Much like a website for e-commerce stores, an online ordering system for restaurants – sometimes called contactless table ordering – is one of the best ways for customers to order and purchase their foods without having to leave the house, their table, or stepping out of their car.
With the rise of demand in online ordering, especially amid this pandemic, this food ordering system for restaurants is now becoming essential for F&B businesses. As such, it allows restaurants and cafes to take orders and accept payments remotely, be it online or in-person.
Customers only need to scan the QR code or enter the link provided to access the digital menu. Upon making their menu selection, the customer submits their order and pays using their preferred payment method. Once you receive the order on your POS (point-of-sale) system, you can distribute it to the kitchen.
All that’s left is for the order to be taken to the customer’s table or packaged for delivery. As such, this speeds up the entire online ordering process while eliminating the need for taking orders between the staff and customer.
What are the Benefits of an Online Ordering System for Restaurants?
There are several benefits of having an online ordering system for restaurants, among them are:
- Streamlined operations
- Safer social distancing
- Increase customer reach
- Fully integrated and customisable
- Reduced cost
- Streamlined operations
When you have an online ordering system for restaurants, you can expect a smooth ordering experience from the customer to the kitchen. Upon placing their orders on the food ordering system, customers are aware of the food they ordered and its price.
After which, the orders made will be seamlessly sent directly to your POS system and the kitchen. This means less room for error during order taking and when it’s time to settle the bill. There’s also less chance of incorrect charging and fewer free meals handed out to appease them.
- Safer social distancing
As Singapore’s borders gradually open to foreigners, F&B businesses will need to step up their game to meet the island’s health and safety regulations amid this pandemic. Owners will need to ensure safe social distancing and clean tables while implementing contactless ordering and/or payment methods.
Even if you’re a small café owner, social distancing doesn’t have to be stressful with an online ordering system. This allows customers to order and pay from their table inside, outside the store, or even from the comforts of their home with the aid of delivery partner(s).
- Increase customer reach
With the new normal, online ordering and payments are becoming more accepted and expected. If your menu and payment system is hassle-free, you can expect customers to return, who may even recommend your F&B business to their friends and ultimately, increase your business’ customer reach.
As such, customers will choose your F&B business over a competitor who may offer similar foods and drinks but without the convenience of contactless ordering and payment. Also, by partnering with delivery services, you’re extending your F&B services to every part of Singapore, reaching more people than you can imagine.
- Fully integrated and customisable
By integrating your online menu with your online ordering system, you can customise them according to menu categories. On top of that, you can easily offer seasonal promotions as a way to increase customer spending.
Should a customer place their orders online but choose to pick up their order afterwards, the food ordering system can classify such orders accordingly. This means you can avoid sending out the wrong order, which minimises the cost you might have to incur.
- Reduced cost
With a card terminal, you need to consider the accompanying fees that can reduce the bottom line of your F&B business. In some cases, the fees may require a large portion of your earnings. Thus, reducing the ability for your business to thrive.
On the contrary, an online ordering system for restaurants is a lot cheaper because it’s all digital and you get to keep your entire earnings from takeaways or dine-in orders. As such, this will allow you to provide better F&B services to your customers.
Limitations of Online Food Ordering System
Every food ordering system has its benefits and drawbacks. In the case of online food ordering system, there are several limitations to it such as:
- Delivery partners may endanger themselves
- Revenue conflicts between F&B and delivery providers
- Quality of food may suffer
- Delivery partners may endanger themselves
Regardless of the weather, be it rain or shine, your delivery partner will endure Singapore’s extreme weather to deliver an online food order from your restaurant to your customers. They may also be involved in road accidents while doing the delivery – just to ensure that your customer’s order is delivered within the timeframe.
- High commission from food delivery platforms
Not every F&B owner can afford to employ several delivery persons and bear all the transport and remuneration costs. Hence, they partner up with delivery providers to extend their online food ordering services. However, these platforms often charge high commission up to 30% that eats into the revenue of the F&B business. F&B owners either choose to absorb this cost to keep their menu attractive or mark up their prices to factor in this cost.
- Quality of food may suffer
One main problem with the online food ordering system is that the quality of food served may not be up to par with the one served during dine-in. At the same time, food that has been ordered online and delivered over long distances by a delivery partner tends to get cold over time. This is more severe during lunch or dinner hours.
What you can do as an F&B owner when embarking on an online food ordering system is to look into the fine print about your delivery providers and come up with a creative way of ensuring that the food delivered to your customer remains fresh off the stove/out of the oven.
Despite these limitations, implementing an online ordering system for your restaurant will ultimately benefit your F&B business in the long run, allowing your business to be more scalable and profitable, especially in this new normal where dine-in is restricted.
With an online food ordering system like QashierEats, you’ll get all the benefits mentioned above, integrated into our all-in-one POS system, with an initial cost of only $1/day. On top of that, it’ll also help your business run smarter and smoother while growing your sales. Along with an integrated payment processing channel, you can count on the system to accept every type of payment using the food ordering system provided.
Speak to us to see if Qashier’s Smart POS can meet your business needs. Schedule a meeting with us here, call us at (+65) 3165 0155, WhatsApp (+65) 8882 8912, or email [email protected].