Should screens be allowed in restaurants?

The restaurant sector seems to be well on the way to digital transformation. More and more screens are transforming service and the customer experience. This trend, which is still recent in France, has been confirmed abroad, particularly in China, where the WeChat mobile application has become a must-have for paying restaurant bills. [caption id="attachment_9298" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Wagyu restaurant in Kyoto, using a pedestal-mounted tablet attached to each table, with ordering and waiter call option[/caption]Without reaching these extremes, digital transformation already seems to be well underway in the restaurant industry. The first digital implementations, visible on websites and social media , are taking place in the dining room. Screens, traditionally associated with fast food, are now being used in all types of restaurant: gourmet, traditional, brasserie, fast food... The digitization of restaurants is full of benefits, both for the customer and the restaurateur. With advances in technology, restaurateurs can facilitate their tasks by opting to automate and digitize certain elements in their establishments. In particular, the use of connected tools can streamline the day-to-day work of staff and simplify administrative management, while promoting a modern, high-end image. On the customer side, the fluidity brought by these new devices contributes to a better experience in the dining room. Reliable and fast, the digitization of spaces is making increasing progress. Already exploited in the fast-food sector with touch-sensitive ordering terminals, the phenomenon is now spreading to traditional restaurants. While the restaurant business puts people at the heart of its business, are restaurateurs making the most of connected screens? From menus to payment methods, what are the advantages of integrating digital platforms? How can they be incorporated without altering the restaurant's identity?

Screens: a new lease of life to streamline operations

Renew your menu

Touch-screen tablets, ordering kiosks and dynamic displays are some of the best-known technologies in the foodservice sector. They enhance the culinary experience for customers by displaying an attractive menu that reflects the restaurant's image, taking orders quickly and translating menus. Dynamic displays - screens displaying attractive information and images - can be updated remotely and in real time. They can also be parameterized to share different content, adapting to the time of day or day of the week. With the right use of dynamic displays, it's possible to change menu and dish offerings, implement instant promotions and replace sold-out products automatically. This not only enhances the attractiveness of your kitchen and customer satisfaction, but also reduces certain costs, such as the printing of menus.

Installing touch-screen tablets or ordering kiosks is an interesting way to digitalize your restaurant. Unlike a traditional paper menu, the display of photos offers a glimpse of the dishes, which stimulates the customer's curiosity and appetite, and can help increase additional sales. Orders are taken directly from the tablet and linked to the cash register software before being sent to the kitchen, facilitating transmission and service. Conversely, other tablets operate in the same way as a paper menu: the waiter brings the tablet to the table, then returns to take the customer's order, thus maintaining the emphasis on human contact. Another advantage is the translation of menus. French gastronomy attracts people from all over the world, and seizing this business opportunity means adapting to tourists' languages. Not many restaurants offer translations and explanations of their dishes in several languages. A shortfall that can lead to a loss of time, credibility and , ultimately, customers. 50% of foreign visitors recognize that the French's level of foreign language skills is detrimental to customer relations. Overcoming this communication problem is a real challenge if you want to attract foreign customers. [caption id="attachment_9300" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]

With TastyCloud, your menu can be translated into 25 different languages[/caption]Today, solutions exist to help restaurateurs. TastyCloud, for example, offers turnkey tablet menus. Support for restaurateurs in setting up their digital menus includes photo shoots of the menu, translations into the languages of their choice, supply of hardware, and training to help them get to grips with the system. Attractive and dynamic, their menus generate commitment from customers. Working with TastyCloud, for example, ensures an increase of between 2 and 6 euros on the average ticket.The plus: via the tablets, customers can filter and order dishes according to their dietary needs or constraints, such as allergens, calories, type of food, and spice level: a perfect solution for your customers with specific halal, vegetarian or vegan diets, but also for pregnant women or those allergic to gluten! At the end of their meal, customers can leave their opinion directly on the tablets. It's an effective way of boosting your overall rating and your listing in various restaurant directories.[caption id="attachment_9301" align="alignnone" width="800"]

Allergen selection on the TastyCloud tablet[/caption].

