Running a successful restaurant is like leading an orchestra. It means your customer’s experience is synchronized based on your arrangement from the beginning until the end. As an aspiring owner of an F&B premise, you surely want the best customer experience for your guests.
Before customers fall in love with the taste of your food and beverage, your menu will greet them first. Ordering process is an essential aspect in customer experience because it sets the rest of their dining mood. Notice how people always enjoy friendly service by servers at Mamak restaurants that can take & remember orders quickly?
In Malaysia, there are 3 major methods to order at F&Bs:
- Counter order
- Table order
- QR order
Each method has its advantages to your F&B business but a few flaws, nevertheless. But you can always choose the best method that suits your business nature and the kind of customer experience you want for your guests.
1. Counter order
This method is familiar in fast food restaurants and food courts. People will queue at the counter to order their food and pay before they eat. This method is ideal for restaurants or stalls with minimal staff. Only one person is needed at the counter to take orders and receive payments.
Apart from that, it’s safer in terms of payment collection as you can secure the bill upon orders; hence reducing the risk of dine and dash (eating without paying) at your premise that can cause you loss.
This method is also convenient for customers to customize their orders and the staff can adjust the price accordingly. Using Slurp! POS, you can set up modifiers in each menu, whether to add or deduct charge according to the custom ingredient changes.
However, counter order could cause a long queue especially during peak hour. This can disinterest customers to enter your premise or add their orders since they have to queue. You also lose the chance to upsell your menu during long queues, unless you have a good queue management, multiple counters, or an efficient POS system.
2. Table order
Table order is when a server comes to customer’s table and take their orders. This method builds positive staff-customer relation and enhance brand reputation from your excellent customer service. This method is commonly utilized at Mamak restaurants in Malaysia.
By assigning a staff to take order at tables, your staff can recommend menu of the day, upsell promotions, or suggest best-selling menu at your restaurant. Your customers also can skip the queue and order at the comfort of their sit.
Slurp! POS can help accelerate this ordering process using our Waiter App. In just a few taps, your staff can key in orders and send them directly to kitchen instantly. Slurp! POS has a simple interface that’s user-friendly, thus your staff can take orders more efficiently.
The downside of this mode is the waiting time. At times when your restaurant is busy and all your staff is occupied, new customers may need to crane their neck and wait for a while before a waiter come to their table. To counter this issue, more staff may be needed to handle higher volume of customers.
3. QR Order
Instead of your staff taking the orders, your customers scan the QR code and create orders on their own. This can save time and increase table turnover rate due to shorter waiting time for ordering. This method is actively implemented in modern cafes and restaurants nowadays, post Covid-19 pandemic.
QR order minimizes error in customer’s orders since they’re in control of their orders. Before sending their orders, customers can double-check their orders and add necessary changes from the device. Plus, QR order allows customers to effortlessly check the progress of their orders.
In addition, you can update your restaurant menu easily without having to reprint or put sticky notes. Slurp! POS is a star with this feature as it enables you to update items and prices on your restaurant digital menu. So, no more incident of your customer ordering out-of-stock menu.
But with the use of QR to replace server at the table, it somehow reduces interaction between your staff and customer. This might be positive or negative depending on your guests’ preferences. Nevertheless, this might be a preferable option for most guests during post-pandemic era.
Besides that, QR Order requires devices with internet connection. It can lead to inconvenience if your customer has issues with their device or network coverage.
Integrate all methods in one streamlined system
You are the master of your business and you’re well-versed on your consumer behavior. Now that you’ve seen the pros and cons of each ordering methods, which one do you think suits your F&B business?
With Slurp! POS, you don’t need need to compromise any advantages or disadvantages by choosing one particular method for your business. Slurp! is an expert at simplifying your F&B operations with its feature-packed POS system. It’s ecosystem is designed to help you run your F&B business effortlessly and provide seamless dining experience for your customers.
Keep in touch with our experts to learn more about Slurp!.
