As the smartphone becomes as, if not more essential, than a wallet in navigating today’s world, restaurants are leveraging the smartphones and the web to provide better access to the food that keeps us going.
Using this technology gives restaurants a leg up on the competition: it reduces the friction of ordering, it helps to predict inventory and staffing needs – all while driving customer allegiance and satisfaction. This equates to $$$$ for establishments that leverage mobile self service.
Many major restaurant chains from burgers, to subs to pizza are employing apps to help hungry customers find a nearby location, pre-order food, receive exclusive value coupons and even customize their meal using images of the food. Delivery apps use GPS and mapping to display, in real-time, where a delivery drive is answering the age-old question: “Where is the pizza?”
Consumer loyalty is driven through features ranging from a clear view of nutrition info for selected items, being able to re-order your favorite taco, pizza or sub with one-click, paying via their phone (see.. The phone is more important than that ol’ wallet), collecting rewards (forget those old punch cards) and even by providing exclusive emoji’s allowing customers to convey their love of french fries to friends and family via text.
