How to Incorporate Locally Sourced Food Into Your Menu
More and more diners care about a restaurant’s sustainability practices. According to the 2020 National Restaurant Association Industry Report, 76% of adults said they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally sourced food. If your restaurant doesn’t tap into the locally sourced food movement, you may be missing out on potential customers.
Continue reading to discover ways to integrate locally sourced ingredients into your restaurant’s menu.
What are locally sourced goods?
Locally sourced goods typically refer to food, ingredients or other consumable products that are sourced, purchased or procured within a specific radius distance from where they will be used. This definition varies depending on what people consider local, but to consumers, the label “locally sourced” means that the ingredients are healthier and fresher than other products purchased from farther away.
The push for local food and farm-to-table restaurants has grown in recent years due in part to the desire to support local growers and farmers. Buying from those in your community boosts the economy, creates more jobs and helps support produce growers.
Where can you get locally sourced ingredients?
Buying locally sourced food and ingredients can seem daunting at first, but there are many resources available to help connect you to local farmers and suppliers. Visit your local farmers market to meet farmers or network with farm-to-table restaurants in your area to learn which local suppliers they’ve had success with in the past.
Once you’ve found local farmers and suppliers to work with, focus on establishing a meaningful relationship with them. Small gestures, such as thanking your suppliers and keeping them updated on any changes within your restaurant, can go a long way toward showing suppliers that you value them as a business partner.
The more time you invest in building these relationships, the greater chance you’ll have to receive the ingredients you need. You may even enjoy some unexpected benefits such as the first pick of produce or discounts for your continued loyalty.
Even with close relationships built with farmers, there may still be some difficulties you have to overcome when purchasing locally.
How inflation affects local food prices
When inflation rises, so do food prices. Because it costs more to farm during times of high inflation, farmers must raise their produce prices to balance their return on investment. That means that food inflation may affect whether or not your restaurant can afford to purchase locally.
Even with the topic of food inflation being prevalent, it’s still possible to include locally sourced food in your entrées.
Tips for incorporating locally sourced food into your menu
You don’t have to replace every single item on your menu with locally sourced items or break the bank to include local goods. Here are some ideas for adding ingredients that will boost your local economy:
Start slow and set realistic goals
Sourcing local ingredients can be higher-cost due to working with small suppliers, which means switching your menu overnight to feature these ingredients can be costly. Help ease your restaurant’s transition by setting reachable goals, such as purchasing a small amount of locally sourced ingredients or only buying locally sourced food that is close in cost to your traditional ingredients.
It might also make sense for you to test run incorporating locally sourced ingredients into your menu. Consider featuring a special on your menu or even hosting a weekly local foods night that offers a special entrée made entirely from local ingredients.
Offering locally sourced food for sale as a retail model in your restaurant is also a great way to introduce the concept to your customer base. When indoor dining was shut down in New York during the height of the pandemic, The Council Cafe transformed its storefront restaurant into a local market featuring locally produced bread from Naira Bread in New York.
The Council Cafe’s market supported other local businesses and made locally sourced food accessible to their customer base.
Use locally-sourced food to fuel your seasonal menu items
Sticker shock is often enough to keep many restaurant owners from incorporating locally sourced ingredients into their menus, but it doesn’t have to be costly. By purchasing in-season produce, you can include local ingredients that are both more affordable and of higher quality.
Lighthouse, a farm-to-table restaurant in New York City, has found success in leveraging locally sourced ingredients in its seasonal dishes. The staff even put organic food waste to work by using vegetable and fruit scraps to make compost for their herb garden, which is used to create in-house spice mixes.
While buying locally sourced food can seem expensive at first, being strategic with your menu and using in-season ingredients can help reduce the cost of locally sourced food.
Seek out sustainable seafood from local fishermen
According to the World Wildlife Foundation, fishing is one of the largest contributors to the decrease in ocean wildlife populations. While the actual act of fishing is not terrible for the environment, overfishing — which is when fish are removed from the water faster than the species can replenish — is detrimental to our oceans.
