Where to Promote Your Takeout Food Business
As of 2021, the takeout and delivery sector has become the fastest growing part of the food and restaurant industry [1]. Because of the growth of delivery apps and the pandemic, demand for restaurant quality food that can be enjoyed at home has reached a new height.
In order to stand out as your customers' top choice for takeaway and increase food delivery sales, you'll need to implement solid marketing strategies and reflect on your internal operations.
We look at the best places to advertise your business, how you can leverage these platforms to attract new customers and build your brand reputation.
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profiles are free and can be managed from any device. Using your profile, you can add essential information, like your opening hours, contact details, quick links to your menu, and your address.
Choose to add your business to Google Maps to appear specific search results, whether a user is searching for ‘Thai takeaway near me’ or ‘the best curry’. This is great for attracting new local customers.
You can also personalize your Google account to include your logo, images of your products and any interesting attributes about your business. For example, if you've recently won any awards, or if you're a vegan takeaway.
Google Business Profiles are great for increasing your reach and gathering social proof for your restaurant. From your profile you can share frequently asked questions, proudly display your reviews, and enable chat features where customers can message you directly.
Side note: you can open an account even if you don't have a storefront, meaning ghost kitchens can still take advantage of this great service.
Social media
Advertising your business on social media has many benefits. One of the most important is increasing your exposure and making it easier for customers to find and contact you. Business profiles are free to create on most platforms.
Customers turn to social media for the most up-to-date information about your business. As well as including all the need-to-know information about your business, your socials should be filled with details about your latest promotions, special offers and general updates.
Facebook posts and Instagram stories are perfect for sharing updates and special offers. Use both platforms to quickly respond to customer queries, and to share photos, videos and stories of your offerings that will keep your brand at the front of your diners minds.
Focus on your website
56% of the consumers surveyed said they don't trust a business without a website [2]. While you might assume that websites are no longer necessary since social media is growing in importance, this couldn't be further from the truth.
One of the main reasons you should have a website for your business is to increase your organisation's credibility. Unlike with social media, you have ultimate control over how and in what order information about your business is presented.
Use your website to bring customers on a journey, as though they are actually visiting your takeaway restaurant in person. Customers can’t smell the food coming from the kitchen, so you need to reach their senses in other ways. Include descriptive language, high quality images, and a clear call to action to encourage customers to place an order.
Explore different food delivery services
Third party food delivery apps, such as Just Eat and Uber Eats, are extremely useful for reaching a completely new clientele.
They often simplify the online ordering process for restaurants and customers. Customers can browse their favorite food delivery platform as usual and order using your online, interactive menu, which you can usually update from your point of sale. Then, order details and payments are sent directly to your point of sale system. You can choose whether or not to accept the order. If you do accept, payment will be processed and the order will go to your kitchen.
This is beneficial for restaurants as it allows a whole new level of exposure, and doubles as convenient marketing to customers who buy exclusively from restaurants listed on their favorite food ordering app. The downside is that advertising via a third-party platform can be costly, as these services usually take a high commission, usually 20% or so.
However, added visibility is vital for increasing brand awareness and driving sales. Often, third-party apps are great for up-selling and increasing customer spend per head. A great and more affordable way to enable online ordering is to include a link to your menu on your own website and social media platforms.
Enable online ordering
Offering online ordering is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to boost your takeaway sales.
If you want total control over your restaurant, Epos Now Order and Pay is the tool for you. This tool not only lets you process delivery requests, but you can also take at-table and pickup orders.
Here’s how Epos Now Order and Pay works:
- Customers scan a QR code to see your custom menu - no app required!
- Orders are sent directly to your kitchen.
- Diners can pay with any credit or debit card, as well as Google or Apple Pay.
- Customers receive digital receipts after payment.
- All transactions are logged in your Epos Now system.
For takeout orders, customers can choose a pickup time for added convenience. For deliveries, customers can see their order status as it is being prepared. You can share your online menu endlessly without continually paying for new advertising, and can keep the expensive commission usually taken by third-party food ordering platforms.
Increase your restaurant sales with an award-winning POS system
Epos Now offers state-of-the-art POS systems for hospitality businesses. We let you choose the tools and insights to help your business achieve its goals. Designed to work as a complete business management system, you can control all vital aspects of your company from one cloud-based system.
Receive detailed analysis on the areas that matter to your business:
- Review profitability reports based on individual product performance, trending items, best and worst sellers, and employee sales
- View sales analyses on profit margin, cash flow, and other expenses
- Review reports on peak times for better staff scheduling and floor plan management
- Access multi-award-winning inventory management systems that sync online sales and in-person sales for the most up-to-date stock levels
- Automate stock purchasing so you never miss a sales opportunity
- Integrate with the business automation apps that are right for your business
- Table management and booking system integrations available for an optimized service
If you’d like to learn more about our industry-leading software, request a free callback with one of our experts.
