As you well know, the restaurant industry is competitive. With over 1 million restaurants just in the U.S. and new options popping up all the time, how can you set your restaurant apart to ensure you’re attracting customers and building regulars? 

One of the most effective ways to stand out is by using technology in the form of an app. Restaurant apps are a simple way to increase brand awareness and improve engagement with old and new customers.

77% of Americans own smartphones and spend on average nearly 3 hours per day on them. Naturally, your best recipe for success is to meet your customers where they are – on their phones. This lets you extend your restaurant from just a storefront to the device right in consumers’ hands. Here are the ingredients you'll need to cook up a successful restaurant app strategy.

Blend in customer incentives

One of the most motivating ways to incentivize customers is with loyalty campaigns. Apps are today’s convenient "buy 9 get the 10th free" punch card, and nearly everyone is drawn in by rewards in the form of free food or beverages.

Not only do rewards encourage customers to dine with you, but these campaigns increase customer spending an average of 15%. When a customer is about to earn a reward, the purchase amount typically increases by 70%. The psychological effects behind a simple incentive program are staggering, making this the main ingredient.

Dice up reservation options

Having a reservation feature available via your app is a major benefit to both you and your customer. Despite the increase in cell phone use, actual phone calls are made less frequently. Customers prefer to see accurate availability of your tables on their screens, as opposed to calling and haggling with a host over what dining time is available. 

The convenience of reserving a table digitally also saves you from over or under staffing. Reservations are a great indicator of how busy your lunch or dinner rush will be, allowing you to schedule employees accordingly. 

Roast to-go order troubles

Phone orders leave too much room for error and most of these calls come in during busy lunch and dinner rushes, taking away from dine-in customers' experiences. Staff and customers encounter problems daily like dropped calls, misunderstood orders and staff availability. 

Ordering food via your app lets you conveniently collect customer information to simplify the order process. It also makes it convenient for you and customers to let them pay in advance and ultimately offers a way to track customer behavior and trends. Customers can also see options in front of them as opposed to simply calling in an order.

Drizzle in customer engagement

Word of mouth is the best way for a business to grow, but with less social interaction in person, consumers are sharing their experiences on social media. By pulling your Facebook feed into your home screen or even posting YouTube videos directly from your app, customers can view, like and share your offers and specials with friends and family.

Boelter Blue offers you an app with all the best ingredients for restaurant success. Contact us today to start building awareness, attracting more customers and creating more regulars.