The analysts at Forbes recently proclaimed that the U.S. restaurant industry has bounced back from COVID-19 at every level, from fast food to fine dining. Reservations and foot traffic have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Best of all, roughly 80% of restaurants surveyed say they are doing better than expected financially despite labor shortages and the rising cost of supplies.
However, the business models and management tools that restaurants are using to make money are dramatically different from just a few years ago. Here are four statistics restaurant marketers need to know – followed by some recommendations to help them adapt to the new post-COVID normal.
Restaurant Marketing Measured in 4 Ways
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1: Online Food Ordering Outpacing Dine-In
Online food ordering has grown 300% faster than dine-in since 2014.
2: Websites As an Ordering Tool
Roughly 40% of customers now prefer to order directly from restaurant websites.
3: Technology to Run the Business
More than 80% of restaurants are turning to technology – such as online ordering, reservation and inventory apps, and analytics – to help them run their business successfully and efficiently.
4: Mobile Ordering Technology and Loyalty Programs
Approximately 92% of all top-performing restaurants offer mobile order-ahead and loyalty rewards programs, or a combination of both.
These four statistics measure different things but they all tell the same story:
The Restaurant Industry now runs on software.
Kitchen operations, point-of-sale transactions and marketing programs are dependent upon restaurant software platforms that keep the staff functioning at maximum efficiency. However, with that automation comes the potential for a loss of control. To thrive going forward, restaurant marketers must use technology to regain control of the customer experience and drive top-line revenue. For example:
- Email campaigns that are timed to follow a recent purchase and drive repeat business.
- SMS text campaigns that deliver coupons to customers and track their response.
- Loyalty programs that use customer data to present unique offers in real time.
- Pop-up and live chat features that guide customer behaviors and raise average ticket size.
Aurora: A Restaurant Marketing Platform for the New Normal
Lookalike websites. Painfully slow content updates. One-size-fits-all tools that create roadblocks for franchisees. Limited marketing flexibility. The restaurant software platforms that dominate the market are excellent at managing kitchen operations, but their marketing capabilities leave much to be desired.
Aurora is a restaurant website marketing platform that’s specially designed to maximize the marketing efforts of multi-store restaurant chains. Created by Northern Lights Technology Development – a Taylor Corporation company – Aurora integrates with popular restaurant software platforms like Olo to provide custom admin tools that unlock the marketing flexibility needed to thrive in the post-COVID marketplace.
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Customized Websites
Design a website that doesn’t look or feel like everyone else’s.
Updates on Demand
Test new menu items and marketing offers on your schedule.
Franchise-Level Control
Let franchisees talk to their customers while you manage the brand.
Omnichannel Marketing
Send customers 1:1 marketing offers via email, text, pop-up and chat.
Loyalty Programs
Mine customer data in real time to fuel loyalty programs that strengthen relationships.
One Northern Lights client saw a 30% sales lift after implementing Aurora. Want to see what’s possible for your business? Contact a Northern Lights representative to learn more.
