Just one year ago, social distancing wasn\u2019t really a thing.<\/p>\n
Restaurants used to be the one place people could totally hang out and have a good time with friends and family.<\/p>\n
Enter Covid-19\u2026<\/p>\n
And it has become a buzzword, right next to the word \u201cventilator\u201d.<\/p>\n
Governments of the world took initiative and created social distancing guidelines for businesses to follow. While social distancing is great for safety reasons, it hurt a lot of businesses that thrive on social gathering.<\/p>\n
Amongst the host of businesses that got hit by social distancing, restaurants had it the worst.<\/p>\n
A lot of them declared bankruptcy two months into the lockdown and the others barely scraped by. Making any money at all became a really big deal.<\/p>\n
If your restaurant is still open, I applaud you.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure you have had to dramatically change your daily operations in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines.<\/p>\n
Luckily, in this post, I have outlined 5 self-service technologies that would help you do just that.<\/p>\n
Print menu before and during covid-19:<\/p>\n
Before Covid-19<\/em><\/strong>: Yay, let\u2019s see what you\u2019ve got for me today.<\/em><\/p>\n During Covid-19<\/em><\/strong>: Handing me a print menu, are you crazy? Do you want to get me infected?<\/em><\/p>\n That scenario pretty much sums up what has become of print menus since the coronavirus pandemic hit. What was once a harmless restaurant item quickly became a potentially dangerous one.<\/p>\n What can I say? I blame the coronavirus.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s something better you can do than blaming \u2013 using virtual menus!<\/p>\n Digital menus<\/a>, readable by QR codes, have stepped in to save the day. This self-service technology simply transforms your print menu into a digital form that can be accessed on your customers\u2019 devices.<\/p>\n They work just like barcodes, just cooler.<\/p>\n All your customers need to do is break out their phones, scan the QR code, and your menu will show up on their screens. Then they can select a meal, pay for it, and have it delivered to them.<\/p>\n The great thing about QR code menus is that customers do not have to install any apps on their phones. And that\u2019s because most modern devices come with a built-in QR code reader.<\/p>\n By the way, you should totally check out this digital menu creator<\/a>. It helps you create your very own digital restaurant menu, and fully customize it just for your company.<\/p>\n Simply create an account and start uploading your company logo and menu photos. Afterwards, you generate a unique QR code that your customers can use to view your menu. Easy as pie.<\/p>\n Try it now<\/a>.<\/p>\n Social distancing guidelines advice that people should keep a distance of about 6 feet from other people in public places.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, it can be pretty difficult to order a meal in a restaurant 6 feet away from the counter.<\/p>\n Or even form a line with 6 feet of space between each person. In some restaurants, a line like that would get to the moon.<\/p>\n Thanks to self-service solutions like self-ordering kiosks, customers can view your menu and place orders without ever interacting with your staff.<\/p>\n Self-service kiosks come in a variety of designs, but they usually spot a touch screen and a user-friendly digital interface. They also link directly with your POS. With this, each customer\u2019s order is sent straight to the kitchen for preparation.<\/p>\n To prevent the spread of infection, some kiosks are built to hold disinfecting gels or wipes.<\/p>\n Additionally, there are some recent designs that can integrate with your QR menu. This means that customers can peruse your menu on their mobile devices and pay using kiosks payment platform.<\/p>\n Making payment is a crucial step in the customer journey. While many businesses accepted digital payments, restaurants still made transactions with cash.<\/p>\n Conventionally, customers either had to pay with hard cash or swipe out their credit cards to use the POS.<\/p>\n All that changed, no thanks to the pandemic.<\/p>\n Handing out cash or signing a credit card receipt meant customers would have to interact with restaurant staff. This is no longer acceptable for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n Contactless payment technology digitally bridges this payment gap caused by the current pandemic. With this, customers can make payments without interacting with any restaurant staff.<\/p>\n How?<\/p>\n This self-service technology works wirelessly (hence the term contactless<\/em>\u2026). It uses radio waves or what is known as near field communication<\/em> to link the customer with the payment terminal.<\/p>\n As a result there\u2019s zero contact between the customers\u2019 card and the checkout terminal thereby reducing the risk of infection.<\/p>\n\n
Self-Service Kiosks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Contactless Payment<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n