What’s the one thing that every venue, from a hole in the all espresso bar, to your local pub bistro, all the way up to the echelons of the fine dining world?
They all have a menu.
It’s the first port of call for every customer to have a look over what a place has to offer, and a lot of the time it’s something they’ll check out long before they pay a venue a visit as a yardstick to gauge whether or not it’s their type of place.
For years the menu has been a physical thing, either held in the hand or up on the wall, but the traditional menu (like a lot of things in our industry) is evolving into something a little more.
The humble menu is undergoing a change to bring it into the present: menus are going digital.
Here, we’ll discuss not only how menus are becoming more and more digital, but also why, and we’ll explain how a digital menu can help your business grow.
Physical menus still work
Let’s start off by addressing something, right off the bat.
Physical menus still work. Of course they do! Something as universal and long-living as a physical menu doesn’t suddenly stop functioning because there’s a new kid in town.
And it’s because of this that you might be asking, ‘if physical menus are still good, why do I need a digital one too?’
The answer is simple. A digital menu has the potential to reach so many more people than a physical one, with almost no extra effort or costs, but more on that later.
Digital menus have fast-tracked their development
Another roadblock in going digital is the misconception that the mere setup of a digital menu takes laborious, back-breaking work on the venue’s end, so much so that it’s hardly worth it.
This is not true.
With lockdown restrictions being so long-lived and widespread, it became a necessity for technology that could handle a contactless system to be as user-friendly as possible, and this counts on both sides of the counter here—both venue operators and customers.
Such was the race to be the most useful and therefore popular system, that care was taken to ensure the setup process was painless so that businesses could continue trading in a world where the physical touch was restricted.
These systems existed before the restrictions, but with years more development, advised by almost mandatory and somewhat impromptu rollouts, products like Lightspeed Ordering have emerged as a fine-tuned machine, helping you every step of the way.
“Prior to Lightspeed Ordering we did have an online app (and) we had a lot of issues. That put us in the position of doing research into a new online ordering process, and when we came across Lightspeed Ordering…it made sense for us to go down this path because it connects with our system, it makes that job easier, it connects with our menu items which we update, also it has a great support network where we can reach someone and they have answers and can problem-solve in a manner of minutes.”
Matt Bettesworth, Camp Grounds
Digital menus are fully customisable
Now, onto the part about exposure.
Another misconception is that it’s difficult to create a branded experience that will be unique to your venue. Again, this isn’t true.
Think about your physical menu and how much of it is within your control.
There’s the dishes themselves, and the layout of those dishes, probably organised into sections such as ‘starters’, ‘mains’, ‘sides’ and ‘desserts’, right? There might even be some suggested add-ons for certain dishes, a choice of sauce or a wine pairing perhaps?
And then there’s the overall design. Maybe your venue’s name and branding appear? Maybe they don’t?
The point is, these are all choices that you make for a physical tool that, after it’s been printed, can’t be changed without printing out a new batch.
Digital menus offer all of this and much more.
With Lightspeed Ordering, you can create a branded menu, unique to your venue that you can change on the fly.
“(Our menu) is on our website, on our Instagram, it’s on our Facebook — it’s everywhere. It’s definitely increased our customer base and reach, but also I’d say it has more of an impact on our customer experience. I think it’s been a more positive customer experience.”
Matt Bettesworth, Camp Grounds
Digital menus can update in an instant
You can set it up however you like, with dishes grouped into different categories (just like a physical menu), and automatically prompted add-ons and upsells. You control the journey so much more than you ever could with a physical menu.
And if there’s something that needs changing, like if an item is sold out, or even something more major like a seasonal overhaul, the turnaround on creating a new and up-to-the-minute digital menu is around the same time it takes for you to write it.
No waiting for the printers to create them for you. No extra materials in the mix. Just the same QR code on the table so that the customers can order and pay right there on their phones.
Introducing Lightspeed Ordering
It’s time to bring your venue’s menu into the modern age with a quick, painless setup courtesy of Lightspeed Ordering.
See how your menu can evolve with Lightspeed Ordering and get started today.
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