YELP
This is a go-to for most savvy diners and has been for years. Yelp is an established website and app that anyone can access to see restaurants nearby them in cities across the US and while traveling. Restaurants can be sorted according to price, whether or not they’re currently open, and style of food.
What this means for your business.
Make sure your business is listed, that information is accurate (what are your opening hours?), and that you have rave reviews.
OPEN TABLE
Not having a reservation system can turn away those foodies who want to guarantee they are seated when they arrive. Even if you don’t love it, diners do. A food photographer and social media influencer I spoke to said she uses it for ease. It also helps that diners receive free money to dine in the future as well.
What this means for your business.
Have it, use it correctly, and love it. Open Table allows you to mark customers as no-shows as well, so while there may be some small hiccups, allowing someone to jump on an app and make a res is easier than manning a phone at all times.
FOODSPOTTING
It’s like Instagram and Google Maps had an app baby. And it’s specifically for food. You can search for dishes visually and check out what is nearby. Basically, letting your eyes do the eating for you. Just think of all the empty stomachs lining up at your door.
What this means for your business.
Foodspotting, like Yelp, allows businesses to put up beautiful, mouth-watering photos on the app. This means, you can help those hungry stomachs along to your place just by grabbing amazing shots of all the delicacies you have to offer. Encourage the over-eager foodies frequenting your place to do so as well.
HAPPY COW
This one is aimed at green eaters around the world. Happy Cow allows people to search for restaurants that specialize in vegan and vegetarian foods. Customers can leave feedback and reviews for places they visit too.
What this means for your business.
This doesn’t mean if you have meat on your menu, you can’t be listed. And this doesn’t mean that only people who are strict vegetarians are going to visit your venue. But, it does mean that if you have a decent selection of vegetarian food, this is an app you want to get listed on. Going green is popular and the number of people eating veggie is as well.
GRUBHUB/EAT24
Oh those late-night cravings. What a simple solution to press a few buttons on your phone and an hour later, get delivered the best food in the city. These two are some of the most popular apps used for take away and delivery.
What this means for your business.
If you do offer take away, definitely get on top of making use of these apps. There is a whole market of people who love take away. It also means that as a small business, you can maximize your revenue during the dinner crunch outside of available seating.
POSTMATES
If you live in most major US cities and haven’t heard of Postmates, this is it. Postmates is a service that allows anyone to purchase anything from anywhere at the touch of a button (with a service fee). If you offer take out, but not delivery, Postmates is the answer.
What this means for your business.
You don’t have to do anything! You may already be listed on Postmates without even knowing. If you aren’t, you are missing out on potential sales. Postmates HQ will call and place an order on behalf of a customer, a driver (or bicyclist) will pick up the order, and take it to your happy customer, AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO A THING.
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