The restaurant industry has taken a significant blow because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as some businesses are forced to close their doors permanently. Those that are struggling to keep afloat have turned to adjust to the “new normal” in seating, avoiding bare hand contact with plates, and enforcing takeout and delivery programs.
Restaurant owners and food service employees are doing whatever they can to stand out in a crowded marketplace, and that’s why they’re turning to an online presence now more than ever about their food, fare, and safety. Here’s how you can build yours.
Proof in the Numbers
Internet traffic is key to making sure that your restaurant attracts attention in your area. Devsu, a leading digital marketplace business, recommends relying on data from artificial intelligence and machine learning to figure out technology trends. These tools make sure the purpose of a page is at the forefront, putting emphasis on product and user experience through cloud computing with database management.
Devsu’s ESLint helps to identify problematic patterns in Javascript code that inhibit the accessibility and presence of a website. The maintenance of their products allows for websites to address workflow properly, monitoring visits to the sites, and allowing for easier accessibility that can push sites to the front of the line on search engines like Google.
Through organic content and user-friendly capabilities, restaurants can garner attention with what’s called search engine optimization. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic, seeking views on websites linked to natural and unpaid searches, rather than paid traffic. This natural traffic is seen as potential customers that are more durable for sustaining any business’s online presence. This has also become a viable marketing strategy, particularly for restaurants showing in geographic searches.
Social Media Presence
In this golden age of online presence, restaurants can rely on social media to spread the word about everything from the day’s specials to the excitement for an upcoming holiday. There are various social channels that restaurants can use to attract the audience they’re looking to bring in the doors to try their food and even spread the word of how good their service and cuisine can be with the help of digital word of mouth.
Restaurants should designate an employee to handle social media channels or act on the recommendations of a worker who may find themselves more fluent in the use of these apps. Bright photos and videos will entice potential customers to what’s on the menu. This can range from a bartender slinging the latest cocktail creation in TikTok fashion or the “cheese pull” that so many foodies crave when digging into some mac & cheese.
Promoting Safety
More than ever, restaurant patrons want to make sure that if they do go out to eat, their safety isn’t at risk amid the COVID pandemic. Through social media and a website, restaurants can show how they’re putting protocols at the forefront from socially distant tables to making sure employees are masked up and wearing food service gloves.
Nitrile food service gloves can be of great use in the kitchen for cooks cranking out orders, as well as servers to avoid bare hands and concerns for customers over safety. Single-use gloves are recommended for food service employees to use on top of hand washing regularly to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
While nitrile gloves are commonly used in restaurant environments because of puncture resistance, servers and bartenders may opt for latex gloves to put to rest fears over contamination, as they’re easier to frequently change and are more cost-friendly. The same goes for vinyl gloves, a better option with possible latex allergies. Overall, it is important to find the right glove to keep workers and diners alike safe in these strange times.
With an improved online presence, you should see a positive change in the number of patrons you attract, even in difficult times.