Modernize takeaway and delivery ordering

Driven by the demands of increasingly connected users, online ordering and collecting at the restaurant door are now possible thanks to the digitization of services. Among other things, connected screens can be used to manage flows, offer faster service and organize destocking operations: the average customer basket is said to have increased by 30 to 40% thanks to online ordering. Deliverect, a start-up that connects third-party delivery platforms and restaurants, centralizes delivery order-taking on a single screen. Emanating from the restaurant's website, processed orders pass directly into the checkout system. Automatic registration reduces the workload and risk of error for the teams working between the dining room and the kitchen.

In the restaurant business, the challenge is not just to create an e-commerce site or run an application, but to integrate a community dimension. Getting to know your loyal and potential customers by coming to them regularly with topics related to their centers of interest will strengthen the restaurant/user relationship.plus: anticipate production peaks, take into account calendar animations and activity peaks, boost sales at peak times.

Facilitating settlement

Waiting times, complicated bill sharing, non-accepted cards can all damage the customer experience. Contactless terminals, wireless or mobile payment services and facial recognition simplify checkout and, by extension, improve the customer experience. Many countries, such as Japan and the United States, have already adopted these technologies, which are proving highly popular with customers. Pizzou, a 100% made-in-France pizzeria, uses the Billee mobile payment solution, enabling restaurant customers to share and pay their bill using their smartphone, without having to wait for the waiter to bring it to them. On the restaurateur's side, the bill is integrated directly into the restaurant's cash register software. This "smart payment" service reduces waiting time for customers to pay their bill. As a result, the restaurant can accommodate more people during service, while offering a better experience.

Online payment meets a real need in the restaurant industry. Other players in the mobile payment sector are working on new tools to help them imagine the restaurant business of tomorrow. With the help of Ucopia (a European specialist in high-density wifi), Weblib (a data analyzer and targeted coupons using wifi and tablets) has created Order-it: a wifi payment service for restaurants. Customers will access a menu online, use Paylib as an intermediary and be served directly at their table.

In the same spirit, TastyCloud also offers a menu consultation and payment service on smartphone via QR code. Who has never decided to order a second drink, discouraged by the long queue at the bar? With QR codes placed on restaurant tables, customers simply flash the QR code to access the menu directly from their own phone. From their smartphone, they can then order, pay online and be served. This solution reduces waiting times at the order desk, and optimizes order-taking for your waiters.

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TastyCloud's smartphone menu

Not only do the various mobile solutions for menu consultation, ordering and payment help staff in their day-to-day work, they also enable them to analyze the customer journey and optimize costs. Thanks to the number of clicks and the dishes selected, restaurateurs can collect data from their customers at the end of the meal to understand their expectations. It's a good way to plan future services and focus on the dishes that will sell best. Plus:9 out of 10 French people consult customer reviews about their restaurant. In addition to collecting data, these mobile payment solutions often encourage customers to leave a comment on platforms linked to the establishment. This reinforces credibility with potential customers.

Screens: transforming the customer experience at the point of sale

Innovating with simple solutions, offering automated services and putting screens at the heart of entertainment all enhance the dining experience for customers. Depending on your clientele and your issues, screens and digital solutions can arouse curiosity as much as they enhance the value of your restaurant.

Rallying people around events

Without investing in cutting-edge technology, one of the simplest ways of attracting new customers is to use TV screens or video projectors to promote federative events such as World Cup matches or the Olympic Games.

2 out of 3 French people associate pizza with soccer. In fact, Domino's Pizza achieved a record number of orders on February 12, 2019, the 8th final first leg of the Champions League. If you have a terrace, make the most of its assets, which will be much appreciated when watching a match outdoors! Depending on the day's sporting events, why not consider a menu specifically geared to the competing nations? Embellish your menu with a few specialties to eat and drink, in honor of the countries involved. The plus: sporting events are numerous and spread throughout the year, allowing you to establish and implement different strategies for acquiring potential customers.

