Chatbots for Restaurants

September 3, 2019 by izynadmin in Chatbot Marketing

This article explores the usefulness, possibilities, and all the rage around chatbots for restaurants.

Obviously, here at Matryx Media, we love our bots and strongly believe that any business that connects directly to its customers will benefit from a chatbot, but let me elaborate a bit for the skeptics.

The main mission of restaurants is to create amazing food and memorable dining experiences for their customers – so where does a chatbot fit in? And how can it help to not only get more people in the door but get them coming back? Ultimately, the food will get them coming back, but a chatbot can add a lot to the table (pun intended). Whether it is saving the business owner more time, boosting the brand and engagement with customers, marketing, or other reasons mentioned below, read on to see how a chatbot is just what your restaurant needs!

How Can a Chatbot Increase Smiles & Restaurant Sales?

24/7 Customer Service – The bot can answer frequently asked questions 24/7 (it is always ready to serve). When the store is closed and everyone has left the bot can still answer questions, provide the menu, and much more.

Make Reservations – So you have a romantic dinner planned tomorrow with your significant other… and the store closed tonight and rather than having to wait until tomorrow you can book a reservation through the bot and sleep soundly knowing you go a table. Also, for the restaurant, a bot can save a lot of time and work. On a busy night, one employee may spend an entire evening taking orders and reservations whereas they could be doing other things for your business if the bot took over some of the burdens of taking orders and making reservations.

Engagement – Some critics may disagree, but for some bots are engaging and fun and can greatly add to the customer experience. A bot can be customed in appearance and how it interacts with a customer to match the theme and brand of the restaurant. For example, a bot for a high-end restaurant will likely speak very properly and politely, whereas a pirate-themed restaurant may have some classic pirate lingo.

Marketing, Marketing, and More Marketing – A chatbot can send out special promos via messenger which has 800% higher open rates than email. Most restaurants do not even do email marketing – but if you want to do that too, your restaurant bot can generate an email list of your customers to do just that. Lastly, one of the best tools of the bot for marketing is being able to export the user data into the Facebook ads manager and creating a look-a-like audience which is the most effective way to run Facebook ad campaigns.

Reviews – If you are in the restaurant/foodservice industry, then you know that this market is heavily dependent on reviews. The bot can easily increase your positive reviews with a conditioned follow-up sequence that asks users about their meal and if they enjoyed it the bot will prompt them to leave a review and perhaps give a special promo.

How to Maximize Your Restaurant Bot?

Spread the Word – A bot is no good if it has no one to talk to. Share the bot information on social media and that there is a new way to interact with the company, book reservations, and take orders. Furthermore, the bot can be added to your website, linked to Facebook ads, and programmed to interact with people who comment on social media posts.

Human Carry Over – Establish who will be ready on live chat if a customer has a specific request that the bot is not ready to answer and over a smooth transition will boost not only the overall service of the restaurant, but also the customer’s view of the bot.

Book A Demo Today

See how a restaurant chatbot can improve your business and see what our service can offer you today. Just send us a message at matryxxmedia@gmail.com

We are excited to get chatting and botting with you!

Izzy Nowick
CEO & Co-founder
Matryx Media & Marketing
@matryxmedia