There is a new feature available to all NetWaiter restaurants -- the NetWaiter Social Widget.  This dynamic tool allows restaurants to quickly communicate information with customers, and allows for instant customer interaction. 

Now, restaurant owners and managers can send out real-time updates to customers on all sorts of things. Announcements, new dishes, menu changes, or promotions can be posted on a restaurant’s Social Widget and instantly be available for customers to read.

NetWaiter was the first online ordering company to link Facebook to online ordering.  With NetWaiter’s new Social Widget, there is even more ability for restaurants and customers to interact.  It's all about keeping customers in the loop and engaged as much as possible.

If you want to run a two-hour special on appetizers on a Monday evening, the NetWaiter Social Widget is the perfect tool to get the word out.  Customers can also interact with a restaurant using the NetWaiter Social Widget, by giving a ‘thumbs-up’ to comments or making comments of their own.

Only customers who have placed orders, or those who are logged-in, can post comments and interact with a restaurant’s Social Widget.  Customers can also view comments of others, allowing them to share information and use the power of referral to influence each other’s ordering decisions.  Restaurants have full control of their Social Widget and the ability to delete any posts within their NetWaiter Management Console.

The NetWaiter Social Widget allows restaurants to step up communication with customers and encourage more interaction and engagement.  If a restaurant does not have the staff, or is unable to follow-up or monitor communications through the tool because of vacation or absence, they can disable the widget and then turn it back on at their convenience.

A recent article from Nation's Restaurant News provided some conflicting data about the health of the economy and the fate of upcoming Holiday restaurant sales. 

Here at NetWaiter, we looked into our crystal ball and the answer we got was – “If the upcoming Holiday Season is going to be good for your restaurant, it's because you worked hard and started planning early enough.”

Here are a few tips to help you work smarter:

•    Start Promoting Early - The Holiday Season can be busy for many people and offering them convenience during such a hectic time is really beneficial.  Consider posting signage to remind people your restaurant offers online ordering through their mobile device.  "Pick up dinner on the way home from the mall."  Also, work with your wait staff to spread the word.  These tips help keep business coming in well after the Holidays.

•    Print Advertising - Do you have a regular ad in a local paper or magazine?  Make sure your custom online ordering site is part of the message.
•    A Little Motivation - What about a Free Appetizer or Dessert for online orders during the Holidays?  Try offering something special that you don't offer any other time of the year.
•    Special Promotions - Launch an Email campaign letting customers know they can rely on your convenient takeout system during the Holidays.  Creating an online category for Special Holiday Promotions can also work great. 

Check out the May issue of Washington Restaurant Magazine for an article from NetWaiter on what to look for when considering an online ordering service for your restaurant. 

WRA Industry Tools - Online Ordering.pdf (830.35 kb)

How can NetWaiter help your restaurant grow?  View it as a consistent marketing tool.

Established restaurants invariably develop a loyal clientele. This clientele is important. You'll often find that up to 80% of a restaurant’s receipts come from this core group of customers.

The key to growth - to continue building this core group of customers - is getting new faces in the door. The best way to do this is through word of mouth. However - in order to get people to spread the word, you have to give them something to talk about.

This is where NetWaiter comes in. NetWaiter offers a unique package of services that can get people talking. The ability to order online is an attention-getter - but NetWaiter also offers other services. Facebook ordering, the ability to order from a Smartphone, and an instant link to your restaurant using your unique QR code are some great examples.

As you and your employees interact with customers, use these NetWaiter features to start a conversation. Impress them with your custom QR code. Get them to save your mobile NetWaiter site on their Smartphone. You might even run a special - a gift card or discount for every customer who shares your restaurant on Facebook or Twitter (they can email you proof).

Without a doubt, you have probably noticed a new phenomenon in print – those funky squares that look like scrambled crossword puzzles. They are QR Codes (Quick Response Codes).

QR codes are popular with today's mobile culture. They read like bar codes when scanned and return information to the user based on how the QR code is setup. Their use in the U.S. catapulted 1,200% during the last six months of 2010. In Japan, where QR codes were developed, it is estimated that 86% of consumers scan at least four QR codes a month.

