Blog Post

The new world for restaurants after COVID-19

April 3, 2021

How Restaurants Can Find Profitability After COVID-19

One of the immediate concerns that the coronavirus pandemic poses is how we interact with each other. Before COVID-19, exchanging paper-based currency, credit cards, and other forms of payment was commonplace.

Although services that encouraged mobile payments were available, this option was seen as being insecure or inconvenient for many years.

Transactions are only one of several contact points for some businesses. As restaurants explore options that limit interactions to prevent the unintentional spread of coronavirus in the future, it is evident that the industry must develop entirely new processes.

Horago provides a meaningful solution that solves these contact point concerns immediately.

What Challenges Do Restaurants Face with COVID-19?

Even before the coronavirus pandemic changed the restaurant industry, significant issues with cleanliness and personal interactions existed.

It was rare for staff to wear personal protective equipment when removing used plates and silverware from tables. Menus were rarely sanitized. A small sign on the bathroom telling workers to wash their hands was considered “good enough” to stop the spread of germs throughout the business.

Saying that we are developing a “new normal” is inaccurate. What we must do is correct the problems that the restaurant industry allowed to grow over the past decades. Because nothing overtly terrible happened before, the previous set of best practices was deemed to be acceptable. The coronavirus shifted that perspective immediately.

As the world moves on from COVID-19, restaurants also face a new issue: social distancing. Government orders do not allow for 100% capacity during operations, which means a business must continue to find innovative ways to provide services to customers.

Is it going to be challenging to address these needs? Yes.

Are these impossible problems to solve? Not with Horago. Now is the perfect time to embrace innovation.

How Does Horago Work?

Horago is an app-based marketplace for the hospitality industry. This single platform approach enables restaurants, cafés, hotels, and similar businesses to interact with customers without any in-person contact points.

Customers enter a restaurant to see that the business uses Horago for orders and payment. After downloading the app, users create an account without needing to interact with any staff. An option to connect with Facebook is available for those who prefer that simplicity.

Once the account creation steps are complete, customers can select their current location. Then they are given the option to order from the available selections within the app. That means restaurants can save table space while reducing a contact point by eliminating the physical menu.

When the customer is satisfied with their experience, then they can pay the restaurant directly through the app. That means tables turnover faster because this platform eliminates the waiting involved with the payment process.

It also eliminates another critical contact point.

After the customer leaves, Horago allows restaurants to stay connected by sending invitations or special offers to encourage repetitive visits. It is one of the most useful applications of top-of-the-mind marketing available right now for the industry.

What Benefits Does Horago Provide to Restaurants?

As the world recovers from COVID-19, Horago offers a platform that enables customers to place orders and pay directly. It can track loyalties, request help, and eliminate the need to have any fingers on dirty menus. Each customer uses their mobile device for every interaction with their favourite restaurant.

These supports are possible because Horago seamlessly integrates with existing point-of-sale systems. Even if a customer decides to take advantage of a dine-in option, restaurants can use this platform to encourage order placement and payment. That means guests don’t need to wait to order, and employees can limit their contact with others.

Customers form relationships with their favourite restaurants. When excellent service and incredible food come together, it is a recipe that encourages a future visit. Horago ensures that restaurants have access to the data that makes this outcome more likely than ever before. You can see their behaviour, use it to up-sell, and create interactive menus that automatically adjust based on your preferences.

Restaurants can even use Horago for contactless delivery, curbside orders, or takeout – it’s all based on whatever permissions are available for services in each area.

A focus on efficiencies in every category of service must be a priority for the restaurant industry moving forward. Although investments in new infrastructure and procedures may be necessary, Horago creates new opportunities to streamline services. This marketplace has already proven its effectiveness before the era of COVID-19.

Now imagine what it can do for a business of any size as the world works to recover.