Restaurants have faced an uphill climb due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the good news is that vaccines are offering hope. As such, many restaurateurs are planning their reopening strategies, and some have even reopened already. All of this is great news for restaurant owners and diners alike, but with all of the demand for in-person dining, you may be struggling to compete or attract customers for the next few months. This is why it’s important to think about the different ways you can boost your image, reputation, and word-of-mouth recommendations as the world continues to move through this time of transition. Keep reading for just a few ways to level up your restaurant game in 2021 and beyond.
Don’t ditch online ordering just yet.
While you might be eager to stop using online ordering systems, many customers are still ordering pickup or delivery from restaurants. In fact, online food ordering is a great advertising tool and can help you build a pipeline of loyal customers who learn to love your food without ever setting foot in your establishment. As such, it’s a good idea to keep online ordering around, since the convenience it offers hungry customers is likely worth the hassle of dealing with multiple food delivery apps. If you’ve been struggling to keep up with multiple devices handling incoming orders from Grubhub, DoorDash, ChowNow, and more, consider getting a restaurant online ordering system that seamlessly integrates all of these platforms into one device. This type of ordering system will keep you from pulling your hair out and ensure that your customers are still able to make purchases at your restaurant using their preferred mobile app of choice.
Let your food speak for itself.
Whether you’re a small restaurant or a big restaurant, it’s important to let your food be the star of the show. Most restaurant owners don’t realize that this is easier to do than they first might think. That’s because with a Canon EOS R5 or similar mirrorless camera, you can take stunning photos and videos of your food easily. The EOS R5 is great because it works with different lenses, too, so if you want to use it to take photos of your staff to post on your restaurant website or film customer testimonials for your Facebook page, you’ll be able to do so. Simply pop out the memory card and upload your photos and video to your computer, then use a website like Canva or Adobe Spark to add some pizazz to your content before you post it on your Instagram or Facebook page.
Have fun with a refresh.
If you’re a small restaurant, make sure to think about ways that you can improve your restaurant before you welcome customers back in. Maybe now’s the time to rearrange the flow of your dining area so that it can accommodate guests more comfortably. Even a fresh coat of paint can make a big difference in providing a welcome return for your loyal customers. It may even be time to take a look at your own website and social media channels to see if they’re worth refreshing, too. Once everything fully opens up, you won’t have this kind of downtime again, so use it wisely!
Restaurant owners have been hit hard by the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to rebuild their restaurants to their former glory. By keeping an online ordering platform so customers can make pickup or delivery orders, making smart and functional design choices, and using images and video to your advantage, you’ll be able to put your best foot forward and win back your lost profits in no time at all.
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