The office lunch as we know it today has evolved from its humble origins. Cooked up during the industrial revolution the office lunch break became ingrained in the routine of working life. Back then, a lunch break meant downing tools and actually take time away from the daily grind to re-fuel and refresh. Today however, some 80% of employees don’t take a regular lunch break with the majority of American office workers dining solo and “al desko.”
In today’s busy office environment, lunch has become something to be dispensed with quickly. Many people now want food options that can be eaten on the go or at their desk. As a result, homemade lunches have become a thing of the past and have been replaced by ready-made or made to order lunches. According to a survey, 90% of workers purchase a lunch at least once per week. Not only that but as off-premise lunch options have significantly expanded in recent years, office workers often prefer a restaurant meal over a cafeteria lunch, with 63% of workers purchasing meals from nearby eateries.
Changes in working patterns and dining habits means office workers are a key market for restaurateurs’ – but how can you tap into this demand?
Online Group Ordering
With off-premise purchasing and delivery becoming an increasingly popular and regular lunch choice for so many, creating an online group ordering option on your website provides you with the opportunity to capture more market share and serve an entire swath of hungry, time strapped office workers looking for food choices.
With a group ordering system the organizer i.e. a colleague can invite co-workers, by their email address, to order with the group – or not. They choose how long the group order will remain open and once close, you can set about taking care of the rest. Providing an online group ordering option is not only one of the fastest and easiest ways for co-workers to order as a group but there are a whole host of additional benefits, such as:
Increased Cart Value: It is commonly accepted that the average online ordering check size is nearly 25% larger than in-store checks. Why? Online ordering allows customers to place an order more conveniently and also at their own pace. When in a queue or on the phone customers feel pressure to wrap up their order quickly. But online, they are more inclined to explore all of their menu options, and even end up spending more than they would when ordering in person.
And while online ordering cannot replace the face-to-face human interaction of an in-store experience, machines never forget to up-sell. They have the inherent ability to prompt customers with additional options and add-ons before they make a purchase decision invariably increasing their cart value.
Increase Accuracy: Group ordering frees up staff while increasing order accuracy. Traditionally, taking and noting office lunch requests usually consisted of creating some ad hoc Excel spreadsheet to keep track of orders and to haphazardly figure out who owns what and owes who. Coordinating lunch orders for a small office can quickly become an enormous task. Offering an online group ordering system makes dining with your restaurant more convenient for customers. When somebody self-selects their food, they can take their time, clarify their order, and be precise. No more missed details over the phone or forgotten orders.
Group online ordering not only helps to eliminate and reduce errors in the ordering process increasing satisfaction, but it also trims the queue of customers waiting to order and even offers restaurateurs a means to track customers’ orders and habits.
Increase Loyalty and Customer Base: Repeat customers are incredibly valuable. Not only do they provide a regular stream of revenue and generally out-spend newer customers, they also return more often. According to a NRN article, members of restaurant loyalty programs spend 19% more, on average, when redeeming their reward with the frequency of their visits increasing by 75% between their first and tenth redemption.
Not only that but satisfied loyal customers serve as word-of-mouth marketers, telling friends, family and co-workers of the great experiences they have with you. If you know that your restaurant is frequented by office workers, you can target and reward your existing loyal customers to generate more customers from businesses in your area.
Restaurants have experienced great success with online food ordering systems. By offering a group ordering option, businesses have the opportunity to capture the lunchtime sales market while at the same time increasing customer loyalty and more importantly, the bottom line.