Now, running a restaurant is different. Restaurants around the globe have bounced back quickly since the pandemic, but for many, it’s not been as easy as picking up right where they left off. Staffing is a completely different story. As restaurateurs strive to maintain their businesses at maximum speed, they are now posting job advertisements in an industry that was once flooded with applicants. The age of abundant staffing is on hold.
Restaurants are scrambling for solutions, even though it is too early to say if the industry will return to its normal rhythm. Automation is the answer for many. Technology like QR codes and online ordering has proven to be life-saving for restaurants struggling to stay open in the face of a labor crisis, so much so that 87% of respondents in our 2022 Hospitality State of the Industry Report agreed that the adoption of new technology over the past two years was critical to their business’s survival.
Restaurants with limited staff are finding it essential to find new ways to automate tasks. This article will cover the benefits and use of a QR code system for ordering to continue serving even with fewer staff.
What is QR Code Ordering?
QR code ordering allows you to digitize your menus and order process. Restaurants place QR codes on counters or tables to allow customers to view the menu using their smartphones. Restaurant QR code ordering was first introduced in 2020 to help restaurants reduce the number of customer touchpoints. However, it has now become a key ordering tool for restaurants that have limited staff. Restaurants place QR codes on cards, tables, or doors.
What is the online ordering process for restaurants?
Online ordering is like an online store. Online ordering allows your customers to browse, order, and pay on any device that has an internet connection. Online ordering can be integrated into a restaurant POS to enable restaurants to manage their orders and see them in one location.
Online ordering and QR codes can help you manage the floor with less staff.
You can handle more orders with a QR code system, even when you have fewer staff. Online and QR code orders:
- Customers who dine in can order using their mobile phones
- Orders can be placed for pickup or delivery
- Front-of-house (FOH), or front-of-house staff, can focus on guest experience
- Fewer touchpoints improve safety and efficiency
Customers who dine in can order using their mobile phones.
Customers can place orders using QR codes directly on their phones for dine-in customers. You can serve your customers with QR code table orders even if you have a limited staff. Customers can order when and what they like without waiting for a server. The customers will be able to place orders quickly since they don’t need to wait for the staff to check on them.
Orders can be placed for pickup or delivery
Online ordering allows customers to place orders wherever they are. This is a great way for restaurants and their customers to generate new revenue streams. Automating delivery and pickup orders can also help restaurants streamline their operations. The time you save on manual entry is a big deal when a large portion of your business comes from pickup and delivery orders.
Are you worried about the number of pickup or delivery orders that are coming in without enough staff to handle them? Online ordering apps such as Lightspeed K Series POS or L Series POS allow you to control when your customers can order and adjust pickup and prep times during busy shifts.
You can increase your revenue by allowing customers to handle their own QR code orders. This will enable you to reduce the number of staff needed on the ground. This also minimizes errors that may occur when manual entry is used.
FOH staff can concentrate on the guest experience
Your staff can now focus on improving customer service and the overall experience of your customers, as they don’t have to worry about taking payments or orders. Orders are handled directly by customers, so there’s less chance of human error during busy hours.
The QR code ensures that your customers’ orders are delivered to the kitchen exactly as they were ordered. It means that your staff will spend less time running back and forth. The team will have more time available to help customers, ensure orders are delivered on time, and assist in any way needed.
Fewer touchpoints improve safety and efficiency
Customers can pay for orders using QR codes and online ordering. Customers can now complete the order process without staff bringing over a terminal. With QR code order:
- There is no need for servers to wait at the table while guests pay their tabs
- Customers or servers don’t need to wait until a terminal “frees up.”
Contactless payments on their phones mean less staff running about and fewer customers having to wait for payment terminals and bills. Contactless payments, such as a QR ordering system, also increase safety for both your customers and staff. They remove surface touchpoints between them and their customers and limit physical contact.