Article by Juliette Miettunen
In today’s world where customers’ primary interaction with their favorite eateries is through take out and online ordering, a restaurant’s online presence and ease of ordering is more crucial for differentiating than ever. With the seasonal end to a successful outdoor dining season and city and federal restrictions on indoor dining, many restaurants are investing in technology and turning to the web to increase traffic and reach more customers through multiple search engines.
Last week’s GrubHub successful stock offering brought new attention to companies like GrubHub and Uber Eats that specialize in online ordering and delivery. Wall Street success is considered to have been fueled by a large spike in restaurant delivery during the Pandemic with the thought that it will remain as a primary revenue source in the post Covid world.
However, using these platforms is an additional cost for restaurants, resulting in less profit for establishments who may already be struggling to stay afloat. As the Northeast enters the cold winter months with local governments discouraging indoor dining, restaurants may want to reevaluate their current technology. Luckily, there’s a new zero commission player in the game that’s giving the power back to restaurant owners.
The mother of all inventions, Blizzfull was truly born out of necessity when CEO and Co-Founder Adam Dougherty and his colleagues needed a more efficient way to order lunch at the office. Adam and Blizzful’s Co-Founder, Zach Zurn developed the concept for Blizzfull, a comprehensive platform of web-based solutions for restaurants, while working as web developers in 2012. Blizzfull is a customizable online ordering tool that is incorporated into a restaurant’s personal website. This way the customer can interact directly with the business and isn’t redirected to a third-party site like GrubHub, who take up to a 30% cut. In addition to their ordering system that integrates into websites, they also offer custom video websites, loyalty programs, email and text marketing, and touchless dine-in solutions. “You can effectively manage every aspect of your website through a singular dashboard,” Dougherty noted.
Blizzfull’s cost structure is a monthly fee of $149, the same as their top competitor, ChowNow, who both market their brands as zero commission platforms. ChowNow, however, includes a $399 setup fee per location compared to Blizzfull’s $0 setup fee. Blizzfull is differentiating itself by offering premium services for a more high-end professional online presence. “A restaurant should be looking for a solution that is completely customizable,” is Dougherty’s advice for restaurateurs when they are searching for the right platform for their business.
Dougherty and Blizzfull’s have also focused on assisting their partner restaurants in understanding the importance of owning and controlling their data base of customers. With Blizzfull, a customer who wants to order from a restaurant can search for it on the internet and order directly from the restaurant’s website or use their personal app. Its important that inaction to the fee issue that restaurants understand that with GrubHub and Uber Eats, there is no opportunity to build loyalty with that customer, “Dougherty added. They become loyal to GrubHub or Uber Eats but not to the restaurant that is actually preparing the food. ”
Blizzfull is offering a higher end solution that properly represents the restaurant’s brand. With backgrounds in the film industry before transitioning to software engineering, they are both skilled designers and have a different approach than competitors. Blizzfull also offers restaurants a comprehensive portfolio of marketing solutions including cost effective in video driven websites that show moving images of a restaurant’s food offerings instead of a still image. When a restaurant signs up for the Blizzfull ordering platform, for a small additional fee they can purchase a video website from scratch or to enhance an existing site.
“We are unique in this sense. We’re a little obsessed with aesthetics, which is unusual in restaurant ordering software engineering,” Dougherty concluded on Blizzfull’s design-driven approach. “With more people consuming food from restaurants in the form of takeout and delivery inside the home, it will be harder for food establishments to differentiate themselves from competition within their marketplace. Our goal is to bring our Hollywood experience to our restaurant partners websites and combine that with order entry functionality.”
In this most challenging of times for restaurants Blizzfull offers a refreshing concept that partners with business owners instead of competing with them. Learn more at their website.
