Businesses, regardless of their type and size, are currently facing a great challenge: adapting to a new scenario marked by digital transformation and changes in consumer habits left behind by the pandemic. There is an area in which this “before and after” has had a stronger impact: gastronomy .

If you have a bar, a taco shop, a restaurant or an ice cream parlor, you have no other option than to understand these changes and adapt to them through new value propositions and novel experiences for your customers. The speed of this transformation will define the profitability and growth of your business, as well as its survival.

The first step, then, is to position your gastronomic business with proposals adaptable to the new profile of your consumer, marked as we have already said by the digital and the pandemic. Let’s look at some important strategies.

Offer a digital menu on the sales floor

This is no longer optional. Even when a client asks you for a physical menu, the reality is that being handled by several diners is considered a risk factor for virus transmission. And it is something that you need to communicate to your clients through a small sign on the table or the explanation of the waiter.

This shouldn’t be a problem, as most people make heavy use of smartphones that have QR code readers. Another advantage of digital menus is that they save on printing orders ; In addition, customers can mark the food and drinks they want to consume themselves, make changes and have greater control over the final price of their meal.

In order for the digital experience to be 360 ​​degrees, it incorporates an application that allows waiters to generate receipts and electronic invoices from anywhere in the premises, through an electronic tablet.

Strengthens takeaway and delivery services with its own infrastructure

This is an option that many customers have embraced for good, as they still feel insecure eating in a restaurant where there are many other diners, or have gotten into the habit of consuming their favorite foods and beverages at home . For gastronomic businesses, takeaway and delivery have definitely become an additional source of income, which should not be neglected!

What do you need to incorporate or strengthen these channels? An own structure of communication with clients. The best-known apps on the market are very useful and effective when you want to quickly enter this segment, since you don’t need to invest in shipping and payment tools. But their services are also tied to the payment of high commissions, generally between 20 and 30% for each operation; especially at the beginning of the contract, because they invest heavily in the advertising of the new brands.

Also, remember that a user who buys from you through a delivery platform is not your client, they are a client of that application . Investigate then what options are on the market so that you can put together a digital menu in a simple way and that can be connected with WhatsApp Business and delivery and payment platforms, such as Lalamove, Mercado Pago or Paypal. In this case, the most important thing is to provide the diner with a simple and safe experience . Also make sure that the tool allows the customer to decide if he wants to receive the order at his home or pick it up in person.

Boost sales with a good business strategy

Of course, once you have your own takeaway and home delivery service, you need to communicate that proposal to your customers. Start with your local visitors, place posters inside and outside the establishment, brochures that include a discount code and banners on the business website.

As for the digital menu, make sure that the photos of the dishes are of good quality so that they look irresistible. Of course, do not deceive the customer with the appearance of the food or the size of the portions. If they fall into your trap, they will only do it once: loyalty is key in this area .

It also develops a positioning and communication strategy for the service through social networks and effective tools to appear in search engines, such as Google My Business . Remember again that the key is to seek direct communication with your customers, without intermediaries.