This is part of NRN’s special coverage of the 2012 NRA Show. The show is held in Chicago, May 5-8. Follow all coverage on NRN’s ‘At the Show’ section, check out NRN blogs, Reporter’s Notebook, and Tweet with us using #NRNatNRA.
Operators and technology experts agreed that new ordering systems are not a cure-all, but they still praised new platforms’ ability to increase transactions, boost average checks and improve service.
Speaking at the “Leveraging Online Technologies to Create the Virtual Table” session Saturday at the 2012 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago, Jordan von Kluck, director of information technology of Chicago-based Lou Malnati’s Pizza, said online and mobile ordering are lasting trends, yet still are far from mature.
“Mobile ordering is a huge opportunity for all of us,” von Kluck said. “If you’re not giving your customers a single way to find out about you and to order, you’ll lose business to those who are.”
Jeff Drake, co-founder and president of Chicago-based fast-casual chain Go Roma, joined von Kluck and GrubHub co-founder Mike Evans on the panel. They all agreed that digital platforms not only allow good consumer touch points, but also let restaurants learn and store robust customer information, such as visit frequency and ordering behavior.
A considerable portion of Go Roma’s carryout and catering sales are through online orders or the chain’s mobile app, but Drake wants to shift even more transactions to those platforms to gain labor efficiencies and guest data.
“The more we can move people to our mobile and online ordering, the better our restaurants will run,” he said.
Evans of GrubHub was particularly bullish on mobile ordering’s potential, calling it “the current and future king of restaurant technology.”
Drake and von Kluck reported that both Go Roma and Lou Malnati’s experience a 12-percent lift to average checks when transactions are placed via online or mobile ordering, compared with regular phone orders.
Currently, Go Roma is testing ordering kiosks to try and get the same check-building effect in the dining room, Drake said. The chain also is exploring an application that allows users to order from Go Roma’s Facebook page and the potential return on investment for digital menu boards.
Lou Malnati’s is testing table-top payment systems at some locations, von Kluck said, as well as some iPad menus at its dine-in locations.
In addition, von Kluck said, monitoring social media, which by now should be standard practice for restaurant companies, helps ensure that chains know when new platforms aren’t running as well as they should be.
“Social media is your best friend in that situation,” he said. “If you’re missing orders from these platforms, your customers will let you know in real time on Twitter and Facebook.”
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