Taking the extra step to seek out sustainable seafood options from local fishmongers is not only the right move for the environment but can also help your restaurant reach new diners. According to the Marine Stewardship Council, 70% of North American shoppers would like to hear more from restaurants about the sustainability of their fish and seafood products.
Fish, a sustainable seafood restaurant based in Sausalito, California, has become a success by creating inventive dishes that feature seasonally caught fish. By purchasing directly from local fishers, Fish can confidently communicate to their customers the exact path the seafood took from the water to their plate.
Attract more customers with a locally sourced menu
Tapping into the local food movement is a great way to grow your customer base and positively impact the environment. You may also be surprised by the health benefits that your customers experience from higher-quality food. According to Virtua Health, fruits and vegetables start to lose their nutrients within 24 hours of being picked, so the fresher your restaurant’s food is, the better it will be for those enjoying it.
Using locally sourced ingredients does not need to be an expensive or time-consuming task for your restaurant. Start by developing relationships with local farmers and fishers, creating seasonal dishes and setting realistic sustainability goals for your restaurant model.
Are you interested in learning more restaurant sustainability tips? Check out 10 restaurant sustainability tips that can help you reduce food waste and improve your restaurant’s profit margins.
Grubhub customers are hungry for restaurants that feature fresh ingredients and sustainable practices. Sign up to become a Grubhub restaurant partner today and be introduced to 33+ million diners who are looking for their next delicious meal.
Demand is high – No supply –
Opportunity in the outer suburbs
By Gerrick Numan
The inner suburbs, the ‘cool’ areas, have a lot of restaurants, cafes and bars. The demand is high but so is supply. That doesn’t mean another one won’t work, it just means there are opportunities elsewhere.
In some under-serviced outer suburbs, the demand is high and there’s no supply.
People are there, with money, looking to eat out but they have nowhere to go. If your concept is right, your chances of success are higher in the outer suburbs.
Just look at Peach’s Hot Chicken. We designed a venue for them in Panmure, Auckland, an area better known for pawn shops than dining, and they’ve had crazy queues out the door every single night.
Now they’re moving to a venue twice the size down the road. An excellent concept plus low competition has meant a much more profitable restaurant than if they had opened in the inner suburbs.
We’ve done the same for Sumthin Dumplin in Botany and many others.
Rent
Not only is competition lower in the suburbs, so are the rents.
A shop that costs you $80k per year in rent in an inner suburb, can cost $25k in the outer suburbs. That’s $55k in your pocket, immediately. The old real estate saying that you ‘make your money when you buy’ applies to leasing a space for a hospitality business too.
In an industry where margins are slim, lower rents can make a huge difference.
If you do $15k in sales per week, the lower rent means a drop in your annual rent percentage from 10% to 3% – an additional 7% of profit.
Postpandemic
There is less demand for retail spaces. So you will have increased negotiating power with landlords. This could mean a long rent free period or a significant capital contribution from landlords.
You will also be in a good place to negotiate a ‘sale friendly’ lease
Ie a lease that will be attractive to future buyers of your venue (multiple rights of renewal, annual rental increases capped at CPI, no demolition clauses). Get in touch with me any time if you want me to explain these ideas.
There is potential in failed venues.
The financial and emotional impacts of a failed concept on operators are nothing to be taken lightly. But at some point these venues and their unused fit outs and equipment will need to be used again. This can be an excellent opportunity to open a venue, without the massive expense and risk that comes from setting up a kitchen from scratch.
Where to from here?
If you need any help assessing a site, or tweaking your concept, get in touch with me anytime and let’s figure out a way to keep moving forward. www.mille.co.nz
The ultimate guide to running multiple restaurants
The COVID-19 pandemic altered the restaurant industry considerably, causing many struggling restaurants to shut down or reduce their business hours. But today, many establishments are back in the swing of things and bringing in pre-pandemic restaurant sales numbers.
As many restaurants move forward from the hardships of the previous couple of years, there’s more opportunity to open an additional restaurant location. There are tons of restaurants of all different sizes and styles across the country, and seven out of 10 of them are single-unit operations, according to the National Restaurant Association. This means that there are many managers who may be considering branching out or expanding their operations to different neighborhoods, cities or states.
