Going Digital: Creating an Effective Online Menu for Your Restaurant

Introduction

Having an online presence is more crucial than ever for restaurants, even small independents on a tight budget. A great digital menu allows you to promote offerings, simplify ordering, accept contactless payments, analyze data, and create a seamless dine-in and takeout experience. With the right digital menu system, you can increase revenue and provide added convenience for guests without breaking the bank.

In this blog, we’ll explore practical tips for small, independent restaurants to create a budget-friendly yet impactful online menu using Tapless Menu. Tapless Menu offers digital menus, online ordering, contactless payments, and analytics without requiring an app download or charging restaurant fees/commissions. Let’s dive into how Tapless can benefit your restaurant!

Get Started with Digital Menus

The first step is creating digital menus that guests can access via QR codes placed in your restaurant. Tapless Menu allows you to easily build as many menus as you like with enticing photos, descriptions, pricing, and dish categorization.

Some tips for creating great digital menus:

• Make them mobile-friendly with a clean, uncluttered layout. This enhances visibility on smaller screens.
• Use high-quality, full-color photos of each dish to grab attention and appeal to the senses.
• Craft succinct but vivid descriptions of offerings to inform and excite guests.
• Display prices clearly and visibly to avoid confusion.
• Categorize menu items intuitively (appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc).
• Ensure text is legible with good contrast against the background.

A key benefit of digital menus is the ability to update and tweak them anytime. You can quickly add new dishes, remove unavailable items, or adjust descriptions and prices as needed. With printed menus, such changes mean reprinted menus and waste. With Tapless, making real-time changes is simple and cost-effective.

Enable Online Ordering

In addition to digital menus, Tapless Menu provides a full online ordering system for takeout, delivery, and pre-ordering. This brings added revenue streams while enhancing customer convenience.

Some tips to maximize online ordering:

• Promote your online ordering through social media, emails to customers, and signage/handouts. The easier you make it to find, the more it will get used.
• Offer incentives for first-time online orders such as percentage discounts or free add-ons to encourage usage. Promotions prompt people to try something new.
• Allow ordering for both takeout and delivery. Even restaurants without in-house delivery can partner with third-party services and integrate their ordering systems.
• Accept pre-orders for upcoming meals to help with staffing and inventory. This works nicely for catering events too.
• Set up scheduled ordering for repeat customers. This enables regulars to order their usual favorites on a recurring basis.

Online ordering brings in revenue even when customers aren’t physically present. It also reduces phone calls and streamlines operations. The key is getting the word out that ordering online is available.

Embrace Contactless Payments

In the age of COVID, contactless payments are no longer just a nice option – they are expected by diners. Tapless Menu allows customers to safely pay online or by tapping a payment card in your restaurant for a contact-free experience.

Some tips for contactless payments:

• Promote the availability of contactless pay on menus, signage, and other materials. Assure guests it is safe and easy.
• Train staff to accept contactless payments and explain how it works. Customers will ask questions at first.
• Quickly process contactless transactions to speed service. Avoid making people wait longer just because a tap payment was made.
• Consider offering small discounts or perks for contactless pay users. This incentivizes tap payments over cash.
• Invest in software and hardware upgrades to accept the latest contactless tech. Being cutting edge builds customer confidence.

Contactless transactions minimize shared touchpoints and give customers peace of mind. Tapless Menu’s integrated payments make it seamless both online and in-restaurant.

Leverage Valuable Analytics

With a digital menu and ordering, you gain access to incredibly useful data about customer behavior and preferences. Tapless provides detailed analytics and reports that offer insights not available otherwise.

Some tips to use analytics effectively:

• Track best selling dishes and specials to identify what resonates most with customers. Repeat top performers.
• See which menu categories are most popular to potentially expand offerings in those areas.
• Monitor order times to identify peak periods. Adjust staffing and inventory accordingly.
• Compare online vs. in-restaurant orders to allocate marketing resources effectively between channels.
• Identify often out-of-stock items to optimize purchasing and limit shortages.
• Geotarget marketing campaigns based on highest concentration of customers.

Analytics transform guesswork into data-driven decisions. The knowledge enables fine-tuning of menus, offerings, staffing, inventory, and promotions. Customer behavior analysis is invaluable.

Ease of Use for Owners and Guests

A top priority with any digital menu system is ease of use – both for restaurant owners/staff and customers. Tapless Menu is designed for simplicity all around.

For owners:

• No app download required. Everything is accessible online through Tapless Menu’s website.
• No Commissions or fees per order!
• Robust customer support resources provide help when needed.

For guests:

• Menus instantly accessible via QR codes at tables or posted in the restaurant – no app download needed.
• Intuitive online ordering platforms make takeout or delivery ordering a few clicks.
• Contactless tap payments integrated for a no-hassle experience.

Simplifying the process makes owners and guests more likely to use and promote the digital menu. Tapless Menu checks this important box.

No-Cost Software for Independent Restaurants

Here is arguably the best part about Tapless Menu is that we don’t not charge any fees or commissions on orders/payments. It was created specifically to meet the needs of small restaurant owners on tight budgets. With Tapless Menu, all you pay for is a monthly fee of $19.99!

For small restaurants, every dollar counts. Avoiding monthly software fees keeps precious dollars available for other parts of the business. Tapless Menu allows bringing robust digital capabilities to your restaurant at an affordable price.

Conclusion

Implementing a digital menu enables small independent restaurants to increase revenues, operate efficiently, collect customer insights, and meet modern diner expectations. It is an essential investment in today’s food service landscape.

With Tapless Menu’s customizable digital menus, online ordering, contactless payments, powerful analytics, and simple setup, independent restaurants finally have an easy, budget-friendly solution to build their digital presence. Attract new customers, cater to regulars, and streamline back-end operations using data-driven insights.

Now is the time to leverage technology to grow your business and enhance customer experience. Bring your restaurant into the digital age with a user-friendly, feature-rich platform designed specifically with small independent restaurants in mind.