Self-service restaurant – characteristics
Self-service restaurant, as the name suggests, is a restaurant in which service is consciously dispensed with, and as much as possible. In an era when technology is becoming more fashionable and younger and younger representatives are appearing on the consumer market, it is worth considering running a restaurant in this form. Especially since the guests themselves point to more than one advantage of such a solution.
Advantages of self-service restaurant
1. Low prices – food in self-service restaurants is usually cheaper than in restaurants with waiter service.
2. No waiting – in self-service restaurants, you don’t have to wait for a waiter to place your order. You can directly order what you want, for example, using your smartphone to do so.
3. The possibility of self-selection – in self-service restaurants you can choose from a wide range of food and drinks, which are properly presented (attractive photos) and described.
4. More convenience – in self-service restaurants, you don’t have to wait for the waiter to deliver the bill and pay for it. You can simply leave when you want, and pay the bill online.
5. You can use automatic prompts, e.g. as to the choice of wine for the main course or dessert for coffee, etc.
Self-service restaurant vs. costs
The costs associated with running a self-service restaurant are usually lower than those of a traditional restaurant owner. First of all, due to the fact that a self-service restaurant does not require hiring staff to serve guests.
Self-service restaurant vs. profits
Restaurateurs who have done away with waiter service and provided their guests with an app for ordering and paying the bill also point to increased sales due to automated options for additional sales.
A waiter, especially one who is less involved, doesn’t always remember to suggest dishes or drinks, which are a great addition to an order. The app always displays suggested additional options according to our wishes and preferences.
This has the effect of increasing sales from upselling and improves the restaurant’s bottom line.
Another beneficial impact of automated service solutions is its speed. This is important especially in high season, when the faster table turnover provided by the app directly translates into higher profits.
Self-service restaurant and inflation
As the price of foodservice-related products increases, restaurateurs are forced to modify their menus. In the case of self-service, the application allows dynamic price changes in real time. It also makes it possible to instantly change the dishes on the menu, in case it turns out that due to the increase in the price of ingredients, some dishes are simply no longer worth serving and it is worth replacing them with others. A self-service restaurant equipped with an ordering system gains an advantage again, thanks to faster response to changes and the lack of need to design and print a new menu.
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Price increases also affect the wages that restaurateurs offer their employees. To maintain profitability, restaurateurs are forced to provide higher wages. In the case of a self-service restaurant, this will affect a smaller group of employees. So, another cost-saving benefit emerges.
Is it worth betting on bain-marie?
Recently, however, quite a few restaurants offering bain-marie meals have decided to change the specifics of serving dishes in their food service. This is because, after careful cost calculations, it turned out that it is less cost-effective to prepare many dishes for self-service than to prepare several dinner dishes, served, for example, from an electronic menu. Of course, thanks to technology, it is possible to adjust the menu quickly. Every day the menu can be different and offer different dishes. For example, on Friday we can serve pancakes, dumplings, fish dishes, and on Monday a chicken fillet and pork chop.
In an electronic menu, such changes are created easily and effortlessly having a convenient administrative panel. So, it is worth considering such a form, bearing in mind the cost savings and the important element of adjusting prices to customers’ capabilities.
Self-service restaurant – which system to choose?
In order to automate service, paging systems have so far been used quite widely. How do they work in practice?
Guests stand in line to place their order with the attendant and retrieve their pagers, which vibrate and buzz when the order is ready for pickup. Guests then walk up to the dispensing station and pick up their order.
The advantage of this solution is that there is no need for a person to deliver the order to the table.
However, the ordering system through QR codes, has more advantages. First, guests do not have to stand in line. There is a QR code on each table, which immediately identifies in the system the table from which the order was placed. As soon as guests take a seat, they scan the QR code with their phone and immediately proceed to browse the menu. After selecting the appropriate dishes from the menu, they pay for the order via an online gateway (online transfer, card). Once the order is ready, the staff sends a one-click status, which, in the form of an SMS to the guest’s smartphone, informs them that the order is ready for pickup.
What are the advantages?
- Speed of service,
- Reduction of mistakes,
- No need to hire a person to take orders and operate the cash register,
- Greater comfort for the guest (no standing in line, no need to touch the pager, which is an object that often carries germs),
- No need for constant presence on the part of the owner (transactions can be observed remotely in the system, no theft of cash).
If we additionally consider the range of marketing tools the app offers, a comparison with the paging system shows a definite advantage in favor of the qr menu.
If you are interested in using modern technology to automate ordering processes in your restaurant, contact us. The Little Red Table application is a tool that will provide self-service, cost savings and increased sales. Don’t wait for your competitors to overtake you, start using the latest solutions to support your business today!