Should you try contactless ordering?

It’s a way for customers to order their food and drink with minimal contact. But, for you, it’s also a way to offer a simpler, and more efficient experience. Many venues are currently short-staffed, so having a contactless system means your team can focus more on giving great service rather than running around taking orders and payments. It will streamline your processes as orders will go straight to the bar or kitchen without delay, speeding up the whole process. Since Covid there is an increased appetite for this technology: research carried out in 2021 showed more than 40% of people thought it was more important to them that a venue offered contactless ordering and payment than it was 12 months previously.

The easiest and quickest way to start using this technology is by signing up for existing software such as Square Up or Gloria Food. You can add your menu and prices, along with payment information. Customers will then access your menu through a QR code or website address. You can quickly make your own QR code online. An app or website will let them place an order and pay. Orders will then automatically go through to your kitchen and bar’s point of sale (POS) system. Most platforms will let customers customise orders with notes on removing burger toppings, for example, so offer flexibility.

Some services are free to use but you can upgrade to more premium features at a cost if you wish. Others charge a monthly fee or take a percentage commission based on the sales you make. It’s a competitive market which means it’s easier to get a good deal, and many services offer trials so you can see if it works for you before investing. If you don’t have a POS system set up in your bar or kitchen already, then you will incur a greater expense. Some companies can set this up for you as part of the contactless package.

Let them know when they arrive and position your charging information, QR code or website address anywhere your customers are likely to be – table cards, stickers on tables perhaps, or by the entrance to your venue. You can even display them on a big screen. Just make sure they’re clearly signposted, so that customers don’t have to go hunting around for them!

Online ordering doesn’t mean the end of human interaction in hospitality and customers still place great value on seeing a friendly face. A Zonal and CGA GO Technology report says “Over half of consumers (51%) prefer to be welcomed in person when they arrive.” There is still a place (and desire) for personal menu recommendations, and this technology can actually free your Online ordering doesn’t mean the end of human interaction in hospitality and customers still place great value on seeing a friendly face staff up to spend more time talking to customers. You should still provide an option for customers to order with a staff member if that is their preference.

The GO Technology report found that nearly two-thirds of 18- to 34-yearolds have used contactless ordering, whereas only 20% of over-65s have done the same. Therefore you might fi nd that if your customer base is of an older generation, getting them to change their ordering behaviour might take time. If you’re offering quick serve, or takeaway items, consider contactless ordering to speed up service. Set up a touch-screen monitor such as a tablet where customers can place an order themselves which will go straight through to the kitchen.

This is something only you can answer. You know your customers better than anyone. Before you go ahead and install contact-free ordering ask them: do you have a smartphone? Would you use a QR code? What would make you feel most comfortable when you visit? Maybe put a post or poll out on social media to see whether it would be a welcome move?