08 Aug The Value of Integrating all Digital Food Ordering Channels With Your Point of Sale System

Company-owned apps, third-party delivery services, desktop, and mobile websites, and texting emojis make up some options customers have for ordering their favorite foods. Unfortunately, restaurant operators continue to fall behind their competitors for a common reason; their POS was not originally designed with integration with online platforms in mind. The industry is accelerating toward digital ordering, and convenience is now more important than service alone. According to the New York Post, up to 82% of Americans order delivery once every two weeks, and they spend more than $100 per month on it. However, statistics also skew, revealing millennials may have higher delivery rates than other generations, as well as lack the time or skills to make meals at home. Restaurant operators have an opportunity to capture a larger share of the delivery market by understanding the value of integrating all digital food ordering channels with the POS system. 

Challenges in Managing Digital Food Ordering Channels 

Digital food ordering is the latest revolution in restaurants, as well as the hospitality industry. Consumer demands are increasing, and they expect an arsenal of food delivery options at their fingertips. Unfortunately, significant challenges exist, including:

• Multiple locations. 
• Broader delivery area.
• Multiple delivery partners.
• Creation of branded experiences.
• Reducing disruption to dine-in guests.
• Eliminating heavy, in-store traffic.
• Poor management of the kitchen.
• Managing customers that still wish to pick up the food themselves.
• Limited phone space for customers.
• Managing loyalty programs, reducing the time spent ordering and redeeming rewards.

Integration Increases Value of Digital Ordering Experiences 

The solution to overcoming the challenges lies within better restaurant management, specifically increasing order accuracy and kitchen management. Think about it; what is the source of critical problems when managing an order? Chances are good it rests on the accuracy, and poor accuracy in transcribing orders from an email, notification system, or another platform will increase risk. Integration eliminates many errors stemmed from manual order entry. In restaurants, failure to integrate systems will amount to delays in food preparation, chargebacks, and even extra fees charged by third-party delivery service providers. As explained by Food News Feed, the driving force behind the rise of Uber Eats and Door Dash was their commitment to support both front-end and back-office support for the software. The apps are ready and in-use, and integrating with your POS system is the natural way to bring in those apps’ customers.

Additional Use Cases Where Integration With POS Systems Streamlines Management

Integrating all digital food ordering channels with the POS system applies to all industries in which foodservice and delivery reside. In fact, consider how the integration between the POS system and digital food ordering capabilities affect these specific sectors.

• Casinos and Hotels. Casinos and hotels often contain restaurants and room service, and instead of catering solely to that one facility, they could open the doors to delivery and online ordering by integrating their systems. 
• Sports Arenas. Sports arenas may also leverage integrated POS and digital ordering systems to allow customers to place their drink and concessions’ orders from their mobile devices, lowering the wait in line, and increasing sales. The same applies to performance centers and entertainment venues. 

Unlock Greater Value in Your Organization With Advanced, Integrated, and Connected Systems 

The internet changed the game for companies around the globe, and the same benefits driven by connected and informed consumers could be realized within the restaurant industry. Restauranteurs must take the steps now to integrate all digital food ordering channels with their point of sale systems to achieve and maintain success. Of course, that’s a labor-intensive and technical task, so more companies opt to outsource the process. Find out how your organization can unlock higher profitability through integrated systems by visiting Tacit online today.