Create Your Own Restaurant App and Quadruple Your Restaurant Revenue

A research conducted by RetailMeNot suggests that one in four U.S. consumers has at least one restaurant app on their phone, for various reasons that include gaining loyalty points, order ahead, use digital coupons, or make mobile payments.

“First and foremost, the brands that don’t have any apps simply need to get in the game — and soon,” Ben Gray, digital experience analyst at Applause, says. “Consumers want to interact with restaurants via apps to find the nearest location and order food ahead. Many go elsewhere when they can’t, out of convenience and efficiency.”

Mobile apps have become the latest trend when it comes to doing business. And, the food industry is nowhere behind in this race. Moving, shifting and upgrading with the technological changes are the best way of having a competitive edge over your competitors. The food service industry understands the importance of a restaurant app and is trying their best to extract the maximum revenue by creating their own restaurant app. The fact that about 60% of local searches done through mobile convert a potential buyer into a customer within an hour is enough to visualize the advantages of a restaurant app. 

However, as a restaurant owner, you’re bound to have certain inhibitions regarding creating your own restaurant app. Is it really worth the investment? Would it really quadruple the restaurant revenues? Questions like these can create a lot of uncertainty and hinder your decision-making process. You don’t need to worry though. Let us explain and give you a clear picture of how creating a restaurant app can increase your customer loyalty, boost your revenue and improve your overall business process. Keep reading. You’re not going to regret this, trust us.

1. Efficient in-app menu browsing: A restaurant app allows your customers to browse the food menu on their mobile itself. Isn’t it cool? Having access to a variety of food options on your fingertips and making choices by exploring it all. It is a win-win situation for both the customers as well as the restaurant owner. On one hand, the customers can view inbuilt menu within the app, order the food by sitting conveniently at home and on the other hand, you can complete those orders effectively without having to worry about long queues in the restaurant.
   
2. Effective control during rush hours: There are times when the orders keep piling up and you have little time to fulfill those orders. In such situations, your restaurant app can be your savior. You can easily control your back-end through your mobile app. If you’ve customers who are coming to take their delivery, you can change the pickup time and notify them through the app. Also, you can modify the delivery time so that the customers get a clear idea of the time they’ll get the food. Customers don’t mind waiting for their favorite food if they are informed about it beforehand.
3. Push Notifications: Push notifications allow you to communicate with your customers effectively. It can enhance your restaurant’s revenue to a great deal. You can send push notifications regarding discounts, coupons, happy hours and attract more and more customers to visit or order from your restaurant. There are plenty of young office folks who prefer to try new cuisines everyday and are looking for the availability of discounts. Sending push notifications to such customers can considerably enhance your sales figure.
4. Effective booking and reservation: Creating a restaurant app gives you an inbuilt option of click-to-call where your customers can call instantly, order their food or even book a table. Moreover, even if you’re not in the restaurant and there is no one to answer the calls, the customers can get their table reserved by filling a simple reservation form and wait till you confirm it. All you need to do is check your emails and do the needful.
5. No dependence on intermediaries: If you create your own restaurant app, you eliminate the presence of intermediaries for your restaurant business. These restaurant aggregators might attract customers but, they do a little in building your brand image. Hence, with your own restaurant app, you can save the commissions given to intermediaries and invest in enhancing your brand value.
6. Loyalty and referral programs: A Research says that around 60% of customers will download your app if you provide them with great offers, exclusive deals, coupons and referral codes. Also, 80% of them will even return to your restaurant for extracting the benefits of coupons and codes. Loyalty and referral programs influence customers in spending more and help you increase your revenue generation.
7. Deals based on location: Create a restaurant app and give your customers the best deals based on their location. You can send push notifications to people in your restaurant’s physical proximity and influence them to try out delicious cuisines at your restaurant.
8. Personal touch: The restaurant app allows you to customize your templates, layouts and give it a personal touch according to the taste and preferences of the customers. For example, digital menu cards with enticing photos of cuisines are bound to attract customers so that they can satiate their taste buds.
9. Branding: An app can be a great way of branding your restaurant. It lets you expand your reach and enhance your customer base. Apart from this, a restaurant app can integrate your social media channels and promote social sharing through options of check-ins, enhancing your restaurant branding.
10. Better reviews: You can send push notifications to customers through your restaurant app and ask for reviews. These reviews are a great way for word of mouth promotion and can attract your potential customers to dine at your restaurant. Furthermore, your app can also enable a star based rating system and let customers rate you instantly. These reviews also help in collecting a variety of customer data regarding their taste and preferences. These data can be of great purpose and help you in developing your restaurant in a way that satisfies your customers.

Mobile apps are here to stay. It is slowly and steadily strengthening its roots everywhere including the food industry. Hence, investing in a good restaurant app is the need of the hour which can help you explore new dimensions of success.

 Thinking of building your restaurant app? You’re at the right place then. We at RestroApp work extensively towards giving you a seamless mobile experience for restaurants with our team of dedicated developers. Just drop a line at info@restroapp.com and we will instantly connect with you.