If the thought of expanding locations is going through your head but you’re undecided, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look at how you can best transition to operating multiple restaurant locations at once, what management styles may work for you and why you should consider opening a second restaurant.
Transitioning from one to multiple restaurants
Whether you choose to open multiple restaurants or simply want a single unit, there’s only one of you, the owner. Because restaurant management can be taxing, running more than one establishment can be challenging. Here are some common factors to consider when making the decision to branch out:
Finances
If your goal is to open another restaurant business, then you must ensure that your finances can support that choice. Opening another location for your business requires a building, new equipment, technology, employee salaries and benefits, raw materials, dining materials and more. There’s a lot to consider! Depending on the financial establishment that you bank with, there should be loans and funding available to you. Some of these options may include equipment and technology loans, working capital loans and lines of credit. It’s important to review your restaurant business plan as you consider your options for expanding.
Delegation
Although you’re the restaurant owner or manager for some reason, owning and operating multiple restaurant locations comes with the need to ask for help. You may think you can do it all on your own, but you’ll most likely end up burnt out and tired.
Be willing to delegate some of the responsibilities to another trusted person’s shoulders so you don’t have to bear the burden of successfully running every aspect of your business. That may mean handing over the financial side of your business and having an accountant or specific money-focused employee handle the cash your restaurant makes. Or, maybe you should take a step back from the employee relations side of restaurant management: hire a designated human resource professional to ensure the people working for you have what they need. Whatever the task may be, ensure that you have other people to help you.
Time and attention
This factor goes hand-in-hand with delegation. Time management is key when it comes to running multiple eaters at once. When you open a new restaurant, you can expect a very work-heavy start full of long hours that require a great deal of commitment. Plan to divide your time between your various restaurant locations as best as you can by scheduling regular visits to check in and see how things are going.
Consistency
If you’re opening a branch of an existing brand or franchise, then you must ensure that your customers will receive the same experience at this new location as the current restaurant. People want the convenience of having a branch of their favorite restaurant near their home or workplace, but they won’t want to sacrifice quality. Give them a positive customer experience by making the additional business an extension of their already beloved restaurant, featuring all the well-known aspects of your brand.
There are many more elements to take into consideration when adding a new restaurant to your portfolio, and, there are as many management styles that you can employ to make this a smooth transition.
Restaurant management types to test out
Being a restaurant manager is a constant balancing act. It’s helpful to pin down your management style and build guidelines for you and your other authoritative figures to follow to ensure a consistent front. Here are some of the more frequently used leadership styles:
Coercive leadership
This is a type of management where the person in charge makes confident decisions and gives very few explanations for why they did something a particular way. You can think of it as the “because I said so” approach to take charge. The benefits of this style include the ability to make decisions on the fly, the appearance of full control and quick reactions during emergencies.
Democratic leadership
In contrast to the previous approach, a democratic leader considers the restaurant staff majority when making decisions. People who use this style of management will ask questions, seek opinions and engage with employees regarding everything that happens at the restaurant. The pros of this approach are that everyone will feel like a part of the decision-making process, and, therefore, it can foster a sense of community. Just be cautious not to allow too many cooks in the kitchen (literally), because this can make coming to a final decision difficult.
Coaching leadership
Just like a sports team, a manager who guides their restaurant staff can work toward future goals and boost morale. This management style is all about instructing new hires, teaching cooking techniques or testing out different equipment. The only issue this style of leadership can have is when someone just isn’t fitting into your restaurant’s culture. It can be difficult for these “coaches” to let people on their team go, even if it’s what’s best for the restaurant.
The benefits of managing multiple establishments
Even with its challenges and obstacles, opening up another restaurant can truly benefit you. One of the main perks of managing more than one establishment at a time is the ability to take advantage of bulk discounts for food and supplies. When you serve more people, you need to purchase more ingredients, and many wholesale food companies will bring down prices when you buy higher quantities of raw goods. You can also share resources like staff and marketing materials across all of your locations.
