For many hotels, their bar and restaurant areas are becoming an increasing source of revenue. Many guests like the idea of staying somewhere they haven’t got to go out to be able to enjoy a meal or drink. More so since the Co-Vid pandemic. Nobody wants to end up being quarantined in a hotel without facilities. Or staying somewhere during a lockdown without being able to get a hot meal.
Hotel bars and restaurants are also increasingly being used as a way to attract non-guests in. Providing people with a good meal and special experience leaves a good impression. One which many chain hotels know often leads to diners booking accommodation with them at a later date. For smaller boutique hotels that rarely have many rooms, their restaurants and bars are often a key component of what makes the business viable.
As a result, hoteliers continuously improve their bars and restaurants. But, often, it is not about stripping the place bare and redecorating from scratch. Surprisingly, it is often relatively little enhancements that make the biggest difference.
Take, for example, the use of digital display screens. Over the past 5 years, their use within the hospitality and hotel industries has become increasingly common. In particular, in bars, restaurants, cafes, and pubs. In those types of establishments, the addition of a few screens has a transformative effect and creates many benefits for customers, staff, and a hotel owner’s bottom line.
How digital menus improve hotel bars and restaurants
Digital menus are the most common use for digital signs in restaurants and bars. They look good and can easily be read from quite a distance by diners or drinkers. This makes it easy for patrons to see what is available and make a choice.
Speeds up service
The fact that they do not have to wait for their server to come to their table with the menu tends to speed up the serving process. Something that patrons like. Generally speaking, the smoother every element of the dining experience is the happier people are. Plus, of course, speeding up the service has the potential to allow a restaurant to serve more covers.
Digital menus are a stepping stone towards self-service kiosks
Getting customers used to ordering from digital menus is also a stepping-stone towards offering self-service kiosk-style ordering in a traditional restaurant setting. Something that has been popular in fast food restaurants for several years now. The technology can easily be adapted for use within hotel restaurants and bars. It is also possible for every table to be fitted with its own touch self-ordering screens. An option, which preserves the elements of the dining experience which hotel guests and those that come in off the street enjoy while reducing long wait times. This article covers the benefits of self-serving kiosks, in more detail.
The ability to change the menu within minutes
Wastage is a big issue for most hotel restaurants. It is not unusual to have to throw away nearly half a kilo of food per guest for every serving (study details). Not only is this not good for the planet, but it also adds a significant percentage to costs and is a big barrier to becoming carbon neutral for hotel owners.
Digital menus enable restaurants to highlight those dishes that they still have a lot of halfway through breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Providing diners respond positively, which they often do, food that would otherwise go to waste, is eaten.
Creating special menus for events
Digital menus also make it easy for chefs to change what they serve. They are no longer tied into serving the same choice every day, for weeks on end. Something they would have traditionally done even if the cost of key ingredients soared. Now, they can see what is available for a low cost, buy it, create their dishes, and have the menu edited to reflect this. It also makes it easier to create menus for themed events.
To promote special events
Studies show that modern consumers take more notice of digital screens than they do paper-based advertising. The digital lives we all lead accounts for this.
Hotel restaurants and bars are increasingly tapping into this fat. They are now using screens to promote special drink and dining deals. As well as to advertise themed events, which can easily fill a bar or restaurant on a day when it would otherwise be empty.
As the cost of low energy consumption screens falls and people become more adept at creating their own adverts, the use of digital advertising is sure to increase. Especially within the hotel industry.
