How Restaurants Can Keep Employees and Offer Contactless Delivery with Pay by Text

Welcome to the Contactless Delivery Economy

We are now operating in a "contactless economy." For years, the rise in popularity for food on-demand has prevailed. More restaurants have added curbside delivery, order ahead apps, and home delivery. Companies like DoorDash and GrubHub have grown exponentially. While demand for contactless delivery and payment was predicted to trend upward this year, the pandemic accelerated the restaurant and hospitality’s need for all contact-free solutions.

Ways for Restaurants to go Contactless

As the economy re-opens and restaurants take steps to adhere to new customer-density rules, we will all want to keep our physical distance as much as possible while still enjoying our favorite meals. Thus, the contactless service and payment models adopted during mandated social distancing will remain important. A few models restaurants have been leaning on as social distancing solutions are through drive throughs, curbside delivery, tap-and-go payment technology and leave-it-at-the-door home delivery.

Most customers, whether social distancing or not, want to buy their favorite food from your restaurant. Those willing to drive for their dinner may wait outside in the car and sign a credit card slip without wearing any gloves or masks at all.

A drive through window, like curbside delivery, seems to be an obvious contactless food service option. If you are blessed to have a drive through set up, you can still only go semi-contactless. Obvious and sometimes awkward hesitation tends to occur during bag hand off and card-swipe time.

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Payment methods like typing in a pin number and even the new tap-and-go technology still happen less than 6 feet away. Customers haven’t (and still won't) want to swipe their cards to pay when businesses re-open because it still means coming too close for comfort

Restaurant Staffing in the Time of Pandemic

Meanwhile the restaurant staffing struggle has been tougher than usual. Business slowed or halted with the pandemic and staff were inevitably lost. Some were let go and others left willingly because they could collect more on unemployment than scraping by on scarce tips.

It was hard enough to avoid turnover when business was great. How will you get high performing staff back as business begins to warm back up slowly and it’s time to hire again? Consider rehiring or retaining individuals who are willing to repurpose their effort and deliver.

Among Restaurant-Hospitality.com’s 5 takeaway recommendations for restaurant leaders during the global pandemic, overcommunication and trying new things like self-delivery models were recommended. It is possible and affordable to offer self-delivery with your loyal staff opposed to expensive outsourced delivery. And the time is now.

It’s Time to Deliver

Curbside or home delivery with a truly contactless payment option are not only convenient any time, they are the contact-LESS options we need right now. It’s not necessary to spend a bundle on a customized mobile app for your restaurant. Keep your business marked open on Google, get a platform that lets you communicate with physically distanced customers, and enables contactless credit card processing is the key to success.

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Just send a friendly text and leave delivery orders at the door.

Enter Pay by Text with Two-Way Messaging

Here’s how it works as a standalone solution:

1. 1. Customer places their order
2. 2. Employee texts customer "heads up" when delivery is on the way
3. 3. Employee texts customer with Pay by Text link when food is at the door
4. 4. Customer opens secure payment link, enters a generous tip amount, clicks to pay
5. 5. Manager instantly sees payment in Everyware payment and messaging platform
6. 6. Employee texts customer a personalized "Thank you" message

Take It Up A Notch

While pay by text and two-way messaging make a big difference in your contactless strategy without any bells and whistles. There are many ways to maximize with features enabled by Everyware, such as:

1. 1. Integrate your pay by text and messaging with your POS or white label into your system
2. 2. Set up a "How was your food?" text surveys
3. 3. Collect donations with a ‘Text to Give’ campaign for your store’s partner charity
4. 4. Run SMS campaigns to customers announcing COVID Hours of Operation
5. 5. Build up your customer contact database with SMS marketing campaigns around special deals and discounts for those who opt in