What Is Contactless Dining?
Contactless dining is a form of restaurant service that offers customers the convenience and safety of ordering their food without having to meet with any waitstaff. It allows diners to order from an online menu or self-ordering kiosk, pay for their meal digitally, and have it either delivered or picked up by them.
This type of restaurant service has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its numerous advantages over traditional sit-down restaurants.
Contactless Ordering Benefits
From enhanced customer safety, improved operational efficiency, a faster turning of tables to reduced staff, and much more. Contactless ordering restaurants offer a range of benefits that make them attractive to both restaurant owners and customers alike.
1) Better Order Accuracy
One of the biggest advantages of contactless dining is that it reduces errors associated with orders. In traditional restaurants, mistakes can be made when taking customer orders or having a waiter or waitress write down the wrong item on a ticket.
With contactless kiosks and contactless qr code menus, these errors are virtually eliminated as customers enter their own order and payment information directly into a digital system. This ensures that all orders placed are accurate and eliminates any discrepancies in the ordering process.
2) Safer
Another great benefit of contactless dining is that it provides a much contactless ordering benefits environment for customers and staff.
Less Face-to-Face
Because contactless dining eliminates the need for customers to interact directly with staff members, they are exposed to fewer potential health risks. This was especially beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic, where face-to-face interaction should be restricted and minimized as much as possible.
Less Surfaces
Contactless dining also reduces the number of surfaces that need to be touched by both staff and customers. This helps reduce the spread of germs, further increasing customer safety when dining at a contactless restaurant.
Less Fraud
Contactless dining also offers an additional layer of security for customers. Using a digital payment system eliminates the risk of losing cash or credit cards to fraudsters.
In addition, customers can enter their information directly into the secure digital system, decreasing the chances of fraudulent activity occurring.
3) Bigger Checks
Contactless dining also allows restaurant owners to increase their average check size. In addition, by offering customers the convenience of self-ordering directly from an online menu, customers are more likely to order additional items as they don’t have to wait for a waiter/waitress or kitchen staff to be available for them.
This means that with contactless dining, restaurants can expect to see an increase in their overall revenue and profit margins.
4) More Productive Staff
Another benefit of contactless dining is that it allows staff to be more productive. As they don’t have to spend time talking to customers and taking orders, the staff can focus their attention on other tasks, such as preparing food or cleaning up the restaurant. This helps them work more efficiently and reduces overall labor costs for the restaurant.
In addition, as contactless ordering systems are usually automated, staff members can spend less time worrying about entering customer orders correctly and more time attending to customer needs.
5) Faster Turnover
Contactless dining also allows restaurants to increase their table turnover rate. As customers can enter orders and make payments quickly, staff members can get tables turned over more quickly. This allows restaurants to serve more customers within a given period. This helps to maximize customer satisfaction as well as revenue.
6) Lower Staff Costs
Finally, contactless dining can help reduce overall labor costs for restaurants. By offering customers the convenience of ordering directly from the menu or an online system, restaurants don’t need to hire as many waiting staff to take orders and deliver food. This can result in a reduction in overall payroll costs and increased profitability.
Overall, contactless dining has a range of benefits that make it attractive to restaurant owners and customers alike. If you take a look at McDonald’s self-ordering kiosks, you can clearly see the potential of contactless dining and how it can benefit your restaurant.
Setting Up Contactless Dining in Your Restaurant
If you’re interested in setting up contactless dining in your restaurant, there are a few key steps that you should take.
1) Find an Integrated POS
The first step is to find an integrated point-of-sale (POS) system that supports contactless dining. An integrated POS system is a single platform that combines payment processing, customer data management, and a restaurant’s back-end operations.
This will allow you to manage all of your restaurant’s transactions in one place while providing customers with the convenience of contactless ordering.
POS systems also typically offer a range of features, such as loyalty rewards programs, guest analytics, and employee management tools that help you streamline your restaurant’s operations.
2) Create an Online Menu
Once you have an integrated POS system in place, you should create a digital menu for your customers. This could be either on your restaurant’s website or on a third-party platform, such as GRUBBRR.
A digital menu is important to ensure that customers can easily find the items they want and place orders easily. It also helps restaurant owners manage inventory and track customer preferences more effectively.
To create your restaurant’s online menu, you should start by listing out all of your menu items, including prices and descriptions. You should also include images to help customers make informed decisions about their orders.
3) Create QR Codes
The next step is creating QR codes for each menu item. QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned using a smartphone camera. So, in other words, these are simple images that customers can scan with their phones or tablets to place orders without speaking to a staff member. A contactless menu QR code helps to streamline the ordering process and offers customers a more convenient way to order their food.
4) Integrate Contactless Payment
The last step is to integrate contactless payment into your restaurant’s operations. This could be either through an integrated POS system or via a third-party payment processor such as Apple Pay, PayPal, or Google Pay.
Integrating contactless payment options will allow customers to quickly and securely pay for their orders without waiting in line at the cash register. This helps reduce waiting times and allows restaurants to serve more customers in less time.
Are There Any Downsides to Contactless Dining?
Although contactless dining has many benefits, there are also some drawbacks to consider. For contactless systems to work properly, restaurants must have reliable internet access. Without this, customers won’t be able to place orders or make payments.
There is also the issue of customer data privacy. While contactless systems can help restaurants learn more about their customers and manage operations in real-time, they can also pose a risk regarding customer data security.
Therefore, restaurants should ensure that all customer information is secure and encrypted before being stored on any digital platform. To ensure information is secure and encrypted, restaurants should consider investing in a data protection system.
Finally, there is the issue of customer experience. Contactless systems may make it easier for customers to order and pay for their food, but they can also detract from the overall dining experience if not implemented properly. Restaurants should focus on creating a positive customer experience in order to ensure that customers have a pleasant experience and are more likely to return.
Overall, contactless dining offers a range of benefits, making it an attractive option for restaurant owners and customers. Its convenience, efficiency, and flexibility help make it one of the best solutions for both customers and restaurants.
Contactless Dining With GRUBBRR
GRUBBRR is a leading contactless dining solution that helps restaurants increase customer convenience, streamline operations and boost revenue. In addition, this solution offers a range of features to help make the ordering process more efficient and secure.
GRUBBRR offers an integrated POS system with touchless menus, QR code scanners, and contactless payment options such as Apple Pay, PayPal, or Google Pay. This allows customers to quickly place orders and securely pay for their food without waiting in line at the cash register.
The platform also helps restaurants manage inventory and track customer preferences in real-time, allowing them to better understand their customers’ needs and create personalized experiences for each individual.
FAQ:
What is contactless dining or dine-in?
Contactless dining is a simple and secure way for customers to order food from restaurants. Customers use contactless menus and QR codes or use payment processing systems such as Apple Pay, PayPal, and Google Pay to securely pay for their meals without waiting in line at a cash register.
What counts as a contactless tech in a restaurant?
Contactless technology in restaurants are solutions that limit the amount of human contact between staff and customers. These solutions can take various forms, including online reservations and ordering, contactless payment systems, automated order kiosks, and more.
How do contactless menus work?
Contactless menus are digital menus designed to reduce the risk vector associated with contact between restaurant staff and customers. Contactless menus allow customers to view a restaurant’s menu items and order food without physically contacting restaurant staff or materials.
