TLDR

Within the hospitality industry, maximizing restaurant efficiency is not just a goal that is sought after - it's a necessity. Due to the ever-growing competition and customers' changing expectations, restaurants must continually find new ways to enhance their operations.

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Upgrade your restaurant's efficiency with Per Diem's latest app features. Take your operations to the next level by integrating these  5 powerful features into your online ordering experience. With Per Diem's newest product updates discussed in this blog, you can double your productivity, sales, and customer satisfaction. Read on to learn how our innovative app features can revolutionize your restaurant.

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Streamline Operations With Per Diem's Busy Mode and Prep Times

With the Busy Mode feature, restaurants can add 15 minutes to their location's standard preparation time during high-volume periods.

Activating Busy Mode during high-volume periods allows the system to prioritize incoming orders within a set timeframe. Once Busy Mode is deactivated, the system reverts to the standard category or store preparation times, thereby ensuring optimal efficiency at all times. Should multiple prep options be available, the system will automatically opt for the longest preparation time, permitting staff to prepare meals at a leisurely pace without keeping customers waiting for their orders.

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Customize Your Menu Availability With Category Schedules

With the category schedule feature, you can customize when specific menu items are available to best suit your restaurant’s needs. For example, you may find that some items are more popular or easier to prepare during certain times of day or days of the week.

By establishing schedules for your menu categories, you can ensure that customers can only order products when available. For example, you might make breakfast items available from 6 to 11 am, lunch items from 11 am to 3 pm, and milkshakes and smoothies as modifiers from 2 to 5 pm. You could also make your signature burger available all day. This helps manage expectations and streamlines operations. Restaurants can also temporarily hide or show the availability of certain categories at specific locations based on needs.

With this level of control, you can optimize your menu to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and boost sales. Your staff will appreciate knowing in advance which items they need to prepare during busy periods. And your customers will love knowing exactly which of their favorites are available when they want them.

Optimize Your Staffing

The category schedule also allows you to align your menu availability with your staffing levels. For example, you may schedule additional menu items to be available only when you have adequate staff on hand to prepare them efficiently. This helps ensure high-quality and quick service, even during your busiest times.

Per Diem’s category schedule gives you the power to customize your menu in a way that works for your business. Take advantage of this feature to maximize efficiency, optimize sales, and keep your customers happy.

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Offer Discounts on Modifiers With Subscriptions

Offering special promotions and discounts serves as a key strategy to attract new customers while also maintaining loyalty among existing customers. With the subscription model, you can not only apply discounts to specific menu items but also incentivize certain modifiers to encourage customers to sign up for a subscription.

Apply Discounts to Popular Modifiers

Identify which modifiers, add-ons or extras are frequently requested or best-selling, such as syrups, milk alternatives or espresso shots. You may offer a discount of 10 to 25% off these popular modifiers when purchased as part of a subscription order. For example, you can provide subscribers one free add-on syrup or milk alternative per drink. This promotion encourages customers to customize and experiment with new options at a lower cost.

Target Seasonal Modifiers

Promote seasonal modifiers and limited-time offers by including discounts exclusively for subscribers. For autumn, you may discount pumpkin spice, caramel or maple syrups. In summer, discounts on fruit purees, lemonade or iced tea add-ons would be ideal. This approach generates excitement for your rotating menu options and gives subscribers special access.

Apply Discounts to All Modifiers

For an overarching promotion, you can offer subscribers a flat percentage discount that applies to all modifiers with their subscription orders. A discount of 20 to 30% off all add-ons, extras, and modifiers incentivizes customers to fully customize their drinks at a lower price point. This broad discount also simplifies your marketing efforts since you do not need to specify which items are included.

Promoting your business through targeted discounts and special offers is a proven strategy to increase sales, gain new subscribers, and build customer loyalty. Our subscription model provides an easy way for you to execute discounts on some of the most profitable areas of your menu—the modifiers, add-ons, and extras that encourage customers to craft customized orders. Applying discounts to these items for subscribers is an effective approach to maximize the value of your subscription program.

