Anyone can become a restaurant operator these days, because technology has given us online platforms that connect sellers and customers far more easily. As a result new restaurants open constantly, and the competition has grown fierce. The old approach of “good service, tasty food” may no longer be enough on its own.
This article shares five ways to win customers over that any restaurant operator can put to use, along with tips on choosing a restaurant POS terminal and a restaurant POS system that suit the way you work. Read on.
Winning customers over — and putting a restaurant POS to work
Give the outlet an interesting name that people remember
This is a tip many people overlook, on the grounds that the name is a small detail not worth much attention and that the time is better spent on the taste and quality of the food. In fact the name has a great deal to do with a restaurant's sales.
In an age when restaurants are opening everywhere, one way to stand out from the competition without spending a thing — using nothing but creativity — is to give the outlet an interesting name. It stops people passing by, or scrolling past on a food delivery app, and they cannot help looking to see what you sell. Even if they do not order in the end, they will certainly remember you, and they may well come back and order from you another day.
It has to be said that this is the age of content. Most people want to tell their friends online about the interesting things in their day, and eating at a restaurant with a strange, eye-catching name is exactly that sort of content. A memorable name helps draw that crowd in too.
Here is an example of a restaurant name that is both interesting and memorable, to make the point. Take “Yoko Donut and John's Lemon”, a doughnut and lemonade shop that cleverly played on the names of John Lennon, the legendary musician from The Beatles, and his wife Yoko Ono, twisting them to fit what the shop sells. Everyone remembers it, even after seeing it just once.
Consistent taste, and quality ingredients
Succeeding in the restaurant business is of course impossible without dishes that taste good. But one thing that may matter even more than taste is standards and consistency.
Most of us have been delighted by the food at a restaurant, gone back for another meal and come away disappointed, because it no longer tasted the way it used to — and never wanted to eat there again. So if you want to turn passing trade into regulars, you have to keep the taste consistent and up to standard. Doing that means choosing good-quality ingredients, and however well the outlet is selling, never getting greedy and cutting ingredient quality for the sake of more profit.
Fast service
However good the food tastes, if the service leaves a poor impression — if every order takes an age, or nothing you say gets a proper response — it will be hard to win customers over and bring them back. In the end the restaurant fails, which is a shame when it passed the taste test.
Good service is therefore something restaurant operators should recognise and take seriously. It helps all the more if you bring in a restaurant POS terminal or a restaurant POS system: as well as being a high-quality billing device for the restaurant, it accepts a range of payment methods quickly and conveniently, which lets staff work more fluidly and handle problems on the spot — and that can leave customers with a good impression too.
Run promotions regularly
Another important tip you cannot overlook if you want to succeed in the restaurant trade is running promotions to create interest, draw customers in and lift sales. Even if your outlet has a distinctive, memorable name, tastes good and offers excellent service, a competitor who falls short on every count but arrives with a tempting promotion can turn the heads of your regulars — because everyone wants the best value.
So restaurant operators should keep an eye on what promotions the competition is running, and on when a promotion of their own makes sense. Otherwise, by the time you notice, the customers who once filled the room may have quietly drifted away.
Choose a high-quality restaurant POS terminal
If you want the work inside the restaurant to flow, choose a restaurant POS terminal to help things along. It brings order to the chaos of an outlet so staff can serve customers quickly and without trouble — and when that happens, customers are impressed and want to come back. A good restaurant POS terminal should cover the following.
- Ingredient management: shows you the ingredients you have left and helps you plan purchasing efficiently
- QR code ordering: customers scan the QR code on the table and order straight away, with no waiting for staff to take the order or the payment
- Sales reporting: view your sales anywhere, at any time
- A wide range of payment methods: credit and debit cards, PromptPay, QR code, cash cards and loyalty points redeemed in place of cash
If you are looking for a restaurant POS system of real quality, it has to be Qashier — it keeps your work running smoothly, with no worries about the billing system for your restaurant. It covers everything from managing the ingredients and products in the outlet to QR code ordering, contactless payment and menu listings, through to collecting sales data so you can see what sells best, along with effective kitchen management. For more information, get in touch on Line Official: @qashier.th or call 02-544-0267