Introduction
There has been an increase in the use of restaurant apps in the hospitality business. The most common use of these apps has been employed in restaurants. In a majority of restaurants, flyers and business cards are made in the first place. These are accompanied by the designing of the restaurant’s website. The restaurant then designs the basic profiles it requires on all social networks that are popular. The question that is left for most of these restaurants then is to consider what is even more popular in the current sphere of marketing for restaurants that is more profitable (Jauhari, 2014). In doing this, restaurants have often found out that the use of mobile applications is more prevalent in effectively marketing for restaurants when compared to platforms such as websites (Hopkins & Turner, 2012).
Mobile applications are software applications that are made with the intent to function on tablets, smartphones, computers and other mobile devices. Upon the purchase of a smartphone, one often finds numerous mobile applications that are already installed on the phone. Some of these applications are common mobile apps such as an e-mail, weather, and calendar application. Mobile applications may be installed for free or may require someone to pay for them before downloading the apps through their distribution platforms from the manufacturers (Mulvaney, 2014). These platforms for distribution include Blackberry App World, and App Store. Mobile applications were initially used to check emails quickly. Their increased demand, however, has resulted in their expansion in other spheres such as social networks, mobile games, browsing the internet, watching videos and even in restaurant businesses. The mobile app market is well established and continues to grow steadily, especially in the hospitality- restaurant- business (Boone & Kurtz, 2014).
Restaurant Apps
In order to get a restaurant mobile application, one should first look for a software group company that is well proven. In doing this, a person should look at go through the reviews and recommendations of the particular company as being the best choice for the development mobile apps for the hospitality business. This is crucial in allowing for the best understanding of the functions of the restaurant mobile app. The mobile application developed by the company should be fast and capable of functioning properly. They should be able to perform exceptionally on different platforms (Jauhari, 2014).
Critical elements that should be given precedence include the design of the mobile restaurant app and its visibility. Another factor that is paramount is the issue of security. A good mobile app should guarantee security. One should ensure that these mobile applications that are used in restaurants should be able to support all mobile devices, or at least a number of them. This is because it will ensure that they win the market and expand fast (Hopkins & Turner, 2012).
The average cost for developing the mobile applications for restaurants in the United States of America’s market ranges from US $ 300 to US $ 1500. The price is dependent upon the kind of service and app one wants. For instance, one may want a plain mobile app and mobile website or mobile app and mobile website that have a component of online ordering. An enterprise setup may cost approximately US $ 300. In the interval payments, one will need to pay between US $ 20 and US $ 150. Therefore, a mobile application for a restaurant business that is well-designed is capable of raking in a lot of profits (Mulvaney, 2014).
Contents of a Restaurant Mobile App
In order to make sure that one establishes a mobile app that is of high quality for their restaurant businesses, one should always ensure that the application bears certain terms and content. This is essential to meeting the desired needs of both the restaurant owners and their clients. In this way, the mobile app for the particular restaurant provides an assurance of a positive and profitable backdrop for the performance and future of the restaurant. The key contents of a complex and functional restaurant mobile app include the following items:
- Basic information regarding the hospitality business ( The restaurant’s name, the owner’s name, phone number, email and physical contact)
- The location in terms of an exact address of the restaurant. This may also be done through the provision of directions.
- Map location of the restaurant
- The available mobile menu
- Mobile online placing or an order
- Opportunity of reserving
- Links to social network profiles of the restaurant (Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Google +, etc.)
- Photo and video gallery of the restaurant and the products it offers (goods and services)
- Calendar indicating special events and offers
- Opportunity to vote for photos, meals, drinks, etc.
- Pushing notifications
- Link to POS system and even the capability of paying through mobile apps
Advantages of Mobile Apps in Restaurant Businesses
The use of mobile apps that are well developed in the running of restaurant businesses offers a myriad of benefits and opportunities. In the first place, mobile apps for restaurant businesses are crucial in attraction of guests and the making of more profits by the enterprise. Mobile apps are a great instrument for the promotion of restaurants (Hopkins & Turner, 2012).
Mobile apps inform a restaurant’s guests regarding their menu and the up-to-the-minute offers. It also provides them with information concerning the existing events and happenings in relation to the interests, services, or products of the particular restaurant. Together with the increased ability of navigating through the mobile apps, the guests of a particular restaurant are able to access the restaurant much easily. This makes it more favorable to the customers since they are assisted in saving their precious time on the certain days that they access the restaurants. Persons often want to save time gaining access to restaurants and data in which they are interested. They wish to do this in the simplest and fastest ways possible. Mobile apps offer people this exact luxury. Mobile apps for restaurants are not complex for use. They are simple enough to provide people with the basic information they require such as phone numbers and address together with menus, prices and weekly offers (Boone & Kurtz, 2014). They simply take their mobile phones, turn them on, hit the restaurant’s logo on the phone, and have the information before them.
