These days, we know a thing or two about minimizing contact. The rush of online business that the COVID-19 pandemic caused sure didn’t miss the restaurant industry! With online ordering platforms exploding to make all your favorite neighborhood spots accessible, supporting local restaurants stayed possible even through the most unprecedented of times.

It’s safe 

When you think of grabbing a bagel, does a bustling shop with barely any elbow room between hungry customers come to mind? Although the classic deli experience involves counter service with a (usually disgruntled and maybe even downright rude) lox-slicing bagel-slinger, we know now that spitting at each other over the cash register is a bad idea when there’s a dangerous virus going around. By ordering remotely, we’re able to skip this interaction and provide a safe and quick pick-up or delivery.

It’s easy

Before you curse yourself for forgetting your account password, hear us out: computers actually make life easier. Maybe you’d be surprised to learn that most restaurants in America already use them in the ordering process! For example: when the waiter hustles back to his mysterious little corner station thing after you tell him what you’d like to order, he’s using a computer to print out the order for the kitchen and to calculate your tab. When you order online, you can just do all of that for yourself—no back-and-forth, no nonsense—just your food how you’d like it, when you’d like it. Instead of the whole interaction, you just need to remember your password. Yep, seamless is a word for it.

It’s smart

Digital ordering has a whole host of benefits, including:  

• Cutting back on wait times
  Ordering online lets the restaurant send you a notification when your order is ready. That cuts back on the time you have to spend in line twiddling your thumbs. 

• Keeping things organized
  Busy restaurants have a lot of moving pieces. Disorder threatens the quality of your order! By ordering on your phone, you’re making operations efficient for the restaurant as well. Everyone loves a boost in accuracy.

• Getting you informed
  Online menus let you explore the options you have at any given restaurant. By taking a deep dive instead of just pursuing the menu, you get to figure out what you really want. Maybe you didn’t even know your favorite restaurant had the option to add tofu! Instead of the pressure of ordering before a busy, stressed-out employee, you have the time to actually read the menu.

It’s the future

Time to stop being reluctant to a new system. This is how restaurants will continue to survive and thrive in the changing world! Streamlining the ordering process is the next step in getting the food and beverage industry up to the pace of the rest of the world. Nowadays, restaurants run tight margins and being efficient is a must. Having an online presence is important in reaching new customers and providing support to existing ones. We at Gotham love our online community, and really appreciate the customer feedback we get every day!