Just as e-commerce changed the way we shop, apps are now changing the way we eat. When restaurants invest in fewer seats and larger kitchens to meet the home delivery trend instead, others invest in app solutions that will change the whole experience. Home deliveries are hardly something new in the restaurant world, but in recent years that market has undergone a major development.
Restaurant visits change
Even if the delivery apps do not replace our physical restaurants, they are a clear indication that customers’ requirements have changed. As e-commerce has led to greater demands for convenience in retail, restaurant visitors today place greater demands on flexibility and speed. Even here in the Nordics, there are good examples of how restaurant apps change how we order and pay. One of Bambora’s customers, the Swedish tapas chain Pinchos, has since 2012 let its customers handle all orders and payments through the restaurant’s app. A success for those who still persist today.
This development is very similar to how e-commerce has changed the conditions for retail in recent decades, but there are also clear differences. One such difference is that food supplies, unlike clothing, electronics or books, still require geographical proximity. For restaurants, it will thus continue to be important to be in attractive locations close to where customers live.
New type of table service
Another example of a player that has changed the restaurant experience is Bambora’s partner WEIQ. WEIQ offers an ordering app where the basic idea is to eliminate the queuing and waiting for the waiter by letting customers see the menu themselves, place their orders and pay directly in the app. In this way, you not only create a more pleasant experience for the individual guest but also better conditions for the restaurant. Restaurants have very fixed costs for premises and equipment and if all guests come at the same time, it is important to have an efficient system to be able to sell as much as possible once the customers are there.
In the end, the restaurant industry is based on experiences and no app can replace a fantastic taste experience that a restaurant can offer. But it is fascinating to see how the development of technology can change an industry that is quite dependent on human interaction. It will be interesting to see how it will be in 5 -10 years. We at Krogarna will in any case follow the development with excitement.
Source: https://www.bambora.com/sv/se/artiklar/nu-tar-apparna-over-restaurangvarlden/
