Here are two numbers that will catch your attention – 200,000 and 250,000.

According to Yelp, during a recent business quarter, consumers called businesses through Yelp's mobile app 200,000 times a day and generated over 250,000 directions a day.  These numbers refer to all businesses, but as we all know, restaurants represent a sizeable chunk of Yelp’s listings.

These aren’t numbers to ignore.  There are a variety of mobile apps available and some of them can play a big role bringing in business.  Here are some tips on how to make the most of them:

Find out where customers are hearing about your restaurant – Yelp is the 800-pound gorilla of restaurant search/review, but there are others, both locally focused, as well as broader reaching apps.  Have your wait staff survey customers to identify your top three sources of referrals.  You should monitor your listings on those sites regularly.

Use what’s available to help you promote your restaurant – Each site is different, but many of them allow photos (which you should include), the opportunity to make special offers, and a place to add a business description.  According to Yelp, people stay on a business page two-and-a-half times longer when it has photos.

Don’t forget Online Ordering – Make mention of your NetWaiter online ordering capabilities as prominently as you can.  Include a link to your branded online ordering site so customers have easy access to order from your menu.  If a customer links to your NetWaiter site from their mobile device, they will automatically be routed to your mobile NetWaiter site.