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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/35338
is “extremely valuable” for tracking guests’ habits and “wants,” and “since it’s a live platform, it can give us instant feedback if the guest uses it a lot.” However, “even though we have OpenTable, we ask our hosts and hostesses to stand away from it when a guest walks in. Th at way you aren’t being greeted by someone who is looking at a computer screen.” After all, Field concludes, “No technology can replace warmth and hospitality.” A REVOLUTION IN ONLINE ORDERING Particularly for casual restaurants, online ordering has taken fl ight with all these new applications. And it has the potential for even more traction when combined with marketing and social media, such as at Wow Bao, a Chicago chain of three Asian fast-casual restaurants. Each location has 50 seats and a thriving take-away business. At Wow Bao social media is an important part of the mix. Th e restaurant partnered with Exit 41 to create Facebook pages that allow customers to “Like” the restaurant and order food directly from the page. Th e result: a 10 percent increase in online order volume within fi ve weeks of implementing the system. “I believe social media goes well with our concept,” says Geoff Alexander, vice president of Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, which owns Wow Bao, and managing partner for the Wow Bao franchise. “People ask me how we measure ROI on social media. I base it on three things: Are we having fun? Yes. Are sales up? Yes. And are we being talked about? Yes.” In addition to the convenience factor, Alexander also notes that online ordering has yielded check averages three to four times higher than in-person orders. “Someone at their desk is grabbing other people to place the order,” he surmises. It has also yielded cost savings. “Th e best part about online ordering is all the responsibility falls on the guest,” he says, since it eliminates the potential for writing down orders incorrectly. “Online, the guest is clicking and writing down the instructions. It goes right to the cook and the expediter, so it’s triple-checked. It’s a great cost saver.” In addition, guests are required to pay for their orders prior to pick up. “If someone never picks it up, there’s no lost product. Th ey’re guaranteed sales.” FINE TUNING THE IN-HOUSE ORDERING PROCESS While Lafi tte’s iPad menu represents the cutting-edge for fi ne dining, casual restaurants in particular have embraced all manner of tech-inspired menus as well – in some cases, leading directly into the order process. At Wow Bao, guests can place orders and pay via a kiosk, which also asks questions and attempts to up-sell. If a credit card is swiped, the system also remembers the guest’s last four orders, which can be used to quick-shop. Meanwhile, in Ridgeland, Mississippi, quick-casual restaurant chain McAlister’s Deli has over 300 restaurants operating in 22 states, with each restaurant seating on average 40 guests. www.cheersonline.com At Morton’s OpenTable has been extremely helpful in tracking customer preferences. Most of those incorporate digital menu boards, which feature pictures of the menu items. “Th e visual boards drive consumer engagement,” says Annica Kreider, vice president of marketing. Locations with visual boards sell 49 percent more limited-time off er items compared to those with static boards, she estimates, as well as 17 percent more dessert items. Although most of the restaurants utilize various forms of technology for the ordering process and cooking, what makes this chain special is their “smart store” in West Monroe, LA, which is packed with new and sometimes experimental technologies. McAllister’s relies heavily on its central IT team to integrate the systems at the various locations, cobbling together a relatively seamless system from diff erent technologies from a wide variety of vendors. Th e Digital Menu Boards are made by WAND; the Kitchen Display Systems by Merry Chefs; and the POS system (by HSI) runs through iPads to “line-bust.” Why do it this way? In a nutshell, because no single off -the-shelf solution would fi t the bill. “We wanted best in class providers,” Kreider explains, “But the people who might specialize in BOH [back of the house] might not be the same people who do FOH [front of the house]. Th e people who do digital menu boards probably don’t do BOH kitchen platforms.” Kara Newman is the New York City-based author of Spice & Ice: 60 tongue-tingling cocktails. Visit her at www.karanewman.com. JULY/AUGUST 2011 | 41