What is the restaurant of the future going to look like after COVID?

One question that all restaurant owners have in their mind — what is the future of a restaurant is going to look like, especially, after this Coronavirus pandemic. Well, it is predictable that the restaurant of the future will be quite different. The marketing strategy for restaurants is rapidly changing to meet the newly formed customer expectations. How can restaurants accomplish it while increasing their business ROI?

Though there is no exact roadmap for restaurants to follow, it can be planned and strategized. Now, with COVID, social distancing, and a common fear of virus infection, it is getting too hard to provide the best customer service. 

So what will happen to restaurants? How restaurant businesses are going to react to this situation? What should the restaurants adapt to??

We will answer such questions in this guide … Let’s dive into this!!!

Pre-restaurant systems: Online food delivery apps and online dine-in booking system

You might be connected with so many food delivery apps, such as UberEats, GrubHub, Doordash, etc. But have you ever thought of having an online food delivery option on your website? Isn’t it great to interact with your customers directly and fulfill their food orders right, all the time? provide the services as per their personal opinions about your restaurant and food?   

You may get customer orders or pre-bookings from these third-party delivery apps, but can you provide the level of guest experience you want to extend your customer? No, right? When you manage your online food deliveries, you not only get to know your customers very well but can provide them customized offers, next-level experience, etc. You can build rapport with your customers and establish a strong bond, resulting in an increase in repeat orders.

Think of it as a long-run because having your target customers will be better than just being an option for restaurants to crown on other apps. You can customize your website design as per your restaurants’ needs. There will be complete liberty to update or change anything as per your restaurant business requires time-to-time.

Customer’s next-generation requirement — contactless food delivery or dine-in

Now, with the rule of social distancing, which should ideally be called physical distancing, and fear of infection, it is required to take care of customers’ safety. Restaurants need to hands-free everything, such as doors, tabletops, menu cards, sitting tables, washrooms, etc. Providing complete hygiene should be the topmost priority of restaurants. 

According to the report of NRA (National Restaurant Association), 44% of diners use the restaurant’s app or website for online food orders for takeout or delivery. It clearly tells us the future of restaurants. This statistic is going to increase now as people are working from home and limit going out with the fear of virus infection. The safest available option is to order online and have the food delivered, contactless. Therefore, restaurants need to improve their digital presence in order to reach out to their customers.

Curbside pickup/takeaway food

The culture of takeaways and curbside pickups has been increasing. According to the report of the investment bank UBS, UBS forecasts delivery sales could rise an annual average of more than 20% to $365 billion worldwide by 2030, from $35 billion. 

How does all this change the game of restaurants in the future? Well, it is clear that customers do not want to spend a lot of time on a daily basis in restaurants for dine-in. They are attracted to these new options, such as curbside pickups, takeaway food, online food orders. This trend will continue to grow as customers seek out more comfort.

Is your restaurant ready for the upcoming challenging future?

So, what have you decided about your restaurant business? Are you still going to be completely dependent on traditional methods and third-party delivery apps? Well, we suggest our clients go digital and make online food delivery available on their websites or an app for their customers. 

Competition is intense in the market, however, trying to provide a next-gen customer experience from today could not be that hard. Start wisely integrating the new digital era’s technology into your business to provide comfort to the level of your customers’ needs. 

What kind of problems did you face in your restaurant business? How are you planning to grow your business with these new challenges? Let us know in the comment section.