Technology has revolutionized the restaurant industry — and not just for owners. According to the National Restaurant Association, most clients these days enjoy ordering and paying tableside via tablet.
At cafes, 70% of customers place orders via smartphone app. Is it time to add eCommerce functionality to your brick-and-mortar restaurant? To help you decide, this article takes a deep dive into whether platforms like Shopify are good for restaurants.
Is Shopify Used in Restaurants?
Shopify’s restaurant tools combine a website builder, business management software, payment functionality, CRM tracking, and sales features. On the hardware side, Shopify supports mobile payments, credit cards, and debit cards.
Many restaurateurs like the easy-to-use system Shopify brings to the table, especially for setting up a complete eCommerce website. Other restaurants focus more on conventional POS options, such as Square, Clover, or TouchBistro.
In the United States, the market for restaurant point-of-sale systems was $4.1 billion — that’s right, billion — in 2022. And this number keeps increasing steadily every year.
The lesson? To stay competitive, investing in a cutting-edge software platform like Shopify is practically a must.
Why is Shopify Good for Restaurants?
Shopify isn’t the only game in town, but it’s definitely one of the friendliest for small businesses.
User-Friendly Website Creation Tools
To paraphrase Dr. McCoy from Star Trek, you’re a restaurateur, not a graphic designer. Providing tantalizing cuisine and delivering amazing experiences for customers is what you do best — and that’s a good thing.
With Shopify tools and apps, you don’t need coding experience to set up a breathtaking website that fits your restaurant’s unique vibe. Select a stunning theme, customize your offerings, set prices, et voila! You’re good to go.
State-of-the-Art Customizability
Do you want to offer rewards for your most loyal customers? Create irresistible bundles to satisfy your audience’s sweet tooth while boosting your profit margins?
These are just a few of the ways Shopify app integrations can help you grow your business. No hassle or headache.
Shopify apps can drastically change how your business functions, such as letting customers order ahead. Plug-and-play functionality means you use the tools you want and drop the ones you don’t.
Stellar Customer Service and Convenience
Even your best customers sometimes prefer to Netflix and chill with some wine and gourmet cooking. With Shopify, you can adapt to their needs seamlessly:
- Smartphone ordering
- Local delivery options
- Curbside pickup
Now you’re thinking, “Don’t apps like Uber Eats already handle delivery needs?”
This is the part where we drop the bomb: Almost half of your customers don’t trust third-party apps. They would rather order directly from your website. Some hope to save money, but over a third of diners do it to support your restaurant.
Valuable Customer Insights
Shopify’s CRM data can be a game-changer for how your restaurant does business. Instead of viewing success as a guessing game, you can detect key trends:
- What group your main customers belong to
- Which type of clients spend the most
- When your peak sale times are
- How much of your business is online, and where the traffic comes from
- Which advertising channels are delivering the best results
With high-quality customer insights, you can set more effective goals. Finding the right ways to introduce upsells can unlock a gold mine of opportunities.
Ready for restaurant statistics lesson part deux? Using Shopify to track sales data can help you deliver better customer experiences, too.
Imagine this: Mr. and Mrs. Client usually order the same variety of wine with dinner. Knowing this, your server automatically recommends a glass, making the couple smile and increasing the average order volume.
Normally, your team clears tables quickly, but the CRM shows that the Clients always order a generous dessert. You let the happy couple linger, increase your profits, and score a five-star review on Yelp. That’s the power of data.
Easier (and More Cost-Effective) Marketing
Shopify isn’t going to replace professional advertising anytime soon, but the built-in tools can simplify, expand, and enhance your marketing capabilities.
Some app integrations are free, such as Google Shopping and Shopify Email. These tools can help you manage email marketing and local search optimization from your dashboard.
Other options let you sync social media content with your website. That way, you turn those attention-grabbing Instagram posts into online traffic.
Look at it this way: Over 75% of diners use Google to search for local restaurants. That’s a lot of potential customers thanks to your Shopify website.
Does Shopify Have Any Downsides for Restaurants?
At the end of the day, we’d rate Shopify as 4 out of 5 stars for restaurants. It’s perfect for launching a fully functional, beautiful website for your business. Everything Shopify touches online is magic.
So where does it fall short? High-speed kitchen management. Shopify’s hardware options are strong, but they don’t compare to a dedicated POS built from the ground up for restaurants.
How big a deal this is depends on the complexity of your operations. Shopify handles real-time ordering just fine.
Some restaurants use both — old-school POS for the physical work and Shopify for the ultimate online restaurant experience.
Discover Streamlined Solutions That Make Shopify Even Better for Restaurants
App integrations are a major reason Shopify is good for restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, bakeries, and boutiques. Manage deals and discounts on the fly. Add catering or event management capabilities to your repertoire. Discover a staggering variety of delicious digital solutions right away.