If you serve a large customer base, your staff may be constantly overwhelmed. By opening another location, you can hire more people, spread the workload between the various locations and give your staff more of a break from constant high-volume shifts. On top of that, you’ll have more flexibility in terms of your employees’ scheduling and delivery hours. With additional staff and locations to choose from, team members can better find replacements for shifts they’re unable to fill and you can move people to specific locations when the restaurants are busier or need backup.
One additional (and recently developed) benefit of owning and operating multiple restaurants is the flexibility of the new establishment’s style. Let’s say that you want to open a new restaurant but don’t want to spend a fortune on a physical location. That’s where virtual restaurants come into the picture. Also called ghost or dark kitchens, virtual restaurants are delivery-only establishments that are located within an existing restaurant. They’re a great way to bring in new customers and more revenue without increasing your overhead costs. You can take advantage of Grubhub Direct online ordering and branded virtual restaurant services that make this type of restaurant a smooth process to open and operate.
Ready to open another restaurant? Take a peek at some tips and tricks for operating several establishments simultaneously.
Tips for running multiple restaurants
As a restaurant owner or manager, you have the power to make the process of opening a new restaurant work. Just implement some of these helpful guidelines to get started:
- Be organised: You may be able to get away with disorganized data, financial documentation and business processes with just one restaurant. However, overseeing multiple establishments requires automated inventory and operations management systems that can keep your reports and business intelligence secure.
- Be consistent: We’ve already mentioned consistency as an important aspect of management, but we’re bringing it up again because it’s so vital to your restaurant’s success. Keep your procedures for all establishments the same by employing a multiple-unit POS restaurant management system to run your locations smoothly. This will also help you share staff across multiple locations without having to show them the ropes.
- Communicate: Using proper and efficient communication in one restaurant is important, but it’s essential for managing multiple-unit establishments. Make it easy for your employees to put their skills to work and understand what’s expected of them by being open and frequently sending messages, calling or meeting in person.
Speaking of helpful technology, Grubhub for Restaurants is specifically designed to streamline your operations and make it easier for you to:
- Be more efficient.
- Make updates to your menu and services.
- Train employees properly and more quickly.
- Deliver to your customers.
You don’t have to manage multiple restaurants on your own. With Grubhub by your side, numerous operations can be a piece of cake!
Take advantage of Grubhub and reach 33+ million diners who are hungry for their next meal which could be from your restaurant. Partner with us today!
Carnival Wants to end Cheap Cruises (Royal Caribbean Agrees)
A hotel room that sells for $100 a night comes with a place to sleep, maybe a pool, and if you’re really lucky, a free, very mediocre breakfast. Buy a cruise cabin for $100 a night — something that’s easy to do right now — and you get your cabin, multiple pools, hot tubs, shows, live music, and as much food as you can eat from multiple venues.
That’s a great deal when cruise prices are relatively in line with land-based vacation prices. While they’re depressed, which they have generally been since the cruise industry returned from its covid-related shutdown in July 2021, both Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) – Get Free Report and Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) – Get Free Report expect that to change.
Both cruise lines have been aggressive in positioning their fleets, managing capacity, and building excitement. Carnival recently added Celebration, its newest US flagship, and Royal Caribbean has Wonder of the Seas, which began sailing during the pandemic.
Carnival CEO Josh Weinstein made it clear that he has a plan to bring cruise pricing higher, and he talked about it during the cruise line’s fourth-quarter earnings call.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Sheds Ships, Ramps up Ads
Carnival removed a number of ships from its namesake brand in 2022. It also took three ships from its Costa line, which sails in Europe and has been impacted by both covid and the war in Ukraine, and assigned them to Carnival, giving that cruise line a new experience to market.
Weinstein has been focusing on making the various Carnival brands as efficient as possible. This has included adding new ships and dropping old ones.
“When coupled with the delivery of larger, more efficient ships, including the successful introduction of Carnival Celebration last month and the addition of Arvia for P&O Cruises just last week, this will result in nearly a quarter of our fleet consisting of new capacity,” he said. “This fleet transformation results in an 8-percentage-point increase in balcony cabins, along with a tremendous increase in available real estate on board to deliver even more differentiated onboard experiences and generate associated revenues contributing to durable revenue growth going forward.”
