9 Tips and Tricks for Running Your Restaurant Online

Miriam van Heusden
4 min readOct 19, 2020

9 Tips and Tricks for Running Your Restaurant Online

With every restaurant feeling the toll of Coronavirus and shifting consumer behaviour, every meal becomes an opportunity to be proactive online. Below are strategies and tools restaurants around the country are using to create a dining experience worth coming back for again and again.

Location Of Your Restaurant

Your location no longer matters. Everyone’s can access your restaurant location is online. Make it easy on diners to browse your menu, craft their order, and pay by utilising online ordering such as Uber Eats. Not only does this save on labour costs (as phone calls take longer and have more opportunity for error), it allows you to accommodate diners’ preferences.

Photos Increase Your Customers Awareness

Humans are visual creatures. When you can’t rely on sneaking a glance at a dish at the table next to you, photos are the best way to stimulate the senses. With so many options at their fingertips, adding photos to your restaurant’s online ordering site increases the likelihood diners actually make a purchase.

Link Your Online Ordering To Your Website And Social Media

Make your restaurant’s online ordering site easy for customers to find. Add the link in your Instagram bio as well as your website so customers can access your online ordering with the click of the link.

Share The Experience To Your Potential Customers

People want to hear from people. Share a short video with your staff to share how you’re doing, what decisions you’re making, how loyal customers can support you, and the type of experience you’ll deliver.

The Power Of Tagging

Run a contest for a gift card to your restaurant and have followers tag two people to qualify. This can double your exposure while introducing you to potential new customers. Watch for comments like, “I’ve always wanted to try that place!” then respond with, “You can! Place an order online and this deliciousness can make social isolation 100x better.”

Own Your Delivery Service

Give FOH staff an opportunity to take their hospitality from the restaurant directly to customers. Remember, this takes a mindset shift that the location of the restaurant has changed. (Just be sure to check with local regulations and your insurance provider before putting your employees behind the wheel!)

Include A Menu When Delivering Food

Think about a note you can include with your delivery thanking the customer for supporting your restaurant and what it means to your business. Include a one-page menu of your most popular takeout options so next time they’re hungry they know where to go.

Gaining Loyal Customers

Consider offering a coupon or small gift card for a future purchase to remain top of mind for future ordering. If customers have already ordered from you and feel safe doing so, give them a nudge to do it again by offering an incentive. By investing in the first few experiences, you can establish your restaurant as a norm in their routines.

This blog was inspired from Upserve — https://upserve.com/

To find out more about tracking your restaurant online, visit our website https://maralytics.com/track-your-marketing/

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Miriam van Heusden

Hi, I run a software company called Maralytics. My software shows you all your sales, profit, ROI and customer results from your marketing campaigns.