The best reason to embrace mobile technology, such as QR codes, is to make it more convenient for customers to do business with you. Many restaurant customers have Smartphones. You probably see them "checking-in" to your restaurant using location-based services such as Foursquare or Facebook. As customers continue to embrace Smartphones, mobile marketing will become increasingly important.

To help restaurants promote their mobile site, NetWaiter has configured a unique QR code for every restaurant on the NetWaiter Network. They can be easily accessed from a restaurant’s NetWaiter Management Console. When customers scan a restaurant’s QR code, they are immediately directed to their mobile NetWaiter site and menu.

TIP: Print some NetWaiter QR codes and post them around your restaurant to promote your mobile site and menu to customers. If your restaurant does not have a NetWaiter account, you can activate your account today, at NO CHARGE, and get immediate access to your restaurant's NetWaiter site and unique QR code.

How important is it for your restaurant to offer online ordering through a mobile site? According to a 2010 study by Morgan Stanley, access to the Internet using mobile devices will overtake desktop/laptop Internet access by 2013.

Smartphone owners tend to use their handheld devices to help with everyday tasks. If given an option, will they call your restaurant from their cell phone to place an order? Probably not. The last time they called, they were put on hold and rushed to complete their order. With their smartphone, your menu is in front of them, they don’t have to wait on hold, and it’s accurate, fast, and paid for.

Online ordering is all about using technology for greater customer convenience. We at NetWaiter want to extend convenience to your customers any way possible. Mobile ordering is a great step to providing the ultimate convenience to your customers and is only getting bigger. If your customers are going mobile, your restaurant needs to go mobile.

Restaurants across the country offering online ordering through NetWaiter can now offer the same service to diners using their Internet-enabled Smartphones.  The service, launched in early November, automatically became available to restaurants using NetWaiter, and their customers.

Mobile Ordering.pdf (132.37 kb)

As of early November, all NetWaiter clients have their own custom mobile site.

Restaurants across the country offering online ordering through NetWaiter can now receive orders from customers using Internet-enabled smartphones.  The service, launched earlier this month, automatically became available to NetWaiter clients and their customers.  Analytics from NetWaiter already show a brisk business from this new mobile capability.

NetWaiter’s technology is able to determine when a customer is accessing a client’s site using a mobile device.  Customers can simply access any NetWaiter site from a smartphone (i.e. iPhone, Android) and the system will automatically recognize the mobile device and display the appropriate mobile site, making navigation simple.

Based on conservative estimates, there are more than 50 million smartphones operating in the U.S.  Knowing that most smartphone owners quickly adapt to everything they do, including online ordering, NetWaiter expects this capability to be huge for clients and their customers.

Nothing is required by restaurants to enable this new feature.  Mobile accessibility is part of every service package at no additional charge.

They say, "So goes California, so goes the rest of the country." This article, from the Silicon Valley Mercury News, addresses the growing regulation of food trucks that are quickly becoming a large part of the dining scene in Los Angeles.

Unlike traditional food trucks that cater to workers while on break, this new wave of trucks park in high-traffic areas and serve a higher quality of food, often with their own specialties. According to this article, some counties have received complaints by restaurant owners that these trucks steal business. Consequently, some cities, such as Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates, have enacted zoning restrictions on when and where the trucks can operate.

Thankfully, by the end of the year, food truck customers in California can expect to see the same health quality ratings they see at normal brick and mortar restaurants. This doesn’t necessarily “level the playing field” for regular restaurants to compete with food trucks, but will help educate customers about their health quality.

So, how do restaurants compete with this food truck invasion? Some have actually decided to join them – and launched their own food trucks. Others have focused on convenience factors and their communication tactics. For instance, many food trucks rely heavily on Twitter to communicate their daily whereabouts. Brick and mortar restaurants that are inundated by food trucks should step up their Twitter communication and takeout business. Ordering takeout online in advance is definitely a way customers can capitalize on your restaurant’s convenience.

Do food trucks affect your restaurant? Let us know how. Email us at mailto:[email protected]. Does your restaurant operate a food truck? We want to hear your story. Email us at [email protected].