Technology has continued to change the evolving blueprint of the way we conduct business. For example, restaurant owners have streamlined and improved their efficiency with tools like Point-of-Sale systems, mobile applications, digital menus, order and payment platforms in the hospitality business. Also, these technological advances have helped restaurants meet the consumer demand for convenience. However, while many consumers have embraced the convenience of technological advances, they have not reduced the value of having a memorable experience.
Hospitality has always been about making your guest feel important by building a connection and tailoring a friendly and generous experience to exceed customer needs. Restaurants have had to leverage technology with their traditional service elements to accomplish this goal. Now that they are slowly embracing a digital era, they get hit with a global pandemic that has swept them into an accelerated digital transformation.
This accelerated digital transformation has put a fine line between a digitalized business and humanizing its restaurant brand.
I asked the opinion of five experts in the marketing industry to provide insight on how restaurants can embrace this transformation without losing the human touch, and here is what they had to say:
Daniela Cruz Cañas, Creative Director at DCD Branding Studio | Entrepreneur
“Digitalizing a business or a brand will always be a challenge, primarily when the company’s focal point is a physical store. In addition, a brand with a flagship or a corner develops unique experiences that make its target market feel the “vibe” of the brand. Therefore, when the brand is transferred online, the business needs to understand and re-create the same feelings and sensations through their website. My advice for small and medium-sized restaurants is to choose an element of their customer experience that can be standardized and replicated on the Internet. That is, identifying the interests and affinities that your customers consider excellent service. This service will be the basis for developing a portal to have a memorable, unforgettable, and recommendable experience. Additionally, in my opinion, it is essential to consider the following:
- UX and website layout is obvious and easy to navigate and purchase.
- Brand Clarity development – identifying the brand’s personality, tone, and corporate image.
- Unboxing, if the restaurant is looking to provide a delivery experience.
In general, the digitalization of brands is an intriguing and exciting challenge; it is all about paying attention to the details. Everything is Branding!”
Daniela makes an excellent point on how restaurants should focus on customer value. This value will create the differentiation needed to stand out over other restaurants. Also, I appreciate her comment on the unboxing marketing trend. An unboxing video involves customers unpacking orders they have purchased from your restaurant. This video is a brilliant way to tell your brand story. The unboxing videos started as an online fad and have become a powerful marketing tool.
Edgard Negron, CCXP, User Experience and Creative Director at Hubzu/Altisource
“The pandemic has limited and sometimes eliminated the in-person interactions that are the building blocks of loyalty-based businesses, like restaurants. Unfortunately, white papers nor playbooks exist on adapting a restaurant business during and after a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Instead, restaurants have a digital landscape with many channels where customers provide feedback and signals about their concerns, needs, and wants. The restaurants that want to thrive in a post-COVID world need to embrace this digital landscape, listen, and adapt their business to meet those needs.”
The pandemic has brought challenges with innovation. Post-COVID, digital marketing for restaurants is not an option; it is a necessity. Edgard brought up a good point on how restaurants have available a digital landscape with many channels. Restaurants need to reach their customers where they are at this moment: online. Edgard mentioned that only the restaurants that want to thrive post-COVID would need to change their tactics. As a restauranteur, you must adjust your business model to the “new normal.”
Ixamar Palumbo, MS, Content Creator | Social Media Manager at TheWandertog
“The irony of running a digitalized business in hospitality or any other service-based industry is that it wouldn’t be a success without that human element that makes the brand relatable. Many small companies succeeded during the pandemic thanks to the increased importance of supporting local and supporting those who lost their jobs. This situation initiated a business opportunity for many, like chefs cooking from their home kitchens and professionals switching industries after being laid off to pursue a full-time hobby. With the help of social media marketing, many found success after losing their jobs. The pandemic caused a newfound appreciation for sharing your journey online with others; the marketing strategy was no longer trying to sell your services but to sell your story.”
Ixamar mentions in her quote that many turned to social media marketing and succeeded with their new ventures. Social media advertising is an inexpensive way to advertise your restaurant. Also, she mentioned that when sharing your journey online, you now need to sell your story. These stories will create connections that translate to relatability, the keystone to marketing. Therefore, telling a story well will take your marketing strategy to a whole different level.
Anthony Miyazaki, Brand
Strategist | Productivity Evangelist | Marketing Educator | Author| Speaker |
Creator
“Although many restaurants successfully embraced digital to enhance their ordering and delivery during the pandemic, the inherent connectivity of dine-in eating has suffered greatly. One way for small and medium-size restaurants to recapture that connectivity is via social media that features the wide variety of participants involved in dining experiences – whether those experiences are dine-in, carry-out, or delivery. For centuries, eating has been a culturally connecting experience, and social media offers a prime opportunity to capitalize on those connections while building brand awareness, brand affinity, and brand loyalty.”
I can not agree more with Anthony that food is a cultural affair. Also, that social media is an excellent opportunity for restaurants to build their brand. Social media has become the decision-maker of choosing where to eat. People love searching and sharing photos of food online. Therefore, an excellent social media marketing strategy can help bring customers to your restaurant.
Maria Botero Fernandez, Digital Marketer | Entrepreneur | Maria Botero Marketing Expert
“COVID forced many industries to embrace the “digital world.” Notably, the restaurant industry was one of the most affected ones by the pandemic; restaurants were forced to change their business models to survive, and deliveries became highly relevant. Likewise, the pandemic and the digital era affected the “personal” connection restaurants used to have with their customers. Therefore, in today’s world, only the restaurants capable of conveying the same brand experiences through all of their channels will be able to remain true to their identity and humanize their brand. The customer should feel close to the brand and its story, whether it orders food for delivery or dines in. In the same way, digital communication channels should emphasize those little details that convey the true essence of the brand.”
Maria nailed it when she said that customers need to feel close to your brand and its story. This affinity is a must if you want to differentiate your restaurant from the crowded marketplace. Everyone loves a good story that is transparent and authentic. Therefore, make sure you explore your restaurant’s passion, origin, or theme to create connections and shared experiences.
Final Thoughts
Although hospitality businesses have been struck hard by the global pandemic, restaurants can embrace a digital transformation without losing the human touch. Analyzing what these five experts have expressed, we can conclude that they all agreed that customers need to feel close to your restaurant brand and its story. As food is a cultural affair, people share their experiences online, becoming a decision-maker on choosing where they want to eat. Therefore, sell your story to create connections that translate to relatability. Embrace the digital landscape, listen to your customers, and adapt to meet their needs.