Basically, newer ships come with more revenue opportunities than older ones and Carnival used the pandemic to reset its fleet, adding new ships and phasing out older ones. Weinstein has also taken steps to let customers new and old know what the Carnival cruise lines have done.
“We are capitalizing on the 25% to 50% value gap for land-based alternatives that, frankly, should not exist with new marketing campaigns to communicate our significant value advantage to land-based alternatives, including newly launched digital creatives from several brands, ” the CEO explained. “We plan to continue these increased investments in advertising as we head into next year to promote a strong ‘wave’ season where we capture disproportionately higher bookings for the year, particularly our important summer season.”
Weinstein has his various brands focusing on maximizing revenue with an eye toward bringing higher prices.
“On the revenue management side, we are ensuring that each brand is utilizing pricing philosophies to maximize revenue, from launch to sailing, and sharing best practices across brands,” he added.
Royal Caribbean Wants Higher Prices Too
Royal Caribbean Group President Michael Bayley has also commented on cruise prices being too low. He explained why that has been the case in an interview with TheStreet.
“All of us were coming from very low load factors. And we were trying to get to our model number of 100% plus. And so, yeah, pricing was a challenge during that period,” he said.
The Royal Caribbean executive is confident that higher prices will return in 2023.
“I am more optimistic about pricing now than I’d been before. I think we’ve seen ourselves, our load factors are back, our bookings are solid, and our pricing is recovering,” Bayley said.
Royal Caribbean has Icon of the Seas, the first in a new class of ships, set for delivery late in 2023. Bookings on that new ship have been at record levels. In a broad sense, while cruise prices have been depressed, newer ships have been selling at premium prices.
5 Great Surf Spots in Bali –
Bali is one of the favorite destinations for every surfer in the world. Blessed with a diverse selection of waves making it perfect for surfers of any level. Here are 5 great surf spots in Bali you should try!
1. Batu Bolong Beach
Located in Canggu, this beach is a great place to choose if you are a beginner surfer. The fat and mellow waves make you super comfortable to learn for hours. Sometimes, there is a bit of small swell that might take you closer to a rocky patch, so you need to be aware. The low tide here produces some mushy and messy waves but in general, it is great at high or low. This spot is also perfect if you’re traveling with kids and they want to learn to surf.
2. Green Bowl Beach
After a 30 minute walk around a cliff and down a flight of stairs, you’ll be greeted by a beach that faces south, directly in front of pretty big swells, and is best at high tide. Its currents are super powerful which tend to pull you all over the place, so the paddling doesn’t stop. The tides here are usually very high in the morning, so midday is the best time to visit.
3. Suluban Beach
Suluban Beach is definitely perfect for advanced surfers. The tide produces big and powerful waves all day long that give the surfers perfect left and right breaks. Its beautiful and mystique vibes make us feel like surfing for a movie scene. The beach itself is also very unique since it is mapped out among the caves.
4. Balangan Beach
If you are into picturesque waves and beaches, Balangan Beach is on your number one list. Many surfers come here because it has a feeling of the true surfing culture. The waters chuck out waves no matter the tide and the bay are still really untouched. This spot is suitable for any level of surfers. The beginner can enjoy its smaller swells and when they get bigger that’s when the waves will be lined with the pros.
5. Table Stone
Last but not least, another favorite surf spot especially if you’re a pro one. The waves are super powerful and consistent, making them perfect for advanced surfers. This beach has attracted many surfers both locally and internationally. The perfect conditions are usually between mid and high tide since the low tide is too low over the shallow reef. A heaven for surfers.
Read the more articles here:
Vin Geek | Restaurant Bar with DIY Wine Dispenser
Vin Geek | Restaurant Bar with DIY Wine Dispenser
Restaurant bar Vin Geek quietly opened its doors mid-this year at Pacific Plaza. However, its name is probably known by wine-lovers. Upon entering the restaurant bar, you’ll be greeted by the DIY wine dispenser – with approximately 20+ bottles on tap at any time, a selection of whites, reds and roses. All of them are available in a tasting portion (30ml), half glass (90ml) or full glass (180ml), with prices as low as $2.50+ for a tasting portion.
