As social distancing restrictions continue easing amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant industry—hardest-hit during the lockdowns—has responded positively to the crisis, finding ways to safeguard their workers and their customers.
Restaurants across the country have reopened for dine-in and patio seating, yet the lingering effects of the pandemic have many patrons limiting their meal experiences to curbside, carry-out and contactless delivery service options. With many guests still averse to eating inside dining establishments, the potential for significantly dwindling revenue remains top of mind for restaurant owners. While safety protocols have helped mitigate the impact, with a slow return of customers to their tables, the restaurant of the future will need to further evolve to meet consumer demand.
Though demand for contactless delivery and payment was already predicted to trend upward this year, the pandemic accelerated the restaurant and hospitality’s need for all contact-free solutions. In the point-of-sale business, restaurants are specifically challenged with upgrading or adopting new technology.
In the current economy, digital ordering software provider NovaDine outlines five out-of-the-box solutions to enable restaurants to quickly transform their service model for adaptation to the “now normal.”
Contactless Delivery through Third-Party Marketplace
Contactless delivery through third-party marketplace has become a necessity, providing a more seamless and safe experience for the guest as well as an increased demand for your products. Third-party delivery orders are downloaded automatically and seamlessly into your POS system via NovaDine’s full bi-directional marketplace to POS integration with all the major players. NovaDine is also one of the few digital ordering providers with full menu, order, and POS integration to delivery giant Grubhub. Menus and pricing are kept up-to-date and in-sync in real time across the chain each time the POS system is updated.
Contactless Delivery through Delivery as a Service
NovaDine’s Delivery as a Service (DaaS) feature is fully integrated with both the restaurant’s in-store POS System and delivery service providers such as Postmates, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. DaaS allows consumers to engage in a user-friendly process to place delivery orders from the restaurant’s NovaDine site. The order is then dispatched for delivery through one of the service providers. The best service provider is automatically selected by NovaDine’s delivery engine using an algorithm that provides the customer the lowest delivery fee at the promised delivery time. DaaS is a money-saving option for restaurants as it foregoes third-party marketplace fees, and NovaDine provides it to their clients with no additional transaction fees per order.
Contactless Delivery with Delivery Management
For operations that provide delivery service to their customers, NovaDine provides native delivery support with driver management and routing. There are three ways NovaDine defines delivery, which can be used individually, or in conjunction with one another: Delivery map with map rules, Radius rules, and Zone rules. Any delivery fee you may charge is fully adjustable, both by dollar amount and percentage, and all rules you assign can have an adjustment.
Contactless Curbside Pickup
Contactless Curbside Pickup enhances restaurants’ compliance with social distancing measures by eliminating any contact between the server and the customer’s vehicle. Customers can place their orders online via any device and then, upon arrival at the location, “check in” with identifying information (parking slot number, make/model/color of your vehicle, etc.). NovaDine uses that identifying information to craft a unique customer identification alert notifying the POS when the customer has arrived and their specific location. This convenient check-in opportunity streamlines the process so that the customer does not have to call the restaurant upon arrival. Customers enjoy the safety and convenience of staying in their vehicle, and restaurants are able to comply with current restrictions.
Virtual Kitchens
Virtual kitchens, also known as ghost kitchens, allow a restaurant to test new menus and offer items that may not be compatible with your current concept or to present a completely different concept. They also provide more visibility on third-party marketplaces with the restaurant being listed under multiple concepts/menus.
The “Now Normal”
Despite the upheaval brought on by COVID-19, the future of restaurants remains bright. New challenges bring new innovations that will forever change the lineup of options that are available to operators. While it is uncertain where the delivery trend will go post-COVID-19, NovaDine’s technology allows restaurateurs to provide takeout and delivery options that meet social distancing guidelines, exceed customer expectations and provide a source of revenue during the pandemic.
With an uncertain future, it is not far-reaching for contactless options to become the “now normal,” making companies like NovaDine the lifeline for restaurants across the country.
Download the NovaDine whitepaper, Solution-driven for the “New Normal” to learn more about how NovaDine can help enable your restaurant to adapt for exceptional customer experiences.
About NovaDine
NovaDine provides on-demand customized digital order management solutions for the restaurant industry. Our intuitive and seamless technology integrates state-of-the-art platforms, automation, advanced analytics and end-to-end visibility into the order management process to help streamline restaurant operations. By coupling innovative technology with impeccable customer service, we empower businesses to deliver exceptional customer experiences, improve operational efficiencies and increase their bottom lines. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have enhanced our technology with easy-to-deploy and responsive features, enabling our customers to increase sales by up to 465 percent. www.novadine.com