Things to keep in mind before opening a restaurant on ChowNow.

Introduction

Today, everyone is so busy with work that they have no time to cook and go to bed on an empty stomach, which is detrimental to their health. People sacrifice health for work, only to sacrifice it for health eventually. It is like a vicious cycle that only online food ordering systems can break. Online food ordering systems help late workers, Millennials who hate cooking, and students away from home get food delivered to their doorsteps. Apart from this, such a system lets restaurants flourish and expand themselves.

If you are a restaurant owner who wants to increase their customer base, ChowNow can be the right solution. ChowNow is a platform that allows you to reach out to more people and has many more perks. 

What is ChowNow?

ChowNow is an online food ordering app and subscription service for restaurants. It does not take commissions on orders placed through it, a compelling reason to open a restaurant on ChowNow. Since they do not ask for commissions, they ask you for a monthly subscription, which is relatively cheap. 

ChowNow, working on a SaaS model, is not a centralized platform and seeks to receive orders via Facebook; it means a restaurant takes orders via the FaceBook page of ChowNow.

In addition to the benefits of delivery apps, restaurants opened on ChowNow enjoy a marketing team to set up an app and website for them.  

There are many other reasons to open a restaurant on ChowNow. One of them is that it trains restaurant owners comprehensively and offers a marketing strategy, 24/7 support, and an iPad for order consolidation.

Overview of ChowNow

Type: Private

Industry: Online platform for restaurant pick-up and delivery

Established: 2011

Founder: Christopher Webb and Eric Jaffe

Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, United States

CEO: Christopher Webb 

How ChowNow Works?

One thing to note before opening a restaurant on ChowNow is that they are more of a marketing team or middleman between restaurants and customers. ChowNow lets restaurants hire and use their delivery drivers for orders through the site; it has partnered with some delivery services, but restaurants can always use their drivers if needed.

Thus, it gives you both options to choose from, to use your drivers or ask ChowNow for them.

Customers order from an online menu displayed on ChowNow's interface; once ChowNow receives an order confirmation, it passes it to the selected restaurant.

The selected restaurant receives orders through its website, mobile app, Facebook, or Google page when the order gets ready. ChowNow processes the order and gets in touch with the diner for takeaway or delivery. ChowNow also collects information from diners' orders and gives restaurants this information for remarketing. 

Those who want to open a restaurant on ChowNow should know they need to pay $89 as a monthly subscription fee. One can even have custom branded iPhone and iPad apps, letting you take orders through your existing website via an ordering widget. Nonetheless, ChowNow always offers restaurants a wireless tablet to get orders and get in touch with the customer when it is ready.  

Since you have read what opening a restaurant on ChowNow looks like, 

Let us see things you need to keep in mind before opening a restaurant on ChowNow.

Things to take care of before opening a restaurant on ChowNow

Setup and Integration

Before you open a restaurant on ChowNow, know it is a bit heavy on the setup process. 

The whole process is not just lengthy, but it also requires a ton of details from you before you even get started with the setup.

When this process gets completed, you can straightaway start promoting and selling from your website, apps, and social media channels. When you open a restaurant on chowNow, you can even integrate with third-party apps for POS, Loyalty Programs, etc. 

ChowNow also lets customers order from their Facebook and Instagram profiles; since menus are integrated into the website easily.

Order Management

Even though ChowNow offers an all-inclusive dashboard that allows restaurant owners to access orders, pull up reports, and track inventory, it lacks the flexibility to change the existing structure to suit their needs. For this, you need to contact customer support and ask them to make the most of the changes.

Multilingual Customer Support

Multilingual customer support ensures that all of your customers can get the most out of your products and services, irrespective of their native or preferred language, culture, or location. Before you open a restaurant on ChowNow, know ChowNow is yet to address this issue.

Marketing and Analytics

Only open a restaurant on ChowNow if you are fine with limited marketing options since ChowNow doesn't offer full-fledged digital marketing solutions such as SEO, Blogs, Off-page promotions, etc. For this, you need to go for a professional or extra plugin, even though ChowNow does offer Custom-designed marketing campaigns.

Cost

The platform selection depends on two things, namely the type of business and its capacity to spend. If you get orders to deliver frequently, you would like to go for a subscription-based platform, which ChowNow already works on. It offers a monthly subscription model and gives you the freedom to discontinue if it is not compatible with your business.

One thing to note for those who want to open a restaurant on ChowNow is that it does not offer a free trial. Its prices are usually higher and more expensive. The ChowNow Annual plan starts at $119 per month and a fee of $399 per location, plus credit card processing fees. 

Why Open a restaurant on ChowNow-Benefits

Since you have seen things to keep in mind before opening a restaurant on ChowNow, let us now see why you should go for ChowNow.

Increase Revenue 

It just requires you to pay a monthly subscription fee, and you can make more money when compared to third-party vendors, as they take commissions and ChowNow does not.  

It is not as costly as other apps are; and helps you increase revenue with ease.

Customer Data  

Having customer data is essential to drive your business, as the data lets you know customer preferences. This helps make the customer experience better. Also, it helps come up with marketing strategies that work.

Increase Customer Engagement  

Restaurants get famous only when available online, as many users come across them while surfing the Internet. 

Going online increases customer engagement, and with a platform like ChowNow, you also up your marketing game.

Boost Customer Loyalty  

Apps like ChowNow increase revenue and goodwill by making customers trust your business. Customers trust things that are available online and even come across new businesses through it.

Uninterrupted Sales  

Even in stormy weather, people can order food online; ChowNow ensures uninterrupted sales. People use an online ordering system when they can not travel to the restaurant or have no time.

Electronic Invoicing  

When you take orders via telephone, there are chances of messing up the order; that is not the case with an electronic invoice as it avoids any confusion. 

Electronic Invoicing offers transparency because the customer can see how much bill he has received and how much corresponds to every item.  

Real-time Metrics  

Restaurants depend on real-time metrics like the number of orders completed, pending orders, revenue generated, best-selling products, etc. This data helps them come up with strategies to improve their business.

Online Payment Gateway  

The ultimate goal of online ordering systems is to provide customers with convenience; the facilities to pay through debit cards, credit cards, e-wallets, etc., increase this convenience.

Tailored Experiences  

ChowNow provides a personalized experience to customers. It takes care of customers' preferences and provides them with choices best suited for them. It allows food establishments to take care of the likes and dislikes of their customers.  

These are the benefits of opening a restaurant on ChowNow.

Suggested Reading: 
How to increase the visibility of your restaurant on ChowNow?

Conclusion

Before you open a restaurant on ChowNow, you need to keep a few things in mind, such as company profiles, the services, products, and packages they offer. The ChowNow app helps those looking for a smooth and scalable ordering process that is reliable and easy to use. It is necessary to go online because a platform compatible with your business eventually increases your revenue and reach. So those who want to open a restaurant on ChowNow should go for ChowNow since it works on a monthly subscription and offers many facilities to you.

AppsRhino is a mobile app development company powering on-demand mobile apps and business apps for entrepreneurs and enterprises.