Ordering is simple: choose a wine, scan the QR code and cart out. The chosen vino will then be dispensed into your glass!
Budget per person: $35 to $50 per person
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How to find an eco-friendly hotel
You reduce, reuse, and recycle at home. And when it’s time to stay in a hotel, your desire to be as good to the planet as possible doesn’t go away. But finding an “eco-friendly” hotel can be a challenge. There’s a lot more to reducing a property’s environmental footprint than asking guests to reuse their towels. Hotels need to find ways to conserve energy, reduce water use and waste, source products from local vendors, and eliminate items like single-use plastic.
It’s important to be on the lookout for buzzwords and claims that can’t be backed up with receipts. Some hotels might tout themselves as being green, but their only offering is an electric vehicle charging station. A property that is actually walking the walk will explain its initiatives and share its water and energy reports, which will detail how much each is saved.
There are other questions to ask about an eco-friendly property: What is its waste management plan? Does it source food and other products locally? Does it give back to its local community and pay its staff a fair wage? Does the hotel have LEED certification from the US Building Council, or other official accreditations? If you want to know more or need clarification on any topic, call the hotel and ask to speak with someone who can answer your queries.
Here are a handful of hotels working to reduce their environmental footprints:
1 San Francisco Hotels
At 1 San Francisco Hotels, sustainability meets luxury. The property, open since June 2022, is inspired by nature, and embraces the idea of indoor/outdoor living, with preserved plants and driftwood in the inviting rooms and public spaces. Joel Costa, director of sales and marketing at 1 Hotel San Francisco, told The Week designers utilized locally sourced and repurposed materials for the property, with the lobby flooring consisting of 7,000 square feet of reclaimed barn wood and each guest elevator landing made of redwood lumber from the original San Francisco Bay Bridge. There are also gentle reminders for guests on steps they can take to conserve water, like the 5-minute timers in the showers, and through the 1 Less Thing program, they can leave behind extra clothing and accessories, which is donated to the St. Anthony Foundation, a local social services organization.
Courtesy of 1 Hotel San Francisco
The hotel’s restaurant, Terrene, primarily uses ingredients sourced from within 100 miles, “and we’re fortunate to be in Northern California, where this is possible,” Costa said. The greens don’t have to travel far — they come from the chef’s rooftop garden — and several of the cocktails on the menu are zero-waste. “In the kitchen, we divert about 71 percent of our waste out of landfills,” Costa said, through composting and recycling. The 1 Hotel San Francisco is under certification review for a LEED gold standard hotel.
Catherine Garcia was a guest of 1 Hotel San Francisco. Nightly room rates start at $490.
The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle
Located inside the Bald Eagle State Park, the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle offers a one-of-a-kind experience. There are lake views, forest views, and garden views, all from the comfort of this LEED Gold property in Howard, Pennsylvania. The hotel uses GeoThermal heating and cooling, and its 2,800-gallon rain water harvesting system is used to flush the toilets. Several of the windows are made from fritted glass to reduce bird strikes, and the Forest Stewardship Council certified white oak grown in the state was used to create the mission-style furniture found throughout the property. The patio furniture is made of recycled aluminum, and the counters at the front desk and library were constructed from sunflower seed hulls.
Nightly room rates are seasonal, and start at $115 in the winter.
The Allison Inn & Spa
the Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, Oregon, is a well-oiled green machine. It received its LEED Gold Certification less than a year after opening in 2009, and since then has been adding to its eco-friendly initiatives. The hotel, which uses solar panels to heat the water used in the spa and across the property, has eliminated the use of plastic bottles and Styrofoam, focuses on bulk products rather than single-use items, and instead of air conditioners, turns to Mother Nature , opening windows so the breeze can cool things down. At the on-site Jory Restaurant, many of the dishes contain ingredients from the chef’s 1.5-acre garden and greenhouse, a welcome addition to the already lush grounds.
Nightly room rates start at $555.
