POS

6 Sweet Ways To Use QR Codes In Your Restaurant

By Daniel Rivkees
SpotOn Powered by POS Philly

QR codes are a great tool to help restaurants grow their business, decrease costs, improve guest experience, and streamline restaurant operations. They may have been a major hype during COVID, but QR codes still have their place as an incredibly effective tool for the hospitality industry. More restaurants are utilizing QR codes to bust lines, reduce hardware, improve satisfaction, and increase feedback. Let’s take a look at how QR codes can help your restaurant.

Line Busting
For QSR concepts, place QR codes at the entrance of your restaurant. Accompany the QR codes with signage that prompts customers to skip the line by scanning the QR code to order. Once customers scan the code, they are taken to your online ordering page. Customers can then order through OLO instead of waiting in line. Now, less customers have to wait in line, resulting in increased satisfaction and less work for your front-of-house.

Reduce Hardware
Restaurants may debate whether self-order kiosks are better than QR codes. One reason QR codes are better? Reduced hardware cost and error points. Creating QR codes costs nothing to restaurants other than printing them out. Kiosks can cost a lot of money that a restaurant may not have capital for. Plus, additional hardware can lead to additional failure points. Faulty plugs, switches, and outlets can halt kiosk service. QR code ordering results in less point of failure compared to kiosks.

Open Tab Feature
Some point-of-sale systems have an open tab feature that allows customers to order without a server. With open tab, customers place the order for their first item, enter their payment information, and can continue to order until checkout. At checkout, customers can prompt to close their order and the payment is processed.

A feature like this can help create a decentralized restaurant. Staff can now focus on bringing out food and drink items faster rather than spending time taking orders. Additionally, customers on average upsell themselves more often then when servers try to. This can result in increased sales.

Increase Table Turnover
Using QR code ordering, again, can decrease time servers spend on going back and forth to tables. With reduced time spent on tending to customers, table turnover now has an opportunity to increase. Less time being spent tables means a higher chance for customers to close out more quickly. For busy restaurants, speed of service is the name of the game. More customers served faster can result in new customers being seated quicker. Increasing table turnover by 2 tables an hour with a $50.00 check average during 4 peak hours 3 days a week can mean $62,400.00 in new revenue per year.

Receive Google Reviews
There are other great ways to use QR codes in your business. Receiving Google Reviews should be a priority for every restaurant. Restaurants with hundreds of Google Reviews are more trustworthy than ones with a few. Create a QR code that sends customers to your Google Business Profile and ask them to leave a review. This can be programmed at the footer of receipts, the entrance of your restaurant, and on menus.

Follow On Social Media
Prompt customers to follow you on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Create QR codes that drive people to your social media profiles. Keep them up to date with specials, events, and new menu items. Customers that interact with your business online are more likely to convert into recurring or new business.

Editor’s Note: POS Philly is a preferred vendor of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association. Contact POS Philly to implement QR codes properly throughout your restaurant. Increase revenue. Decrease costs. Improve guest satisfaction. Streamline restaurant operations. Their team is there to help you with local SpotOn Restaurant POS service and support in the NJ, PA, DE region. To learn more visit www.posphilly.com.

Taverns Tip: Are You Using Your POS for Marketing?

By Daniel Rivkees
POS Philly

Point-Of-Sale systems are a vital component of any bar’s operations. POS has taken the role of bar’s central nervous system. This is where voluntary and involuntary commands are hailed from the front-of-house to back-of-house and beyond. Over the past several years, POS developers have augmented their products’ range. One of the most important developments: turning a POS system into a marketing machine.

POS developers are releasing marketing tools to reach customers. This includes integrated email platforms, SMS text marketing, and digital review management. Bar owners need to think of their POS system as central to their marketing rather than a simple order taking device. POS marketing tools can centralize efforts and streamline campaigns.

Staying in front of customers is a top priority for any business, especially bars. With so much competition, barkeepers need to focus on keeping their loyal customers coming back and how to incentivize new ones to return. Promoting deals like happy hour with in-restaurant posters is one way of accomplishing this. There are better, modern ways of marketing your business through your POS system.

Email Marketing
Reaching customers via email is possible in more POS software packages. Instead of using a costly 3^rd party email platform, utilize your POS system’s email marketing tools. Using in-house, non 3^rd party software makes managing email campaigns easier. A POS email marketing platform can cut email marketing management time in half and reduce costs as well.

It’s legitimate to ask, “how can I collect emails for marketing?” Great point. Products like SpotOn POS can collect emails from a few places.

Require guests using a guest Wi-Fi access point to input email information.
Use emails from customer loyalty program.
Ask customers to subscribe to an email list.
Collect emails from online ordering.

SMS Text Marketing

Let’s take the next step and discuss text messaging. Customers are even more likely to return to a bar if they interact with text message marketing. Texting customers with a short code (six digits) or long code (ten digits) phone number with deals and specials can incentivize recurring business. Use text message marketing to let loyalty customers know about exclusive deals. Notify customers of upcoming live music, beer specials, and more.

Digital Review Management

Another major way to use a POS system for marketing is syncing digital reviews. First impressions can be everything, especially to new potential customers. Answering and responding to Google, Yelp, and Facebook reviews can mean bringing in or turning away new business. SpotOn POS has a digital review module to sync major review platforms into its back-office software. This can help cut down on time managing reviews by reducing logins.

Are you asking, “Is my point-of-sale helping bring in new customers?” See how your POS provider can help you utilize its tools to create new revenue. Contact us at POS Philly if you would like to explore ways to reach more customers. We’re here to help all PA Taverns members 365 days a year.

Editor’s Note: POS Philly is a preferred vendor of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association.

6 Sweet Ways To Use QR Codes In Your Restaurant

Taverns Tip: Are You Using Your POS for Marketing?

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