Adopting an extension of the point-of-sale system in the food and beverage area has become imperative since it is not only about customer needs but is also a practical and cost-effective alternative. While some restaurants are yet to join the bandwagon, a few companies in India have been providing these solutions By Kahini Chakraborty
An area that has definitely got everybody’s attention is the Internet of Things (IOT) enablement to enhance customer experience. As IOT opens up a whole new world of possibilities, recognising this fact and paying heed to the changing customer expectations, a lot of restaurants are now investing in adopting various forms of consumer-facing options, narrowing the gap between what diners want and what is offered. According to a recent report of National Restaurant Association, consumers say that technology is important to them when choosing a restaurant. Among those consumers: 79 per cent said that they thought technology increased convenience; 70 per cent said it speeds up service and increased accuracy; 45 per cent said it made dining out more fun; 35 per cent said that it made them dine out or order takeaways more often. Simply put, technology is starting to become an expectation rather than a novelty. Some technology offerings are more common than others, including smartphone apps, online ordering and electronic menu boards. But the one that has been gaining traction, is mobile or wireless payment options, iPad tablet menus and touch-screen ordering kiosks. Among restaurateurs surveyed for the report, 63 per cent of family-dining restaurants offer Wi-Fi for customers, as did 67 per cent of casual-dining operators, 74 per cent of fine-dining operators, 60 per cent of quick-service operators, and 61 per cent of fast-casual restaurants.
Tapping the need for restaurants to offer iPad tablet menus and touch-screen ordering kiosks, Titbit, an enterprise of Valuable Group, provides a comprehensive platform developed and commercialised for the hospitality industry. The platform is developed to address two key challenges that currently exists in the hospitality space – enhance customer experience and optimise revenue management. Ameya Hete, founder and chief executive officer, Titbit says, “The Titbit framework consists of various components that come together to give patrons a rich and personalised experience. Titbit’s solution for the hotel industry includes Titbit Digital Menu, Titbit Self-Serve Kiosk, Titbit InRoom, Titbit Online Ordering and Titbit Media Net. These verticals help enhance the customer experience, improve operational efficiency and save costs. Titbit Inc’s solutions are being used by leading fine dine restaurants, fast food restaurants, sports stadiums, airports, hotels and clubs. Elaborating on the same, Hete states, “We continuously keep receiving requests from restaurant brands to be listed on the website. Our core competency is technology which is developed in-house and we have been making significant investments in technological advancements. We have 20-25 POS systems integrated worldwide and are also continuously integrating POS with existing solutions. Our aim is to provide customers with a unique and personalised food ordering experience.” Titbit has integrated with the leading POS providers across the globe such as Micros, Aldelo, Dinerware, etc, which helps Titbit offer plug and play installation to its customers. Titbit Inc’s Digital Menu is an advanced platform that is currently serving numerous guests across restaurants in the US, UK, Turkey, Singapore and India. Some of the restaurants where Titbit Digital Menu is live and operational are: TD Garden – Boston (US), Kennedy Space Center – Florida (US), Twin River Casino – Colorado (US), Hotel Domestique – Grenville (US), J W Marriott Hotel – Mumbai (India), Specialty Restaurants – Mumbai (India), and Pebbles – Mumbai (India).
Presently the company has about 40 interactive digital menus in well established restaurant brands in India. With regards to its solutions, Hete informs that the company is looking at increasing the availability of its solutions across the world. “We are here for the long term, and continue to get request from the world over. The company has business coming in through corporate contracts as well. Since metros are saturated, there has been a growth in smaller cities. However, he opines that the major challenge will be to retain loyal customers with competition in the segment. The company’s clients include: JW Marriott, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Westin Hotels & Resort, British Brewing Company, Country Inn & Suites and many more.
Another company who is striving to provide all kinds of information to the guests on their fingertips is Credencys Solutions. The company develops virtual concierge apps for customer satisfaction and effective operations. Customers can use the InRoom tablets to place orders and interact with room service. “Search capabilities are extremely enhanced in apps. The restaurant which has an app listing gets a new customer, while a restaurant which does not have such a listing, loses out on that customer. This illustrates well that those providers who have a good app definitely gain more business than those who don’t. The app needs to be also available on multiple platforms for wide access. They need to be available on major platforms like Android devices, iPhones and iPads,” says Sagar Sharma, CTO, Credencys Solutions.
Mobility driven innovation
Opining about how mobility driving innovation and streamlining operational efficiency is imperative, Sharma points out, “An extension of the point-of-sale system in the food and beverage area is the necessary application. It can be used as an order-taking device, offering a practical and cost-effective alternative to tablet PCs and traditional hand-held POS devices. These apps are increasing flexibility. Orders can be taken anywhere on the property; this is particularly helpful at large properties, where sprawling layouts make it difficult to process orders quickly and efficiently. Smartphone technology enable servers to place orders in seconds and reduce repetitive trips to the kitchen or bar. The technology also reduces human error. Guests can access all the items in the menu, pictures and videos. With mobile technology, managers gain real-time access to data, so they can see what’s going on with the business. They can also make changes to menu offerings.”
Santosh Jori, director- F&B, Westin Mumbai Garden City highlights that the brand provides e-menus for its banquets and conferencing facilities. “Digital menus and marketing helps us more than print menus. Ordering via digital menu is like doing online shopping which leads to generating the KOT (kitchen order taking) process,” adds Jori. Customer interaction while a customer is in the hotel is greatly improved by having Virtual Concierges, inRoom Apps, Restaurant-Order Taking and Check-in-Check-out, etc. These applications when integrated with the hotel’s PMS greatly enhance operational efficiency and generate data that can be used for business intelligence.