Inn by the Sea
Right on the coast, the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, with its lovely gardens that serve as habitat for wildlife and butterflies, is a charmer. The hotel has Silver LEED certification, and the goal of maximizing its eco-friendly offerings in order to minimize its footprint. The pool is heated by solar panels, while the spa’s sheet rock walls and cork flooring are made of recycled materials. The on-site Sea Glass restaurant works with local fishermen and farmers to get sustainable fish from the Gulf of Maine and organic produce, and all food waste is composted. The Inn by the Sea also partners with local schools by purchasing books from their wish lists and making donations to local environmental organizations.
Nightly room rates start at $284.50.
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Implementing a QR Code Menu
The restaurant industry has seen many advances over the years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely had a hand in some of those rapid changes. Instead of remaining closed, many restaurants have found ways to reopen their establishments in a safe way. According to the National Restaurant Association, all restaurants in the country are back to 50% capacity or higher, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of restaurant owners across the United States.
Whether you like it or not, going out to eat will never look the same thanks to the technological advances that have been put into place to keep people safe and boost customer satisfaction. One of the newer developments in the food industry is QR code menus. While some restaurants have been using this style of online menu for a long time, they have risen in popularity in the post-pandemic world.
If you’re interested in implementing QR code menus at your restaurant or simply want to learn more about this type of technology, continue reading.
What is a QR code menu?
You’ve most likely seen the small, black box known as a QR code before. It’s been around since the 1990s and is a machine-readable label that holds data and information about whatever the creator wants.
A contactless menu — a style of ordering that increases safety — features a QR code that your customers can scan with their smartphone cameras. Once they scan the code, they will be taken directly to your menu where they can browse food and drink options.
How to make a QR code menu
Making a QR code menu doesn’t have to be complicated. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, this is something you can do. Follow these steps to get started:
1. Find a QR code generator: There are many options for creating a QR code, but most will give you the option to create a PDF menu, JPEG menu and H5 menu file solution.
2.Choose your file: After picking the QR code creator, upload your menu file to the generator. Depending on the type of website or app that you’re working with, you may be able to personalize the type of file that is created.
3. Generate your QR code: Now that your file is uploaded to the QR code generator, you can complete the creation process. With your custom QR code, you may also be able to edit the design, color, patterns and edges to match your brand.
4. Test drive your QR code: Before you place your contactless QR code all over your restaurant, make sure that it works correctly. Use your smartphone to scan it to ensure the menu pops up on your web browser and is readable for easy use.
5. Download the code: Once you’re sure that the code works, download whatever file type works best for you. Generally, an SVG or PNG format is easy to use in print and online advertising.
6. Print the code: Now that you’ve downloaded the QR menu, all you need to do is print it and implement it where you’d like.
How to use a QR code menu in your restaurant
One of the wonderful things about QR code menus is their versatility. Unlike paper menus that are generally placed on tables or placed on the wall, contactless QR codes can be placed anywhere you desire. But, what are the most effective placement options for your menu? Let’s dive into some creative and effective places to put your QR code:
- Windows: For potential customers who are trying to decide whether or not to eat at your restaurant, having access to the menu on the outside of windows can help them easily make their decision.
- Walls: If you happen to have lines fairly often, then having the QR code menu on the wall where people can see it while waiting can speed up the ordering process.
- Tables: It’s common to see table toppers or small cards attached to tables in restaurants. This can be an easy way to give people more flexibility and time to decide what they want to order.
- Flyers: Print out the QR code menu and spread them all over town. This is a fun way to draw people’s attention to your restaurant, and you could offer a promotional deal for anyone that brings on the flyer the next time they eat at your establishment.
- Stickers: To be extra creative and spread the word about your product offering, you can turn your QR code menu into stickers to give to people or to hang around your community.
- business cards: Similar to stickers, a business card is an easy item for people to grab and take with them either to their table to order or when they leave the restaurant.
Boost customer experience with QR codes
In the technology-focused world that we’re living in, people enjoy fast-paced dining and hands-on experiences. QR code menus provide the self-service element that many customers desire when choosing a restaurant. It gives people the ability to scan the food, dessert and drink menus right when they sit down without waiting for a server to bring them.
