The Ultimate Restaurant Tech Stack for 2024: Boost Efficiency and Delight Customers
In the fast-paced and highly competitive world of hospitality, having the right restaurant technology stack is crucial for success. With customers demanding user-friendly online experiences and your team requiring operational efficiency, embracing the latest tech solutions is no longer an option – it's a necessity. In this article, we'll explore the must-have components of a modern restaurant tech stack and who the leading providers in the space are.
Website and First-Party Online Ordering Integration
Your website is the digital storefront of your restaurant, and it needs to make a lasting first impression on all visitors. Invest in your digital storefront using website platforms like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress that allow for easy content management. These platforms also make it easy to integrate with the online ordering system you’ll wind up working with.
Partnering with a first-party online ordering solution that integrates directly with your point-of-sale (POS) system is a game-changer. You will want to reach out to your POS provider and ask what first-party online ordering solution they integrate with. POS platforms like Toast, Clover, and Square offer their own online ordering capabilities that sync seamlessly with their POS systems.
Other first-party ordering solutions include DoorDash Storefront, Flipdish, and ChowNow.
Menu Management, Craveworthy Pictures, and Personalized Marketing
Gone are the days of static PDF menus. Customers demand an interactive and visually appealing menu experience. Having mouth-watering photographs of your food is not an option, but rather a requirement. Fortunately, solutions like MenuSuite, BentoBox, and Upserve offer state-of-the-art menu builders that allow you to showcase beautiful photos of your dishes, detailed descriptions, and even included customer reviews.
Delivery Service Providers and Third Party Integration
Most online food sales are done through the three major delivery service providers in the United States: DoorDash, Ubereats, and Grubhub. It is crucial to work with these companies by being featured on their marketplace. This will optimize your online ordering success while giving you access to most online ordering consumers.
To maximize operational efficiency, you will want to route orders from these delivery service providers directly to your POS. This can be done through integrators such as Deliverect, Cuboh, and Checkmate.
DECISION-MAKING with Analytics and Reporting and Chargebacks
Data-driven decision-making is crucial for the success of any modern restaurant. Integrate your online ordering systems with a robust reporting and analytics platform like Loop, Voosh, or Otter. These solutions offer dashboards that visualize your results from all online ordering platforms that you are leveraging. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and identify trends in areas such as sales, marketing, reviews, and more.
There are often chargeback disputes between restaurants and the marketplace when customers are unhappy with their orders or claim missing items. At scale, these chargebacks are challenging for an organization to monitor. Leverage AI through chargeback disputes on these same platforms.
By working with Catapult, a proven and reputable virtual brand provider, you will have a trusted expert on your team managing all of the important tactics detailed in this post. Catapult takes on the responsibility of integrating with leading delivery platforms, curating craveable delivery-only menus, while leveraging best in class software to make data driven decisions.
Reach out to Catapult today to start growing your online food sales.