What are the advantages of having a website for a restaurant? If this question has ever popped into your mind, then you’re one step closer to finding the truth. It is no secret that the world is moving towards a more online future.
In just the United States alone, the online food delivery market has reached a massive capitalization of $26,527 Million. While the majority of it is major third-party food delivery platforms, and big chain restaurants. Medium to small local restaurants can also get a piece of this pie if they play their cards right.
What Are The Advantages Of Having A Website For A Restaurant?
The hospitality industry is conformed by an unprecedented challenge in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. With restrictions of public movement and interactions, restaurants have been at the receiving end of dramatic consequences.
Over 71% of restaurants across the United States have reported a revenue loss of 15% since March 2020. So, the question remains: should you invest in a website at this juncture? Our assessment would say yes, don’t delay!
Having a restaurant website enables you to breakaway from the predatory practices of third-party food delivery companies. It also enables you to increase your reach, offer online food delivery services, cultivate your brand, cutdown on overhead costs, and much more!
5 Reasons Why You Should Create A Website For Your Restaurant!
Now that we have an understanding of the overall principles of the advantages of having a website for a restaurant. It is now time to look at the nitty-gritty details of the entire process. What are the exact benefits you get with a restaurant website?
Here are the top five reasons why you must invest in a website for your restaurant:
#1 Increase Customer Reach
According to a recent survey conducted by the U.S. National Restaurant Association, in which 82% of customers said that they are more inclined to visit a restaurant after seeing it on the web. Therefore, your online presence is equally important for your business’s growth as your physical presence. As more and more time passes go on, the need for a website will only increase.
One of the prime advantages of having a website for a restaurant is that you get to increase your reach. Now no longer are you limited by your geographical location. By increasing your visibility you also increase your chances of generating new potential customers.
Empowered with a website your restaurant can curate contact information of customers, offer them special discounts, keep them updated, and provide them online food ordering options!
#2 Offers Online Food Delivery
The sudden COVID19 pandemic not only took the world by storm but also shell-shocked the hospitality industry. It is estimated that restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes, etc. in the U.S. will nearly lose $240 Billion in market capitalization in the year 2020.
While these testing times are an extreme challenge to deal with, they also offer a unique opportunity. Restaurants that had created a website with an integrated online food ordering platform saw a 91% increase in sales across the U.S. during the lockdown.
With a restaurant website, you allow your customers to reserve tables, order food, request contactless deliveries, and pay through online methods.
It is not hard to understand how the future of the hospitality industry looks like with the pandemic. If you want your restaurant business to thrive in the new market, then it needs to evolve and embrace change.
#3 Cultivate Your Brand Identity
One of the prime advantages of having a website for a restaurant is that it enables you to build your brand identity. A good website allows you to showcase future customers what you’re all about. You can entice them with pictures of delicious food on your menu, to provide them with wonderful reviews left by your previous patrons.
All of this adds magic to your online identity and helps you cultivate your business’s brand image. Showcase your premises’ ambiance with welcoming pictures that invoke warm feelings of happiness and joy.
Traditional marketing channels have started to show their age, as future generations of buyers aren’t easily persuaded by them. To keep your shop going you need to capture the imagination of the new-age consumers.
A consumer that is driven by desire and not by need, offers them something special, something beyond just-food. To win the hearts of this new age consumer, you need to provide them with experiences to remember.
#4 Cutdown On Your Overhead Costs
It is no secret that the restaurant industry is a business of razor-thin margins. Similarly, it is also not hidden that traditional methods of advertising/marketing have lost their sheen, while still costing the same.
On average it takes about $250-500 on traditional advertising methods like TV/Radio/Newspaper to reach an estimated audience of 2,000 people. While on the other hand, it just takes a measly $75 to reach an audience of 2,000 on social media.
Another one of the advantages of having a website for a restaurant is that no longer will you be held hostage by third-party food delivery platforms. Did you know that these third-party food delivery platforms like GrubHub, UberEats, DoorDash, etc. charge restaurants up to 30% in commissions! Now with your own website integrated food ordering platform, you can offer great contactless food delivery services to your customers without the middlemen.
#5 Build Brand Trust & Customer Loyalty
In a customer-first industry with razor-thin margins, customer loyalty is critical for your business. Unlike enterprise-level chain restaurants, most local restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. don’t possess the capability to launch expensive branding building campaigns. Most often than not, the only way to cultivate customer loyalty for such restaurants is through word of mouth.
But all of this can change with your restaurant having a website of its own. Empowered with a website you conduct robust CRM operations that make your customers come back for more. Entice your customers to come back with personalized offers, discounts, coupons, and much more!
In Conclusion
If restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. want to grow better and faster, then they must evolve with time. Not only should they accept change, but they also must put their best foot forward and facilitate the adoption of new technologies to propel their growth.