It also eliminates the problem of menu sharing — the unfortunate occurrence when a restaurant doesn’t have enough menus for each person at a table. If you’ve ever been at a table with a hungry crowd without enough menus to look at, you understand the frustration of menu sharing. Adding a QR code menu can help you avoid hangry customers and allow everyone to individually spend time browsing your delicious options.
What should you consider when implementing a digital menu?
As helpful as QR code menus are, they still have their cons. If you’re considering exchanging your physical menus for contactless ones, make sure that you pay attention to the potential issues that come by relying on digital menus. Here are some challenges to consider:
Not everyone has a smartphone
Although smartphones have become a staple in most people’s lives, not everyone has a phone that will enable them to scan a QR code. To ensure you won’t lose business from this audience, it’s important to keep a couple of copies of a physical menu on hand just in case.
It can get in the way of communication
There are many reasons that people may be eating at your restaurant, but a group of friends or family might be getting together to catch up and communicate with one another. Having to sit down and instantly look at your phone to see the menu may put a barrier between interaction with your guests.
A QR code can take away from your restaurant’s aesthetic
For fine-dining or fancier restaurants, a QR code menu may feel like a disruption to your establishment’s upscale brand. Physical menus tend to feel more classic or traditional, so consider what type of restaurant you run and whether or not a contactless menu style will help the overall customer experience.
How can your restaurant benefit from a QR code menu?
Although the physical menus are great, there are many benefits that come from implementing a contactless QR code menu in your establishment. Here are some reasons to try them out:
Safety first
Traditional menus are often passed around to multiple diners and the staff without being sanitized. Eliminating physical menus reduces the possibility for bacteria living on shared surfaces or spreading through physical contact. A QR code menu doesn’t require customers to touch it, and the QR code flyers can easily be replaced.
Updating is easy
Because a QR code menu is digital, you can easily switch out entrees or drinks when you’re wanting to try out new dishes without having to reprint your restaurant menu. It also gives you the ability to update your menu’s design whenever you want to. Your staff just needs to edit the online menu and the QR codes will automatically sync with the updated info.
Fast table turnovers
Because there is no need to drop off or pick up menus and there is less obligation to sanitize surfaces between uses, you can save time and get more people in and out of your restaurant quickly. Quick table turnover means you can serve more customers daily.
Reduces costs
Buying physical menus and replacing them can add up, especially if you need to print many copies for all of your expected customers. Since QR code menus are digital, you skip the printer and save lots of money on design and printing services.
Integrates seamlessly
If you’re nervous about trying and implementing a QR code because you already have a stable technology stack in use, don’t worry! This contactless menu works well alongside any existing tech and online ordering systems because they are easy to upload to your website and display on TV or iPad screens.
Help restaurants
After the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants have struggled to fill empty staffing and serving positions within their businesses. QR code menus can help lower-staffed establishments because customers can use the menu without having to wait for it to be brought to the table.
Environmentally friendly
By using digital menus, you avoid using the large amounts of paper and plastic that physical menus require. This is a much more sustainable solution and is better for the environment. According to a study done by SmartBrief, customers are 50% more likely to choose a restaurant that operates with environmentally friendly practices over an establishment that doesn’t.
A partnership with Grubhub can benefit your restaurant
Implementing QR code menus isn’t the only way to improve your restaurant operations. Partner with Grubhub to get the following:
- Technology integrations: Gain access to point-of-sale and tech integrations to help simplify your processes.
- Grubhub Direct: Create a commission-free ordering website that matches your existing branding. Direct also makes it easy for you to integrate your QR code menu onto your site, making it easy for customers to order directly off your commission-free site with just one scan. For extra exposure, print out your QR codes and put them in your delivery bags for the next time someone wants to order from your restaurant.
- Delivery options: Seamlessly incorporate our flexible driving solutions to get orders where they need to go quickly.
- 24/7 support: When you partner with us, you get to work with a real person who wants your restaurant to thrive. Ask any questions from our experts and let us help you meet your goals.
There are so many people all over the country who are looking for a new restaurant to try out — 33+ million to be exact. If you want to turn these diners into repeat customers, partner with us!
Ready to get started? Partner with Grubhub today.