Why Online Menus Matter
Profitable Menus
Learn why online menus matter for your bar's profitability. Improve customer experience & drive sales.
A Massive Opportunity
Your online menu is essential to the success of your bar. Research shows that 86% of potential guests say they browse online menus before dining out. They expect your menu to provide on-demand information and convenience with a tap of their screen. To put it lightly: this is a massive opportunity and a great place to make a lasting impact on your bottom line and stand out from the competition. When done right a mobile-ready, easy-to-navigate, and informative online menu has the power to grab a customer’s attention and drive more traffic to your bar.
The Deciding Factor in Where to Dine or Drink
In the past, menus were really just about answering one question: “What should I order?” Today, customers compare a wide selection of online menus before even deciding on a venue. This means your menu must help them answer an even more important question: “Where can I find the experience I seek?”
To answer “Where can I find the experience I seek?”, it is critical that your menu provide guests with the information they want to know before choosing. This means setting expectations about price and selection and being transparent about ingredients and other special considerations like allergens or dietary needs. This type of information actually prequalifies potential customers. It ensures that those visiting your venue have the type of experience they expect. This even minimizes the chance of getting a bad review.
It’s also critical that your menu works properly and looks good on a smartphone. There’s no way around it— mobile is king. While desktop and tablet viewing is still important, mobile dominates— in fact, 60% of all digital restaurant orders occur on mobile.
COVID Fuels Demand for Contactless & Online Menus
Menu viewing had already begun to shift online and COVID rapidly accelerated the trend. Quarantine behavior means at-home occasions are the new norm and digital menus are more important than ever. Beyond that, nowadays you never know what ingredients are going to be available, so menus often need to be updated based on what you can get. Online menus are perfect for this new normal.
But online menus aren’t just for at-home or on-the-go viewing anymore. When dining at restaurants, the fear of contamination has led the National Restaurant Association to advise businesses to offer contactless menus, viewable on customer’s phones. This can be done by integrating QR codes on table tents, storefront windows, and bar tops for instant access to your online menus.
The Difference Between Thriving and Struggling
In today’s fast-moving and competitive market, bars and restaurants need to use all the tools at their disposal to maximize opportunities for success. Online menus are one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal— a great one will get you discovered by new customers, convert researchers into customers, and can ultimately be the difference between thriving and struggling.