The challenges facing the foodservice industry have changed considerably in recent years. With the advent of new digital tools in catering halls, the guest experience is optimized to the maximum to improve satisfaction and reduce lunchtime waiting times.
Discover the digital solutions that are revolutionizing the way we think about catering, and which are now part of our daily lives.
The benefits of a digital guest experience
Installing a digital guest pathway in your collective restaurant, whether in a company, school group, administration or hospital, can help reduce queues. Catering professionals can offer guests a smoother, faster experience, which in turn enhances their satisfaction and loyalty.
For the manager
Gathering useful information
Knowing your guests' preferences and expectations better, analyzing the guest journey, adapting to new consumer habits: these are the challenges that digital will help you meet.
The digitalization of dining and kitchen areas is a real performance driver for foodservice professionals. Today, more and more restaurant managers are recognizing the importance ofa controlled, optimized and seamless digital guest experience for foodservice consumers.
For example, digital technology enables you to better understand how guests make decisions, connect and interact. After analyzing the data collected, you can rectify any critical points that are detracting from the guest experience. The aim is to design menus that appeal to them, based on their tastes and preferences, to make their purchasing journey as easy as possible, and thusencourage their loyalty.
A 100% connected guest journey is ideal for analyzing past sales data, current trends and guest preferences to predict future demand. This enables restaurateurs toanticipate demand based on reliable data, and to plan accordingly.
Optimizing operations
A digitized system simplifies order management, communication with the kitchen and tracking of deliveries. This minimizes errors, improves coordination between different departments and optimizes overall operational efficiency.
Simplify menu management
For the manager, a digital pathway makes it easy to update menus, special promotions and information on available dishes. Menus can be modified in real time, new dishes can be added or removed, and these changes can be quickly communicated to customers. This means greater flexibility in managing the food offer.
For the guest
Reducing lunchtime queues
Digital tools can be used to develop online ordering systems that allow diners to place their orders in advance, thus reducing on-site waiting time. Diners can order and pay online, saving time during their lunch break.
Improving the guest experience
- A more practical meal
Thanks to a digital guest path, guests can place their order online at any time and from anywhere, without having to wait in line or rush to choose their meal. Guests are no longer subject to the stress of time pressure, and can manage their schedules more efficiently.
- Keep track of your history
Digital tools enable diners to track their order history and get details of their consumption directly on their personal space.
- A personalized experience
Online ordering and ordering kiosks, for example, make it easy for diners to personalize their menu according to their dietary preferences or dietary requirements, such as allergies or dietary restrictions.
- Greater transparency
No more stress at checkout! Online ordering systems display prices transparently, which can help guests manage their budgets more effectively and avoid unpleasant surprises at checkout!
How to optimize the guest experience in foodservice in just 3 steps?
By integrating a complete multi-channel order-taking ecosystem with the services offered to diners, contract caterers can offer their customers a high-quality overall experience.
1. Encourage pre-ordering with online ordering
With online ordering, the guest logs on to the online page to access the restaurant's menu. They select the dishes they wish to order and indicate any allergies or dietary restrictions. The guest validates their order and pays online, or directly at the cash desk when they collect their meal tray.
Online ordering in the foodservice sector offers a number of advantages:
- save time by avoiding queues,
- reduce stress during big rushes,
- improve the satisfaction of diners who choose what they want to eat,
- offer a range of products tailored to their needs,
- reduce food waste,
- modernize the culinary experience in foodservice.
2. Ordering made easy with order terminals
An order terminal is a self-service, in-room order-taking system that allows diners to place their orders using a touch screen. Operation is simple and intuitive. Guests navigate the kiosk interface to select the dishes they wish to order. They can browse the different menus of the day, view dish details and add extra options if they wish. They can also personalize their order by adding special instructions, such as food allergies or special requests.
Guests confirm their order and make payment using a payment method accepted by the terminal, such as credit card or personalized badge. They receive a printed ticket containing the details of their order and their order number, which they can use to collect their order from a designated collection counter.
Touch-sensitive ordering terminals in a communal restaurant make diners 100% autonomous. They take the time to choose their dish, without stress or long queues.
3. Streamline checkout with AI tray scanning
Tray Scan is an image recognition solution. It accurately identifies the contents of the meal tray and instantly calculates its total cost, thanks to deep learning technology.
Speed of collection
After choosing the dishes that will make up his lunch, the guest places his tray on a stand-alone kiosk equipped with a webcam that captures an image. The intelligent system analyzes the contents of the tray, then sends it to the checkout software, which instantly calculates the price of the food chosen. The guest then validates and pays for his or her meal using a self-checkout software integrated into the kiosk.
The self-checkout system allows diners to pay for their meal in a matter of seconds, using a pre-loaded E-Wallet badge. In this way, the meal tray scan minimizes the time spent at the checkout, which with this system is just a few seconds.
The tray scanner is highly intuitive, requiring no input or manipulation on the part of guests.
Time saving
This artificial intelligence-based technology reduces queues in self-service restaurants, especially during busy rushes. The result is a pleasant, stress-free experience for diners.
Intuitive and manipulation-free, tray scanning enables fast, contactless payment for an enhanced guest experience and easier operational management.
Customized menus
The scan tray terminal is linked to a global ecosystem that records and analyzes your business data. You can access all this data in real time to effectively control service management. Take advantage of your data to better understand the tastes and preferences of your guests, build loyalty with personalized menus and boost the growth of your business !
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Would you like to digitalize your establishment's guest experience? Contact an Innovorder expert and ask for a free appraisal.
