Every time I see a restaurant advertising GrubHub or Seamless (a GrubHub subsidiary) or Eat24, or any other web service like that, I feel a little annoyed.
For customers they offer an interest service – they provide a directory of restaurants, and the additional benefit of ordering online. And since the apps and websites are free to use, the profit of those services comes from the restaurants.
For restaurants those apps and websites are an almost unavailable train wreck because they are so expensive. For restaurants that sign up and agree to pay them less than 20% on sales made, customers will not easily find them on the app or wesbite list. Good listings are reserved for the restaurants that pay them 20%.
But wait a minute. Aren’t most restaurants squeaking by financially, and making less than 20% on their gross sales? Does it really make sense to give away the whole 20%? And since local competitors are also listed, being displayed is no guarantee that a customer won’t get sent to the competitor. It is time to recognize that these companies are not here to serve the restaurant industry – they are here to profit from the location, menus and all the hard work of running restaurants, from the comfort of a few web servers.
Then, right after the Presidential election, GrubHub became the center of an ugly news story when the CEO urged employees who disagreed with his political stances to resign. The story reached every news outlet in the US, and many internationally. Suddenly displaying the GrubHub sticker at the door to the restaurant became a turn-off to millions of Americans.
So what can vciMobile do to alleviate the problem?
Our idea is to simply have your own app. This is not a perfect solution, because customers who aren’t aware of your restaurant will not know to download it. But for existing and repeat customers, and for new customers who respond to your traditional marketing, it is a great solution. With your own app you can:
- control all the content.
- integrate full function ordering for pickup and delivery orders.
- provide 1-click GPS-based direction.
- provide 1-click calling.
- notify customers of specials and new offerings.
- use timely push notifications to drive business.
- make your app a source of useful local information that can become a valued resource to customers.
- and a lot more…
And the profits will be yours.
There is only one more problem. Custom apps are expensive – usually in the range of $15,000 for either Apple or Android, and $25,000 for both.
We are the answer. Our apps are affordable and reliable, and have no hidden fees. And our motivation is to help our customers thrive and become the source of new sales.
Click here to read more about our Restaurant Special.
Ken