It seems like an eternity since we had to dispel any doubts before 8.00 pm to indulge in a decent dinner. But now we don’t worry about it anymore: login, choose your restaurant, click, pay, wait 30 minutes, and dinner is served.
Delivery was a revolution. It has saved our partners from nervous breakdowns, it reassured the laziest guys and satisfied the most gluttonous palates. We have the certainty of its importance especially in this last year, in times of pandemic when, in order to avoid long queues outside supermarkets, we have had dinner delivered 3 times a week.
From the point of view of restaurateurs, is the rise of delivery platforms really considered the revolution we believe?
It seems that the fact of turning to this type of service is rather a forced choice to keep up with the times and face the competition but also to support the service in the room with secondary incomes. Well, by reading the opinions of restaurateurs online, and if you have ever asked personally, you will find that none of the restaurateurs is 100% happy with this service.
The first complaints refer to the costs of the service: in addition to the activation service (which is mandatory only for some companies), the cost for each delivery varies between 25% and 35% of the bill.
Furthermore, the number of transactions arrive in the pocket of restaurateurs on average every two weeks, with serious inconveniences for restaurants, which as we can imagine need a good cash flow to face the cost of raw materials to be used in the kitchen.
Another con that restaurateurs face regards the delivery methods: the staff in charge changes very frequently and is often not qualified, causing the restaurateur (and customers) communication problems, blocking the workflow, and lowering the value perceived of the food you serve.
In addition, especially in big cities and on weekend occasions, Champions league matches or Masterchef binge-watching parties, if you have relied on platforms that also offer staff for delivery, there could be delays which will result in cold food and bad reviews.
Finally, what you risk by relying on a generic delivery platform is becoming yet another restaurant and you could even get your customers too used to home delivery than dinner in your restaurant.
But we may have thought of a hybrid solution that would solve all these problems: an app for your restaurant.
Let’s see what are the advantages you could get by entrusting the development of an app of your brand to a software house:
Savings:
currently, a restaurateur pays on average 30% of the receipt to the delivery service, instead of an app (whether it is a mobile app, a web app, or a PWA), depending on the functionality it integrates, would cost like a pizza per evening for one year. Furthermore, the payments would go directly into your coffers, with a nice advantage for the cash flow of your business.
Multitasking:
your restaurant’s app could manage table reservations, send notifications and discounts to your most loyal customers, collect their ideas for a new menu and involve them in the most varied activities.
Perfect deliveries:
Since someone from your company would take care of the deliveries, based on a load of orders, you will be able to make use of qualified personnel, close to your needs and with more rights than the bellmen of the delivery companies, guaranteeing growth in the perceived value of your restaurant.
Branding:
your app sets you apart from competitors by acting as a marketing channel and bringing your best and most loyal customers closer to you.
In conclusion, it is true that delivery services are active in all cities, but not all of them. In fact, smaller municipalities are definitely excluded, so if your restaurant is located in one of these municipalities, you can make up for it with your brand’s app.