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Track Sales and Analytics With Monthly Reports

As a restaurant owner, having data about your sales and customers at your fingertips is crucial for optimizing efficiency and revenue. By getting monthly reports right in your inbox every month, you gain insights into your business’s performance with automatically generated reports detailing sales figures, popular menu items, and repeat customers.

View Revenue and Sales Data

The monthly sales report provides an overview of your revenue and transaction data for the past month. You can see total sales, average sales per day, and sales broken down by payment types. This high-level view of your financials helps you spot trends and make data-driven decisions to improve sales.

Identify Top Selling Menu Items

In addition, the report equips you with a rank ordering of the top-selling menu products for the month according to the amount offered.

Use this to consider raising the price of popular items, adding them to promotions, or making them a bigger part of your menu. You may also find some underperforming items to consider removing or improving.

Track Repeat Customers

Track how many repeat customers you have, how frequently they visit, and how much revenue they generate. Focusing on your loyal customers through special offers and personalized service is key to building your business. Use this report to gain insights into your repeat customers' preferences and shopping habits.

Make Data-Driven Decisions

The insights from this analytics report empower you to optimize your operations and marketing based on facts, not guesses. You'll have the data you need to increase efficiency, boost sales, and improve the customer experience. With regular reports providing updates on key metrics, you can continually refine your strategies to maximize the success and profitability of your restaurant.

By leveraging data about your sales, customers, and menu, you can optimize your operations to improve the customer experience and boost your bottom line.

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Control Order Flow With Immediate, Future, and Same-Day Settings

The Per Diem app provides restaurant owners with micro-level control over order placement to optimize efficiency. With the “Immediate” setting, orders are processed in real-time, enabling quick turnaround. For advanced planning, the “Future” option permits customers to preorder items for pickup at a later date and time. The “Same-day” choice helps restaurateurs manage orders for efficient same-day fulfillment.

Immediate Setting

The “Immediate” option is ideal for typical order processing during normal business hours. As soon as a customer places and pays for an order in the app, it is received by the restaurant’s point-of-sale system for preparation and pickup. This real-time functionality allows quick completion of orders, reducing wait times for customers and keeping food fresh. The immediacy of this setting also enables restaurants to avoid overwhelming their kitchens during peak periods. By temporarily adjusting to “Same-day” or disabling the app, order flow can be optimized for maximum efficiency.

Future Setting

For occasions when customers want to preorder items in advance, the “Future” setting gives them the flexibility to do so. This option is excellent for group orders or catering requests, where more notice is needed to fulfill larger volumes. It also provides an opportunity for restaurants to upsell by suggesting meal packages, side dishes, or desserts to supplement the main order. The extended lead time allows kitchen staff to prepare without feeling rushed or overburdened.

Same-Day Setting

The “Same-day” choice offers a middle ground, accepting orders for pickup on the day of placement but not immediately. This setting helps restaurants consolidate multiple orders to streamline preparation and avoid wasting ingredients or time. Customers selecting “Same-day” pickup can feel confident their meal will be ready within a reasonable timeframe for retrieval, while the restaurant maintains control over order flow and the pace of their operations.

These features aim to empower small business owners and managers by giving them control over their order management process. Owners can configure the features based on their needs and abilities. Gaining tight control over order flow greatly improves the experience for both customers and staff.

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Final Thoughts

As you can see, Per Diem's latest product updates provide restaurant owners and managers with powerful tools to streamline operations, better manage customer demand, and ultimately double efficiency. By implementing these features, you can take control over your menu, staff, and orders like never before. The result is a smoother customer experience, less waste, higher sales, and more profits with the same resources. Don't let outdated technology limit your growth.

Contact our team for demo to learn more about Per Diem's restaurant efficiency-boosting product updates.

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