Offer kid-friendly products

With friends, but also often with family, children often influence parents in their choice of restaurant. Integrating screens into your restaurant can help you develop a kid-friendly offer that is highly sought-after and appreciated by children. Flunch has entered this niche by equipping its restaurants with Kylii Kids digital solutions. Adaptable to suit the space, these play areas feature interactive floors, tactile games and augmented reality designed for young children.

The plus: adapting your menu, spaces and activities adds value to your restaurant and makes a difference with young parents.

Performing with 3.0 restoration

Far from eclipsing the kitchen, screens are increasingly emerging as a tool to be wielded intelligently in order to enhance the value of one's establishment. Connected, interactive tables like those offered by AWADAC can be used to place orders via messenger, watch YouTube videos, recharge phones or play games. Their installation usually attracts the attention of many people, boosting restaurant traffic. According to its owner, the Bordeaux bistro Max à Table ! has reported growth of +135 % in three years, thanks in part to these tools. LG Electronics and meal delivery specialist Woowa Brothers have taken up the challenge of helping restaurants to entertain their customers by offering a unique experience, and have developed an autonomous robot dedicated to delivering food to restaurants. Capable of analyzing and understanding its surroundings, the CLoi ServBots should also be used to clear tables. This autonomous robot is equipped with four stacked trays and an LED screen that displays facial expressions. It can navigate around tables and people like a waiter. A new kind of show for customers in search of entertainment.

When it comes to innovation, France is far from last. Pazzi, the world's first restaurant powered by a pizza-making robot, prepares pizzas ordered in advance from a kiosk. It's a real spectacle that appeals to a young, active clientele, since the robot can create a 100% French pizza in just five minutes.

Plus: integrate connected screens or digital solutions into your establishment to boost visibility, make points of sale more attractive, increase footfall, and keep pace with the new behaviors of an increasingly connected clientele.

Catering: people before screens

In 2019, 960,000 people were employed in the catering industry. From the chef to the waiter, via the front-of-house manager, this sector requires a large workforce and places the human element at the heart of its business. Increasingly connected, customers certainly appreciate the digital solutions available in our establishments, but technology cannot replace the quality of human service.

Welcoming customers: an essential step

When integrating these innovations, restaurateurs need to strike the right balance between technology and human contact. Tigrane Seydoux and Victor Lugger, founders of Big Mamma, have relied on a friendly staff to win over their customers. Of the 300 employees, 280 are Italian. As soon as you enter the establishment, the lilting accents of the waiters, the smell of the kitchens and the menu herald a journey back in time to Italy.

Their atypical, friendly teams are charming assets for enhancing the Big Mamma experience, but also for communicating effectively about the restaurant's staff. The various trattoria teams are the subject of numerous engaging portraits and funny videos posted on social media. The advantage: show the behind-the-scenes and highlight all the hands at the service of your restaurant to strengthen the bond with your customers.

Ensure your success with effective storytelling

The success of a restaurant begins with its founders. Execution remains the key, and serving good food in beautiful surroundings with a smile is the basis of the business. Adding a dose of storytelling to highlight the background, the entrepreneurial project and the personalities of the men and women behind it all increases the likelihood of success! Cathy Closier, head of four Parisian establishments and founder of the well-known Season, has created a specific identity for each of her restaurants. A Parisian entrepreneur with New York inspirations, Cathy Closier recounts her success story in the press and on her website. Explaining her career path, her intentions and the way she organizes her projects enables her to enhance and perfect the brand image of her establishments.

Ecaterina Paraschiv, founder of coffee shop Ibrik, shares her values and motivations through podcasts and conferences. Revealing her story, her moments of doubt and success, brings a human dimension to her restaurant. Plus: build a story around your experiences to effectively promote your restaurant.

In brief

Whatever type of restaurant you run, digitalization offers opportunities to work better. Better sales, intrigued and delighted customers, time freed up to strengthen interpersonal relationships, digitized menu options to develop online ordering: screens have become a real business gas pedal. Useful for building customer confidence, they help boost sales and improve customer satisfaction... as long as you continue to serve good food, with a smile, in a beautiful setting!