Mobile apps are capable of linking the restaurant to different platforms of social media. This is most important to the restaurant since, through social media, they are able to communicate directly to their clients. They are, therefore, able to advertise their range of products and services on these social networking sites. Another upside to the availability of social media links in the mobile apps is that the restaurant is able to obtain the feedback from its customers. Often enough, consumers have the habit of offering either positive or negative reviews regarding particular restaurants, or their products and services. The most common platform used by these customers to air their feedback and other comments is social media compared to the company’s websites (Mulvaney, 2014). Every company values feedback from their clients. This is due to such feedback being an avenue through which the company knows its faults and positive aspects. The restaurants will, therefore, be able to fix any faults and build up on their good aspects. Social media is also a good stage through which other customers are acquired (Hopkins & Turner, 2012). This is mainly through the positive reviews and comments left by previous and current customers of the restaurant on their mobile apps. This is, by far, the most effective customer-attracting method.
Through the use of mobile apps, the restaurants are able to post their services and products and other promotional features. This is a good way of attracting more clients. For instance, a majority of restaurants often use daily promotions to attract customers. This may be through the upload of pictures and images indicating offers provided on certain days. In fact, the biggest number of tourists and other travellers use mobile apps for restaurants to pick the ideal restaurants for their food, drinks and accommodation (Boone & Kurtz, 2014).
Mobile apps use in the running and promoting restaurant businesses are, furthermore, quite cost-effective to manage. This is despite their costliness at the point of installation and implementation. This, with the help of pleasant and valuable personnel and individual effort, a restaurant business is able to maximize its profits simply as a result of using mobile applications (Boone & Kurtz, 2014). The ultimate product of the mobile apps is that they reduce the costs of managing the business and advertising it. This saved amount may then be used in the implementation of expansion plans adopted by the restaurant business (Mulvaney, 2014).
The use of mobile apps also offers adequate security and convenience in terms of payment for products and services offered by a particular restaurant. This is through the provisions of payment methods that require the linking of credit or debit cards and other online payment methods. In this way, the risks of incurring losses associated with physical money are alleviated. Such risks include theft and physical loss of money (Hopkins & Turner, 2012).
Furthermore, most of the restaurant’s data is stored in one specific place. This is important since the restaurant will not lose its information in case of natural calamities such as fire or storms. Mobile apps will make it easier to retrieve such lost data.
Real Life Cases of Mobile Restaurant Apps
Domino’s Pizza
Domino’s Pizza is also among the restaurants that have sought the use of mobile apps in promoting and running their business. The app is super-fast and makes the ordering by clients of their favorite meals much easier than ever before. The app requires one to follow a few simple steps in order to get a review of the current state of Domino’s Pizza and its latest offers, and then place their orders (Halzack, 2014). All one is required to do is to “with just a few taps, you could be enjoying a delicious meal, all thanks to your thumbs.” There is a new voice-order feature on the iPhone or Android devices. This is an even quicker and less tasking way of experiencing the Domino’s effect. Furthermore, one may track their orders, has saved addresses and makes ordering quicker due to saved order preferences (Hopkins & Turner, 2012).
Chipotle Mexican Grill
The Chipotle Mexican Grill also uses mobile apps to boost their customer base and ordering. It was launched for IPhone and iPod users and later diversified to Android and Windows Phone users. This app lets its users place customized orders at the location of their preference (Butcher, 2009). It also provides users with the GPS functionality of finding the location of the nearest Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant. It, furthermore, allows users to pay for their food and other products through their mobile phones. This allows for easy access and quicker services to the client while saving significant time. The app provides data about menus, and promote easier placement of orders through a feature of repeat and multi-item orders under one name (Butcher, 2009).
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut uses mobile apps in their restaurant business. It has employed the use of mobile apps to boost its sales rapidly. The company even overhauled its mobile site and apps for the iPhones, Windows Phone and Android to make ordering quicker. Customers can use the app to place orders from any location. This mobile app allows for one to use the Pizza Hut full menu to place their order (Halzack, 2014). It also provides with the latest orders and reviews form customers. Promotions by the company are also displayed in the form of latest offers offered. It contains a 5-click easy reordering process. It, furthermore, allows one to place future orders up to a week in advance. Customers are also able to pay using cash, gift cards or credit cards (Hopkins & Turner, 2012).
References
Boone, L., & Kurtz, D. (2014). Contemporary Marketing, Update 2015. Cengage Learning.
Butcher, D. (2009, September 3). Chipotle Mexican Grill enters mobile commerce arena. Mobile Marketer. Retrieved from http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/commerce/4097.html (2015, April 24)
Halzack, S. (2014, October 16). Domino’s vs. Pizza Hut: One is piping hot and one needs Reheating. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/10/16/dominos-vs-pizza-hut-one-is-piping-hot-and-one-needs-reheating/ (2015, April 24)
Hopkins, J., & Turner, J. (2012). Go mobile: Location-based marketing, apps, mobile-optimized ad campaigns, 2D codes and other mobile strategies to grow your business. John Wiley & Sons.
Jauhari, V. (2014). Managing sustainability in the hospitality and tourism industry: Paradigms and directions for the future (Advances in hospitality and tourism). Apple Academic Press.
Mulvaney, E. (2014, June 23). Restaurants developing appetite for mobile apps. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/retail/article/Apps-the-mobile-kind-make-their-way-onto-5573844.php (2015, April 22)
write