face-to-face contact, mobile pay-at-table solutions will also work to streamline restaurant management. The solution removes the middle man, the server, in the process and reduces lags in operations. This makes managing restaurant processes a lot easier when there aren’t as many cogs in the machine.
With fewer employees to manage, restaurant managers can spend less time creating week-by-week schedules, catering to each employee’s needs, and dealing with call-offs. This also means managers will spend less time training employees, allowing them to focus their efforts on more important tasks to better the business.
Expedite Transactions
There’s nothing worse than a customer waiting too long for a server to come around with their check. Often, this is a common complaint among customers who claim to have had a poor dining experience. With a mobile pay-at-table solution, customer transactions will become a walk in the park. When a customer is ready to leave, they can select “check out” on their device. Their payment information is automatically charged; no more waiting for the server to bring the check, process payment cards, and bring receipts back for signatures.
Increase Table Turnover
By eliminating the time customers would traditionally spend waiting for their server to take their order and give them their bill, customers can get in and out of the restaurant as soon as possible. This will increase table turnover rates, allowing restaurants to serve more people per day and causing revenue to soar. It will prove especially helpful to restaurants looking to make up lost revenue due to capacity limits and shutdowns while also giving them a competitive edge with speedy service.
Maximize Ticket Size
Lastly, a mobile pay-at-table solution can help restaurants maximize their revenue with larger ticket sizes. Sometimes, when a server takes orders, customers feel as though they haven’t had enough time to look at the menu and must quickly decide what they want. On the other hand, with an order and pay-at-table solution, customers have unlimited time to browse the menu. Traditionally, more time with the menu leads to larger ticket sizes, as customers discover more things they would like.
Order and pay-at-table solutions also provide restaurants with upselling opportunities, encouraging customers to add drinks, sides, sauces, and more on-screen. Additionally, customers can easily add items to their bill at any time, and since they only have to enter their payment information once, the process is simple and hassle-free.
A solution like this will be a lifesaver as restaurants open up and the public returns to in-person dining. While QR codes aren’t an entirely new concept, current solutions only allow customers to scan a code at their table to browse the menu or pay their bill through a QR code on their receipt.
Luckily, Focus POS has the all-in-one solution: @Table. With this order and pay-at-table solution, customers can browse the menu, select items, enter their payment information, and check out whenever they please—all without the help of a server. Looking to conquer staffing issues and get ahead of the competition as states open back up? Contact our team of experts at Focus POS today to get started with your @Table solution.
