Whether you work in the restaurant industry or not, you have surely noticed the boom in food delivery over the past couple of years. Delivery apps are on everyone’s phones and have helped restaurants survive and even thrive during the pandemic years, so much so that the delivery market is now worth more than $150 billion, having more than tripled since 2017. 

It’s not uncommon for restauranteurs to be on several online food ordering platforms, trying to increase the number of orders and be seen by as many customers as possible. This strategy has proven to be very successful as delivery now accounts for 40% of total restaurant sales. It has however proven to be somewhat of an operational headache for restaurants, having to deal with several delivery tablets, couriers, and printers. Leading to an increase in order errors, missed orders, and low delivery app ratings. 

What is a delivery integrator and should my restaurant be using one? 

First things first, what is a delivery integrator? It is exactly what it says, a solution used by restaurants to centralise online orders all in one place. Restaurants use integrators to optimise their operations in order to get the most out of every day while maximising orders and minimising the risk of human error. 

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Reasons your restaurant should be using a delivery integrator: 

Delivery integrators are a very powerful tool that can help restaurants streamline their dine-in and delivery operations, but they can do much more than just aggregate your orders. We’ve compiled a list of reasons why a delivery integrator can be the right solution to help you grow your business. 

1. It Can Help Your Restaurant Optimise Operations

Get all your orders in one place 

Let’s begin with an obvious one. If you are reading this, chances are you are currently working at a restaurant that uses multiple delivery apps, printers as well as its own POS system. We don’t need to tell you that managing all these tools can become quite overwhelming. A delivery integrator will help you declutter your online ordering process and streamline your delivery operations by centralising all your orders from platforms like Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo on one single tablet.

Did we mention that Otter’s Order Management Solution doesn’t stop at just centralising your online orders? It also aggregates your offline orders by integrating your POS system. That way, you won’t have to run around and deal with multiple platforms and tablets anymore.

Centralise your menu management

When it comes to delivery, menus are vital. In many ways they are your digital front-of-house, they can entice eaters to browse, order, and try new things. So managing and updating your menu is key when trying to step up your delivery game. It can however be very difficult when your restaurant is on multiple delivery platforms or has multiple locations. That’s where a delivery integrator can help. Otter’s Menu Management Solution, for instance, allows you to update your menu across platforms and locations from one dashboard. If you are running out of stock on a specific item, you can delete it or mark the item as unavailable on all your menus.  If your restaurant has different menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can set this up directly on your delivery integrator.

Control food pickup

Let's face it, food delivery can get a little messy sometimes, especially when it comes to order pickup. We have all been to restaurants that are overflowing with delivery couriers waiting for their orders. Having to duck and dodge delivery backpacks just to get to your table is never a fun experience. A delivery integrator can help your restaurant notify couriers (and customers) when their order is ready for pickup, so you can avoid overcrowding at your pickup counter. It can also help you reduce order errors and make sure that your orders are delivered to the right person each time. Otter’s Handoffs Solution can do just that, it shares the order status with the courier so that they don’t have to rush over to the restaurant and wait for their order to be ready. Making life a little bit easier for your staff, the couriers, and your dine-in and delivery customers. 

2. It Can Help Your Restaurant Increase Sales

Make every order count

Human error is inevitable, especially during rush hour. A staff member might forget to click “accept order” on one of the many tablets your restaurant uses for delivery and, just like that, you miss an order. It happens, but it doesn’t have to. A delivery integrator can automatically accept all incoming orders and relay them to your restaurant’s POS, so you never have to miss an order again. Otter’s Order Management Solution enables you to automatically accept all incoming orders from different delivery platforms and makes sure that you make the most out of every delivery. 

Rank higher on delivery platforms

Ah, algorithms… They are a tricky thing to crack, aren’t they? Why is your restaurant not receiving as many delivery orders from a delivery platform as it used to? Well, that could be due to a number of reasons, including order errors, longer prep time than advertised, refusing orders and bad eater reviews among others. A delivery integrator can help you optimise your delivery operations and rank higher on delivery platforms, which will increase your visibility and (hopefully) increase sales, keeping in mind that most eaters order directly from the delivery app’s homepages.

Unlock new revenue streams

One of the benefits of using a delivery integrator is that you can manage all your locations and menus from one place, but what if you took it a step further and you created and managed a virtual brand directly from it? A virtual brand is a great way to increase your orders and reach a whole new customer base, without having to invest in a new kitchen. Otter’s Virtual Brand Solution lets you use your existing space, staff, and inventory to fulfil more orders in multiple cuisine types under different brand names. With a virtual brand, you can limit your food waste by using your existing items to create a whole new concept and improve your profit margin. 

3. It Can Help Your Restaurant Better Understand Performance

Tracking and understanding your restaurant’s performance across all revenue streams and operations is one of the biggest challenges facing restaurants today. Tracking performance on each and every delivery platform, as well as your dine-in operations, can be very difficult work, especially if your restaurant has multiple locations.

Otter’s Insights Solution is a great example of how a delivery integrator can help businesses consolidate reports and understand their performances. These reports will help restaurant owners and managers learn where they might be making or losing money and identify a potential money-making opportunity they might be missing. 

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If you are looking to take your delivery business to the next level, then a delivery integrator is a great place to start. With Otter, you can make delivery much easier for yourself and your staff. We eliminate delivery headaches by centralising all your online orders in one tablet, no matter the channel. We help you eliminate chaos at your pickup counter. And we empower you to make data-driven decisions by providing you with centralised reports for all your orders.