How Online Menu Management Streamlines Operations
The restaurant industry is arguably one of the most fast-paced and hectic environments that can quickly become overwhelming to even the most seasoned restaurateurs. While disorganized operations can negatively impact restaurant management and staff, they also directly affect the customer experience—and not in a positive way. With all of that pressure, the last thing you want to worry about is your menu. That’s where online menu management comes in. With the ability to change your menu online, you’ll add much needed consistency to your brand and bring ease to restaurant management. Keep reading to discover how online menu management can streamline your restaurant operations for a better experience, both for you and your customers.
Consistent Menu Across Locations
Menu consistency is key to solidifying your brand image, especially if you’re operating in more than one location. Simply put, you should be offering the same items at each of your locations. Inconsistent menu offerings across locations will dilute your brand and negatively impact the customer experience.
For instance, many customers have go-to favorites that they like to order from your restaurant. If they visit another location of yours and are unable to get their regular order, they will become confused and frustrated. This inconveniences the customer because now in order to get what they want, they must go to the location that offers it. By keeping your menu consistent across locations with online menu management, you can maintain your brand image and reputation. It’s also beneficial for your online reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations—if multiple locations are consistent, you can capture a wider audience.
Menu Consistency Online as well as In-Store
Just as keeping your menu consistent across multiple locations is beneficial, it’s equally important to keep your menu consistent and current online. Providing customers with accurate information is essential; just as you wouldn’t want customers showing up while you’re closed, and the same goes for your menu. Outdated items, expired specials, or incorrect prices will disappoint customers and discourage them from returning in the future.
For this reason, whenever you make a change in offerings, prices, or specials, it’s crucial to update your online menu right away. This also goes for wherever else your menu lives, including on Google My Business, Facebook, and Yelp.
Update Menu From the Comfort of Your (Home) Office
As a manager or business owner, menu management from the checkout register or bar is inefficient. You can’t seem to get any work done because you constantly have to leave your office to carry out tasks on a POS terminal.
Luckily, the days of running back and forth from your office are over. With online menu management, you can gain full control over your menu from anywhere you are, whether that’s from the back office or your own home. Quickly make changes to your menu without having to go to the POS terminal–or even your restaurant–allowing your workflow to be streamlined and customer experience to remain uninterrupted.
Real-Time Updates Store/Location/Channel-Wide
As mentioned earlier, the restaurant industry can often be fast-paced and hectic. Sometimes, things happen that restaurant owners and managers aren’t prepared for. For example, during busy hours you may run out of a certain ingredient and as a result are unable to make a certain dish on the menu. Your customers keep asking for it and your servers have to keep telling everyone that they are out of ingredients. This damages your reputation and makes customers unhappy when they can’t get their favorite dish. Additionally, it is hard on your servers as they keep having to disappoint customers.
This issue can be resolved with online menu management. When you’re out of an ingredient, you can immediately update your menu and have it reflected across all locations and channels in real time. This will limit customer frustration and disappointment when they’ve decided on an item that is not available. Real-time updates also translate to faster sales of your new items, as there’s no lag between being ready to sell it and it being available to your customers.
Outdated or inconsistent information can cost you in sales and customer loyalty. Similarly, delays in updates can cause frustration and damage your reputation. With online menu management, you can limit these frustrations and losses to your brand by ensuring that your menu always reflects accurate, current information.
NCC has the perfect solution that allows the front end of your business to work in concert with your desktop or laptop, allowing for online menu management that leaves you in full control. Contact our team of experts today to learn more about our POS and PC Workstation solutions.
