Many industries saw a transformation after the COVID-19 pandemic, but no sector was more heavily impacted than the food and beverage (F&B) industry. During the early months of 2020, food and beverage businesses suffered an 80% reduction in the number of customers around the world, according to findings from the digital company, Reply. This was no doubt a result of social distancing rules, and the public was discouraged or prohibited from dining out.
Fast forward to 2022, and while most countries can safely say that they have overcome the pandemic, the food and beverage industry is no longer the same as before. Since customers’ dining preferences have changed over these past two years, F&B owners have to devise groundbreaking ways to improve their on-site and off-site dining experiences.
Regardless if you run a full-service restaurant or fast-casual food counter, it would be good to know more about these restaurant trends in order to stay ahead of the competition and keep up with the times.
Contactless ordering
Contactless ordering and payment come with many benefits for both the restaurant and its customers. For the former, contactless dining allows staff to be more productive and leads to a faster turnaround time, whereas the latter enjoys more accurate orders and lesser wait times. However, the number one reason why contactless dining has swiftly risen in popularity over the past two years is due to it being more hygienic. As people are no longer required to touch many items, germs and bacteria are less likely to spread around – a hugely vital aspect when running a food business.
There are a number of ways you can implement contactless ordering, such as through QR codes, digital menus, and touchless payments. All these features can be seamlessly linked to a POS (point-of-sale) system. At Edgeworks Solutions, our restaurant POS system in Singapore integrates with our emenu or QR ordering platform seamlessly. Customers are able to place their orders by using their mobile phones, or waiters can simply assist customers in placing orders using the handheld device.
Smart restaurant technology
Labour shortages are not only taking place in Singapore, but around the world as well. This has an extremely negative effect on the food and beverage industry as restaurants rely on workers to carry out cooking, waitressing and other tasks. Fortunately, automation, specifically smart restaurant technology, can help relieve some burden off the shoulders of restaurant owners by taking control of management and performing several roles at once.
This is where a POS system comes into play again. As a POS system streamlines the entire ordering process and workflow in the restaurant, it enables existing employees to channel their time and effort into more important labours, thereby making them more productive. The more mundane tasks, like ordering food, managing takeout orders, and even overseeing inventory, can be done with the POS system.
Deeper customer loyalty
It is not just the food and beverage businesses that find a need these days to boost customer engagement and loyalty. Other businesses in the retail, fitness, and beauty fields are also jumping on the trend as they discover the advantages of customer retention. By going the extra mile and making sure customers have the initiative to keep coming back to your business, you can guarantee boosting your business’ growth and profits in the long run.
A good POS system also provides your business with an opportunity to plan and conduct rewards programs by giving insights into your customers’ dining habits and preferences. As such, you can better meet their needs and improve customer satisfaction.
Food delivery
Gone are the days when food deliveries are only limited to fast-food joints. These days, it is almost a necessity for restaurants to branch out into food delivery in order to expand their business and cater to a wider audience. Considering the fact that more and more people are working from home and showing an increasing preference for consuming high-quality meals at a convenience, restaurants should either create their own delivery service or partner up with delivery platforms.
Edgeworks Solutions’ POS system is specially designed to integrate with mainstream delivery platforms, such as Grab Food, Foodpanda, and other e-commerce platforms. Therefore, your business can immediately offer food delivery without any difficulties.
Conclusion
Running a restaurant is never an easy task. From managing food inventory and executing dishes to ensuring customer satisfaction, the restaurant business carries many financial and managerial risks that a business owner should never take lightly.
At Edgeworks Solutions, we strive to help our clients run their respective businesses as smoothly and effortlessly as possible. This is why we offer POS solutions that are specifically tailored to the food and beverage industry. If you are interested and want to know more about our services, you can drop us a message here.
