Three Reasons Your Restaurant Needs an App

Making a success of your restaurant is everything. It’s a hard struggle, but there are things that you can do to make it that little bit easier. In our opinion, one of these things is a mobile app. Sure, they aren’t suitable for every type of restaurant, but many restaurants can benefit. They are expensive, so it’s important that you consider the option carefully, and make sure that a restaurant app is right for you.

Below are five advantages that you will gain by having an app. If these sound positive and appropriate, then consider talking to an app developer, who can help you bring your app to fruition.

1.      Online ordering:

If you offer a take away service, and you don’t already offer online ordering, then you are seriously missing a trick.

However, most of you will have an online ordering service; but no doubt, it’s through one of the big companies. You know, the ones that take 20% of the total order in commission.

Instead, consider commissioning a mobile app just for your business. The right restaurant app design can offer all of the features of those other apps, but save you 20% of the costs in the long term. In the short term, you obviously have to pay for the app.

2.       Online reservations:

We don’t know of a popular third-party app that offers reservations, so an app can help to fill that gap in the market. Your customers will often be grateful that they can book without talking to anyone – we’re impatient and anti-social these days!

3.        Engagement & Information:

An app is a great way to stay in touch with your customers. You can tell them all about the latest offers and any special occasions that might be happening at the restaurant. A clever restaurant app design will use things like geo-fencing, where the app sends a notification to people that have the app when they come within a certain distance of your restaurant. 

Create More Business with an App

For restaurants and takeaway owners an app is a valuable addition to their marketing strategy.  They have the ability to increase sales by attracting more diners.

Mobile phone users do not only use their apps to access information about weather conditions or to play games.  When they are going on holiday they will enter the app store to obtain information about how to plan a trip. 

Once they get to their destination they will want to research restaurants in unfamiliar territory.  It seems that a great many download these apps on their phone.

Not only holiday makers use these, but also businessmen who travel widely around the world.  It seems crazy, therefore, not to approach a Restaurant app builder in order to get a slice of the cake so that you widen your customer base and increase your turnover.

You as a hotel or restaurant owner will have to have a mobile website developed so that potential diners and customers can access all information about you.

It used to be a costly business in the past to have one of these apps designed, but prices have come down because there are now many independent app development companies around who go for quality rather than quantity.

It follows, therefore, that you don’t have to spend an absolute fortune as a small business to add an app to your repertoire of information.  This has levelled the playing field somewhat and smaller establishments can now compete with the big boys.

You can promote your app on hotel stationery, website and emails to confirm bookings.  Having an app to download for your customers will give the impression that you are up to speed with modern technology.

You should not forget to include Social Media sites such as Twitter.  These can be powerful marketing tools as comments about your restaurants are posted by satisfied customers.

When customers book because of your app, you can always tempt them with special offers such as a discount on meals.