Affordable Restaurant Tools To Use During The Recession

Many restaurant owners have been hit by the economic downturn, including a huge number who’ve had to close their doors. The good news is that you can get affordable restaurant tools to help you out through tough times and weather the recession.

New technologies are available that help ease inventory management, menu customization, better ordering, customer contact, and more.

Having a restaurant tool in your restaurant will allow you to provide better customer service, manage your kitchen more efficiently, promote sustainability, and save money.

Here is a list of affordable restaurant tech tools you can use to make your business more efficient and competitive. 

QR code menu software

The QR code menu software is a tool that is used by F&B businesses, requiring customers to scan the QR code menu using their phone to access the digital menu. Customers can then order and pay using their phones.

This tool allows restaurants to be efficient in their service and provide better customer service. 

Plus, with their advanced and cost-effective features, you can easily create the best menus to keep food costs down in no time.

1. MENU TIGER

MENU TIGER is a QR code menu digital system that paves the way for a speedy restaurant ordering and payment method. 

With its user-friendly interface, you can easily design your menu by choosing a color scheme for fonts and buttons, font style, logo, and call-to-action statement that would portray your restaurant’s personality. 

You can freely customize the menu QR code by choosing the color schemes, eyes, frames, patterns, and even adding a logo to increase brand awareness.

In addition, it has a custom-built restaurant website that you can utilize for promotions to reach a broader audience.

MENU TIGER Regular plan, the cheapest one, covers a fee of $38 per month and an annual rate of $419.52, which means you can save up to 8%, with no credit card required, and can be canceled at any time.

All plans come with a 14-day free trial, and there won’t be any charges for any commissions per order. Choosing an annual subscription makes you save more.

The plans vary only in the number of stores and tables/QR codes you can create.

However, all plan users can design their QR codes for free, and add unlimited menu categories and items, and the Premium users can integrate with other systems like Zapier, Stripe, and Paypal with no additional fee.

2. QRTIGER

QRTIGER is an advanced QR code generator where you can create a view-only menu using a PDF QR code menu or a JPEG QR code menu.

By scanning this QR code, you can only view the online digital menu from your smartphone.

QRTIGER has a free trial version with 500 scan limits for dynamic QR codes and unlimited scans for static QR codes. The regular plan monthly rate starts at US$7 and an annual rate of US$65, which saves you US$19.

Online reservation software

Let’s start with online reservation tools. An online reservation system helps businesses manage reservations.

It is a tool that helps customers easily book reservations or appointments online. 

Here are some of the online reservation tools you can use:

3. OpenTable

OpenTable is a reservation management solution for restaurants that allows restaurants to receive online reservations and optimize seating arrangements.

This online reservation software enables restaurants to run smooth front-of-house operations.

OpenTable Basic subscriptions start at $39 per month plus a per-cover fee. They also offer a 30-day free trial. A credit card is required.

4. Resy

Resy is an online restaurant reservation software that offers a restaurant reservation system, a waitlist, and table management features.

It also allows customers and employees to access the app through the web and mobile devices for easy review and reservation.

Resy does not provide a free trial, and its most affordable plan costs $249 monthly.

Online review aggregator

Next up are online review aggregators. In case you’re wondering how it works, it is a platform that collects reviews of a product or service from different sites.

It allows businesses to easily monitor and manage client feedback with a customer database. 

Additionally, this system enables consumers to compare the products and services based on the reviews.

5. FeedCheck

FeedCheck is a reputation management software that the hospitality industry can utilize to monitor customer reviews.

Using FeedCheck allows you to collect, manage, and respond to reviews across multiple channels, assisting your brand in building connections and trust with customers.FeedCheck's rates start at $129 per month with a credit card required. It also offers a 7-day free trial. 

6. Review Tracker

ReviewTracker is an online reputation and review management solution designed for companies. Its main features include review collection, alerts, competitor tracking, email and SMS review requests, and others.

Using ReviewTracker also allows you to gather online reviews from more than 100 third-party review websites.

The starting price of ReviewTracker is $69 per location. They also have a free trial available.

Inventory management software

Then let’s go to tools used for automating inventory management. This allows businesses to accurately track inventory levels and manage reordering.

When you’re in the restaurant business, it’s important to keep track of your inventory.

Here are some affordable inventory management tools that can help you do just that.

7. Kitro

Kitro is an AI-driven solution that helps restaurants reduce food waste.

It provides hotels and restaurants with an automated software and hardware solution to identify and track the sources and quantities of waste.Using this tool in your kitchen increases efficiency and saves money.

Kitro gives subscribers the option to rent the device on a monthly basis. The price varies for every length of the contract, the size of the property, and the number of units.

8. Odoo

An open source management software that integrates manufacturing management, inventory management, accounting software solutions, HR management, and others.

This gives businesses of different sizes easy warehouse management.

Odoo ERP pricing starts at $6 per user per month. They also offer a 15-day free trial.

Why does your restaurant need technology with QR code menu integration?

There are several benefits to investing in restaurant technology. Technology offers various tools that can boost business improvement.  

The most obvious and integral benefit is the increase in profit without spending more to achieve profitability goals. 

To make your restaurant business survive the recession, you might consider providing them with the following benefits of a QR code menu:

To save FOH labor cost

Optimizing restaurant efficiency is a great way to cut labor costs. By incorporating technology into restaurants, you don’t have to hire more staff, and you can reduce the waitstaff’s tasks so they can perform their duties well.

