Editorial Team
5 min read
Starting in late May, all 50 states began the process of reopening their economies after the onslaught of COVID-19. Certain regions are maintaining more limitations than others, but nearly every merchant in the U.S. is dealing with changes to their business—especially restaurants. Reduced foot traffic, interrupted supply chains, conflicting local and state orders, and social distancing precautions are forcing restaurants to rethink their service models.
Social distancing may make it difficult, if not impossible, to return to business-as-usual. Many cities are allowing restaurants to set up tables on sidewalks, in parking lots, and even in certain streets.
To help you keep your restaurant running, we’ve got a built-in solution to reduce contact and touchpoints while maximizing options for engaging your guests. Here’s how to make the most of Clover Online Ordering’s features during this time of social distancing.
Clover Online Ordering basics
Clover Online Ordering gives you an easy way to embrace social distancing, take advantage of the benefits of online ordering for pickup and dine-in, keep your staff and guests safe, and boost sales during these complicated times.
Getting started with Clover Online Ordering is a straightforward setup process through the Clover Dashboard. You’ll automatically have an ordering web page set up for you and populated with your existing Clover menu. Restaurants can have online orders fired directly to the kitchen. There is no charge to set up or use Clover Online Ordering, other than the usual card-not-present transaction fees associated with online orders.
As a bonus, Clover Online Ordering automatically lists your business in Clover’s mobile app. This app gives customers a way to discover Clover merchants, order online, collect reward points with merchants who are enrolled in Clover Rewards, and provide feedback if merchants use Clover Feedback. The app is free and available in the iOS and Android app stores.
Moreover, any guest who orders via your online ordering page or the Clover mobile app is automatically included as a customer in your Customers tool (part of the Customer Engagement suite). This means the more people who do business with you via Clover Online Ordering, the more you can learn about your clientele and determine ways to better serve them.
Expanding your reach with The Ordering.app
Once you’ve set up Clover Online Ordering, you can further increase your visibility to potential customers. We’ve partnered with The Ordering.app, now part of Google, that lists your restaurant and menu in both Google Search results and Google Maps.
To get started with The Ordering.app, confirm your business information in your Clover Dashboard to make sure customers will pick up food in the right place. Then, simply verify your menu items, add descriptions, remove any unwanted modifiers, and update pricing. The Ordering.app will create your ordering web page and let you start taking orders within 48 hours.
Scan to Order
When you’re ready to welcome diners back into your space, Clover Online Ordering can also reduce touchpoints. Scan to Order is an extended feature of Clover Online Ordering that promotes a safe, secure, and sanitary dining experience through contactless online ordering and payment processing.
Your Clover device generates a QR code that you can place on table tent cards and signage throughout your restaurant. Guests can scan the QR code from their mobile device to access the online ordering menu. Not only are these digital menus easily accessible to your guests, you can update them with the touch of a button and avoid costly printing as well as concerns related to hygiene.
Once they decide on the menu items they want, guests place their order, process payment, and add gratuity through the same interface. They can also add any special notes or instructions, such as dressing on the side or extra cheese. Orders are categorized as “dine-in,” fired straight to the kitchen, and food runners deliver dishes to guests who can dine at their leisure, as the check has already been paid. As one final benefit, Scan to Order saves your servers from all those long walks (or runs!) back and forth between diners and your POS—and that’s especially helpful with outdoor dining arrangements.
In these many ways, Scan to Order minimizes contact between diners and your team, offering a safer experience for in-restaurant dining. It can help you turn tables faster with fewer waitstaff because orders and payments are processed quickly and efficiently through the Clover POS system. Guests are also able to take advantage of convenient, fast ordering and payment as they can do so online without waiting for a server.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has forced restaurants to adjust to the new world of social distancing, and getting used to the new normal is going to take time. Change is never easy, especially when it comes to meeting guest demands while trying to protect your staff and your business. We hope Clover Online Ordering helps you streamline orders for pickup and in-restaurant dining experiences.
For more information on how to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, check out these web pages on financial relief, business preparedness, and our general merchant resources.
This information is being presented for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or tax advice. Readers should contact their attorneys, financial advisors, or tax professionals to obtain advice with respect to any particular matter. Clover assumes no responsibility for any information contained on any third-party website.
The Clover trademark is owned by Clover Network, Inc.
Google® and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google LLC
TheOrdering.appTM is a trademark of Ubermensche Group LLC
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