There’s no denying that we live in a digital age and it seems everywhere you shop, eat or go, something has been digitized.
eMenu International is currently managing menus and wine lists in restaurants in 15 countries worldwide and it is the largest in its field in terms of number of clients and international activity. The NYC based company makes the archaic experience of using traditional paper menus a thing of the past and has brought it into the modern age. Patrons are given iPad menus and are still ordering through the server. That said, restaurants are still having that human touch while providing a better menu browsing experience and ultimately increasing revenues. The way the patron browses the eMenu as well as information about the day, hour, weather, etc. is analyzed to optimize the restaurant’s eMenu presentation and hence maximize profit for that restaurant.
The idea for eMenu International came about after a few friends were conversing about the inconvenience of paper menus at a bar. The idea of replacing it with something more relevant quickly came to mind, noted CEO Adi Chitayat. Given the functionality and popularity of Apple products, the team decided to offer their intuitive solution on iPads. “We are one step away from 2020. I don’t know anyone without a smartphone and practically everyone knows how to use a tablet of some sort,” he confesses.
With eMenu International, restaurants can easily customize their menu to their own specifications and can make updates with a click of a button. From daily menu specials, price changes, ingredient changes and more. Among the more popular features of eMenu is the software’s ability to have multiple language options. Restaurants with tourists are able to view the menu in their native language. “Many of our eMenu customers (restaurants) are seeing an immediate return on investment because their guests are able to see photos and videos of the menu options, hence are inclined to order more. People eat with their eyes and while people don’t like to be sold, they like to buy,” Chitayat quipped.
This has led to eMenu being approached from interested restaurants all over the world. Chitayat said. “We have hundreds of customers in the New York Metro area alone. Among them are several iconic NYC restaurants such as Old Homestead Steakhouse— the oldest steakhouse in Manhattan. The fact that a steakhouse that is operating over 100 years decided just three years ago to work with eMenu speaks for itself.”
This success is due to the fact that eMenu International’s customers have seen increase in their average check from approximately 3-9% since implementing the digital menu to their operations.
According to Chitayat, the eMenu experience takes just seconds for dining patrons to familiarize themselves. So those guests are willing to order more because they visually see what they’re ordering and are more enticed to try a variety of dishes, drinks and other menu items. No one will order another entree, but our eMenu strength is to entice people to order an appetizer, cocktail, side dish or dessert. Moreover, by learning patron’s menu browsing patterns we are able to optimize the menu presentation to increase sales. People with certain dietary restrictions can easily click a button and see options that are available for them.
“This is all about the servers using a simple tool to upsell guests without having to worry about integrating,” Chitayat said.
“We’re investing in the restaurant,” explains Lauren Diamond, New Business Development/Regional Sales Manager for eMenu International. “As we provide the restaurants iPads, cover with logo, data input, full customization of the menus in terms of graphic design and layout and provide a professional photo shoot, along with videography.”
Another selling point of eMenu International is that it can be used as a resourceful marketing tool by supporting other key revenue streams. A restaurant can use eMenu to feature and promote private rooms, catering packages, special events such as sports games, bands and more. “There could even be an event tab, where a customer can enter their contact information regarding an inquiry for a private event,” Diamond says. “The customer could also tell “their story”. We have a lot of restaurants that like to do an ‘About Us’ tab to showcase where their food is from, history of the restaurant or perhaps even promote sister locations.”
Many restaurants that are initially hesitant to adopt new technology have been quickly won over by the ease of implementation and with that the accelerated ROI that they have seen with eMenu. “You’ll see an average of 3% to 9% increase per each customer’s check within three months,” Chitayat concluded. “Also, we offer a 3 month trial so restaurants can see results prior to making any long term commitment.”