Using QR code menu software, guests can place orders via mobile device, which saves the server time going back and forth at every table to get customers’ orders. 

Furthermore, the interactive menu of the QR code software has POS integration, which gives customers the option of making a convenient payment transaction.

This will save you the labor cost of having staff do manual calculations, which also reduces the likelihood of inaccurate check calculations.

No more manual updates, which is cost-saving

The presence of QR code menu software in restaurants can help you operate your business efficiently. Menu updates can be done in a matter of minutes. 

You might have to remove a particular item from your menu that isn’t selling well or adjust your menu pricing according to your food costs. 

Hence, refreshing your menu will cost you each time you print new ones, which is a downside of having paper-held menus.

Using the interactive restaurant menu QR code software with MENU TIGER, no more money is spent on reprinting a menu. Editing your online menu can be a piece of cake and can be done on any device at any time. 

Also, you don’t have to think about reprinting your QR code every time menu changes are made because it uses a dynamic QR code.

Moreover, you can label your food items as “New” and “Bestseller,” which can be appealing to the customers.

To retain customers

Oftentimes, restaurants are too focused on attracting new customers, and the existing ones are neglected.

Customer retention is vital for every restaurant, which entails restaurateurs looking for ways to keep both new and old customers.

QR code menu integration in restaurants provides restaurants with different options to formulate a marketing strategy that will help retain customers. 

You can upsell and cross-sell menu items, invent smart marketing tactics like offering loyalty programs, and use your restaurant’s social media accounts to keep engaged with customers.

This way, you can both increase and retain the customer base. 

To provide an exceptional customer experience

It would be better if you had a flexible plan for unforeseen circumstances like the current recession.

The interactive QR code menu software can please customers with a user-friendly mobile ordering interface.

It has a POS integration which gives customers the option of their payment option.

Using technology with an interactive QR code menu not only enhances kitchen operations but also provides customers with a relaxed overall dining experience.

Ways how to increase sales during a recession

A recession can be challenging for everyone, but mainly the restaurant industry. Given the tight competition in the market, what are the necessary steps to execute?

You need smart tips to recession-proof your restaurant business.

Revive your restaurant and generate a profit with the following strategies:

1. Run a referral program

The power of word-of-mouth marketing can get you more sales. According to a Nielsen online survey, 84 percent of global respondents considered this the most reliable advertising.

You can ask existing customers to refer a friend or family member to visit your place, where they will get something in return for every invite made. 

This strategy will make them loyal patrons and also get you more new customers, who will, in turn, become your brand advocates.

2. Send promotional emails

Sending promotional emails can be a great strategy to retarget customers. Moreover, it is a smart tactic to entice new customers with valuable offers. 

In your email campaign, highlight holidays, which is a great strategy for inviting customers. Riding on trending events like National Ice Cream Day is a great opportunity to capitalize.

With such an event, customers will associate it with promotions. In your email’s body, for example, emphasize giving discounted prices on all ice cream flavors. 

This strategy will win customers and make them aware of the limited-time offer.

3. Establish social media presence

If you’re targeting youngsters in your promotional campaigns, it will help if you have social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

According to a study, 93% of youth ages 14-22 use social media almost every day.

Post photos and videos of your dishes to keep your customers updated if there are new dishes they can try.

You may also use its features, like Instagram stories, to inform customers to avail of the promotion that is about to end. 

However, keep your social media posts updated regularly to inform customers of ongoing promotions and special events.

Doing so will help you retain existing customers and also broaden your customer base.

4. Happy hour strategy

Based on a live experiment, it was found that sales during happy hours in a bar are doubled.

A happy hour strategy can be implemented at any time of the day, depending on the type of restaurant. Targeting a specific group of individuals can help you come up with a better offer. 

For instance, giving a discounted price on selected drinks or offering combo meals can be inviting, particularly to youngsters. 

Developing an effective happy hour strategy can increase sales and generate extra revenue.

5. Offer prix fixe menu

Having a prix fixe (fixed price) menu can allow you to showcase your restaurant’s signature dish and offer a set of meals that you want to highlight on the menu.

Promote the prix fixe menu on the web design for restaurants to attract new customers.

Furthermore, the benefit of offering a prix fixe menu is that you can sell directly the items you want the customer to purchase by offering them in a set.

This means that you can save on food spoilage and inventory.

You can also adjust the menu pricing, considering budget-conscious customers. 

Survive the recession with MENU TIGER

Experiencing a down economy is a difficult phase for the F&B industry, especially if no proactive plan is designed to overcome such challenges.

There are many tools out there that can help your restaurant succeed during this recession. The key is to know what you’re looking for and then find the best tool for your needs.

MENU TIGER, brought to you by QRTIGER, one of the leading QR code generators online, aims to help the restaurant industry easily transition to QR code ordering.

Restaurants with QR code menu software can use them as a tool to engage with customers, design marketing techniques, enhance customer service, and run relevant promotions to boost sales. 

The interactive restaurant menu QR code software is packed with useful features that restaurants need, especially during a recession. To see for yourself, experience its powerful benefits to your restaurant.

Sign up with MENU TIGER now and choose any of the plans with a 14-day free trial.