How Restaurants Can Provide Payment Flexibility To Guests

importance of payment flexibility

You dined at your favorite local eatery, and the food and beverages were excellent. However, when it comes time to pay for the dinner, you can’t manage to locate the server and inform them you’re ready to receive the bill. Even when you request a check, it seems to take an eternity for them to get it to you, and then you have to wait for them to take your card and process it. For the customer, this can be a tiresome procedure that might even ruin their dining experience. As a result, restaurants must provide payment flexibility to guests and allow them to pay in a variety of ways. This will streamline the workflow and make it easier for customers and restaurant employees. 

 

“A study revealed that 60% of people who have experienced a slow payment process have ruined their dining experience.”

 

Accept multiple types of payment.

It’s critical to make it simple for customers to pay using whatever method they like. The more payment options your business allows, the more convenient it will be. Traditional card swipe, EMV chip, NFC cards, mobile wallets including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and WeChat Pay, and Alipay are all accepted by Shift4. Did you know that one of the most efficient methods to cut wait times is to accept numerous forms of payment?

flexible payments with skytab

Give access to pay at the table. 

In most countries, the use of table-side payment is already prevalent. In the U.S, almost all adults (70% of baby boomers and 72% of millennials) would prefer to pay at the table if they could. SkyTab is a powerful tool that will allow your business to offer the pay at the table service and deliver an unmatched experience to your customers. It also includes order entry from the table, which eliminates the need for trips to the POS system. 

Increase payment security. 

Allowing the customer to have control of their checkout procedure can alleviate concerns about a potentially insecure payment process. The consumer is no longer required to hand over their credit card to a server who then walks away with it. Customers will have peace of mind and a more secure dining experience as a result of this.

 

“A study conducted by Mastercard revealed that 79 percent of consumers globally are using contactless payments.”

 

Provide QR code pay. 

In restaurants, QR codes have become increasingly popular; many times, QR codes are placed on tables for guests to scan with their phones to access a digital menu. Another application of QR codes in restaurants is QR Order & Pay, which allows customers to examine the restaurant’s menu, place an order, and pay all from their phones. This provides guests more control over when services are provided and how bills are paid.

QR order and pay for flexibility

Offer online ordering.

With online ordering, restaurants can accept orders and payments from wherever their consumers are. RM Online Ordering accepts all major credit cards, as well as RM gift cards. For guests, purchasing online is faster and more convenient. According to restaurant researcher Peter Saleh, guests who place their own orders “tend to engage with the menu longer and spend 15% to 25% more.” Frequent client visits, greater check totals, and improved client conversion and loyalty are some advantages of online ordering. 

 

Ask guests their payment preference. 

Different generations may be wary of new technology or have difficulty implementing it. If your restaurant’s patrons are used to checking out on their own, you may wish to assist them or use the Standard Credit Card procedure to satisfy them. If you’re trying out new technologies, ask for feedback, especially if they’re a regular customer.

 

Are any of the above-mentioned payment methods something you’d want to try? We’d be happy to discuss which alternatives are best for your company. For further information, call 407-365-1991.

5 Ways to Attract and Retain More Guests to Your Restaurant

how to attract customers to your restaurant

Attract and Retain More Guests to Your Restaurant

Overall Experience

The customer experience has greatly changed, and restaurants still need to use these tips and tools to pivot as needed, while ensuring the focus is still always on the customer. Here are a few easy to implement solutions and a proven way of driving repeat visits and improving customer loyalty.

Adopt New Technology

The restaurant industry is known for being late-adopters of new technology. Adopting new technology is a massive way to get a leg up on the competition and to attract customers to your restaurant. It’s important for you to research the latest restaurant solutions and software and implement them. Also, look at other industries and see how they are making their guests more comfortable with technology. This includes contactless payments like Apple Pay, QR Codes for Ordering and Payments, as well as Online Ordering.

Invite Guests Back

People want to support local businesses. It’s important to welcome guests and tell them how appreciative of them you are to have their support and business. Offer them a coupon to dine in and fill seats, tell them how they can order online directly from you, keep guests informed about upcoming events like the wine night you’re hosting next week, and invite them back. Ask them to engage with you on social media for exclusive giveaways. It’s important to make their experience feel personal and for the customers to feel a connection with your brand.

Discuss What You Can Improve On

Not only should you constantly be discussing with your restaurant personnel how you can improve the service, but you should also ask guests their opinion. Let them know you’d love their feedback to improve and then reach out later when you’ve implemented the improvement!

Our Skytab Pay at The Table solution prompts customers to leave a review while they’re checking out, so management can thank them for the review before they leave the restaurant, or address their concern if they leave a low rating on SkyTab, as managers are notified immediately via a text message.

Hire the Right Staff

Hiring the right staff is so important. You want staff that will work hard and be committed, have great interactions with the customers, guide them through the menu, and upsell items while making conversation with the guests. The staff is part of the customers’ experience and will make a significant difference for the customer. Restaurants should shift to have the mindset of hiring quality servers, not just numerous servers. With restaurant technology like our QR Order from the Table that allows customers to order directly to the kitchen, there’s less need for a lot of servers on the same shift, a great way to cut labor costs! Staff is there to still do their job, but servers are no longer having to wait to take an order, put it into a POS system, and further communicate with the kitchen. The server’s time is freed up and they’re able to handle more tables at once while streamlining orders to the kitchen in a timely manner.

Do you want an ordering system that allows guests to view your menu, order, and pay all from their smartphones? Check out our QR Order and Pay solution from Shift4 Payments!

Contact Us

Try implementing at least one of these suggestions to help attract and retain more guests to your restaurant and let us know how they worked for you! Ready to upgrade your payment processing and technology solutions? Give us a call! Meadows Hospitality Systems at (407) 365-1991 or online at https://www.mhs-pos.com/contact-us.