What restaurant operators must do to thrive in 2021

The COVID-19 crisis has transformed consumer perspectives on restaurant dining.  In response, restaurant operators must build new capabilities and change how they operate.  We suggest three areas of focus:

Accept contactless payments

Many consumers have migrated to contactless payments during the crisis, due to the fear of contact with contaminated surfaces.  Contactless payments, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and NFC enabled credit cards, help to achieve socially distant transactions.  Incidental contact with the credit card terminal is eliminated with this payment method, resulting in more hygienic interactions. 

Touchless payments have also proven to be as swift as they are sanitary.  A study performed by Refined in September of 2020 found that contactless payments reduced the transaction time by an average of 50.08 percent versus traditional EMV card insertion.  

As the popularity of contactless payments rises through the crisis and is expected to continue into the post-COVID-19 future, we believe the acceptance of these payments will become key to removing barriers to growth.

Increase online presence 

Online ordering helps not only your customers but also your staff by minimizing person-to-person exposure time.  The ability to receive orders directly on your website can be paramount to increasing overall sales.  Refined’s point of sale software can sync online orders and third-party delivery services directly with your point of sale, eliminating the need for multiple devices cluttering the counter space, or fragmented sales reports. 

Restaurant operators should also use mobile gift cards, digital communication and loyalty programs to increase sales, attract new customers and deepen relationships with existing ones.

Implement task and compliance management tools

During these challenging times, it is more important than ever to prioritize food quality and safety.  Cleaning and health checklists cannot be left up to chance.  Refined’s Food Safety add on helps management by automating checklists, digitizing compliance and confirming food safety.  Restaurant operators can utilize technology to remotely monitor food temperature across multiple locations. Owners and managers can confirm critical safety procedures are being performed company-wide in real-time. The combination of continuous temperature readings and automated record-keeping can save thousands of employee hours per year by reducing inventory loss and manual tasks.

By developing and executing long-term solutions to help improve safety and the guest experience, we believe restaurant operators will be more likely to sustain their business over a longer period of time and emerge stronger from the pandemic.

For more information about how to improve your restaurant’s operations in response to COVID-19, contact Refined at 1.888.972.7313, or hello@refinedpayments.com.