From the pictures on Instagram to keeping up with the hottest restaurants in town, being a foodie is a big deal and requires some serious effort. As a restaurant owner, you want to make sure that your name and your menu are showing up when these foodies come looking. So how do you ensure that you’re there? There are a few ways, but one of the most common ways of late is through the app store.
The common saying goes, “there’s an app for that!”, and this is precisely where foodies are going to find their next new place. With how many new apps pop up on a daily basis, it can be tough to keep up with it. If you’re on a couple of apps, but you’re not on the ones that matter, you’re going to be overlooked. Check out today’s blog post so that you know exactly which blogs your restaurant should show up on!
Google Maps
When you’re hungry and looking for the place that you’re going to be enjoying dinner, the first place that you check is Google — always! Location, location, location, that’s always been the saying. That location is no longer main street, but Google. You need to ensure that your restaurant is showing up on Google Maps. People search for “restaurant near me” and “food near me now.” You need to be where people are looking to get their business.
The Google Map section has made it incredibly easy for users to filter cuisine types, price ranges, and location — making it easy for them to find exactly what they’re looking for when it comes to their next meal. That being said, when you put your business on the map, you need to make sure that you are putting all of your information up for people to see.
Google Maps allows for you to put your address, contact information, price range, menu items, and pictures. So take advantage of every single opportunity that you have to provide these potential customers with the information that they need to stop in.
Trip Advisor
Well, you’re probably confused to see this app on the list given that its primary focus is travel and not food. Though that may be the case, the one thing that you want to remember is that not all of your customers are going to be locals. In fact, the only way to have “regulars” is for people to experience your restaurant for the first time — this includes travelers.
Having your restaurant on Trip Advisor gives those that are traveling a chance to find you when they’re creating the itinerary for their stay. From there, they can leave you a review and send your way. Maybe come and visit the next time that they’re in town! And you, well you get to provide a traveler with a delicious meal that is only going to make their stay better.
OpenTable
Getting a seat at some of the best restaurants in town can be a hassle, even when you’ve made reservations. If you’re tired of sitting in crowded restaurant lobbies, then OpenTable is for you! This free app makes it easy for you to discover new restaurants and from there make and manage reservations, without ever having to go into the restaurant. How great is that?
Use this app anytime, anywhere and enjoy a delicious meal without having to wait for a table or call in for reservations. This is especially great for those busy days where you don’t have time to call the restaurant or the times where the line is endlessly busy and you’re desperate for a reservation. In those cases, OpenTable has got you covered.
Acorns
This app wasn’t designed to help individuals that love food, but it’s managed to find a way on the apps that every foodie needs. So what about it makes it so great for those food lovers out there?
Well, for starters this is an app that is dedicated to helping individuals save money by rounding up their purchases and using that extra money to invest in stocks. The money in this account will fluctuate based on the investments, but you are able to withdraw any of the money saved in this account at any point in time.
Start by connecting the app to your bank account so that it has access to the purchases that you’re making. Decide how much of each purchase you’d like to round up. What this means is, would you like for Acorns to add up to the nearest dollar, or the nearest penny? Whatever amount of money that you round up to will be shuffled into an account that is entirely used to invest in stocks.
Now that you’ve got that setup, you can go about purchasing like normal! The benefit to this app is that there are certain businesses that contribute to your savings account that is put towards investments. So if there’s a chain restaurant that you love or a place that you order from once or twice a week — you need to download this app! Start making money back on the food that you’re enjoying.
Urbanspoon
Does your significant other have a tough time deciding on a restaurant? Or are you the friend that says “no you choose” each time the question of where to eat comes up? Whatever the case may be — Urbanspoon is the answer. Best describes as the slot machine of restaurants, this app allows for you to set your parameters, and take a spin!
Immediately delicious restaurants within that parameter will show up. Accompanied by pictures, reviews, and menu item recommendations, this app makes it easy to quickly get to the restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal. What’s best? They’ll include directions as well! Gone are the days of having to fight over who decides what’s for dinner!
Chefs Feed
What’s better than enjoying a meal that has been called out by some of the most famous chefs around? If you answered nothing — you are correct! Chefs Feed has quickly become a popular app in big cities were some of the big name chefs are recommending delicious dishes in the area. If you are a little bit of a picky eater, or you want to make sure that the meal that you’re about to pay for is actually as good as those 5-stars suggest, then this app is the way to go! You are pretty much guaranteed to get a meal worthy of some well-known chefs.
Bottom Line: Make It Easy
The one thing that all of these apps have in common is that they make the process of finding high-quality, delicious food, easy. From the menu items to the ability to contact the restaurant, all of these apps provide some form of ease for your customers to take advantage of.
Online Orders Now strives to provide restaurants with one of the best ways to provide convenience to their customers. If you aren’t currently offering online ordering or delivery services, but are interested in doing so, reach out to our team. We would love to give you a free demo of the software so that you can see the potential of your restaurant and take advantage of these apps to drive some additional business. You won’t regret doing so!
As always, thank you for stopping by our blog! Make sure to check out the rest of the posts in our blog series dedicated to providing you with the food ordering system that you need to avoid slowing down!