{"id":6591,"date":"2020-03-19T21:15:50","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T13:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hapa.asia\/?p=6591"},"modified":"2020-03-20T12:44:25","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T04:44:25","slug":"fb-embraces-the-digital-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hapa.asia\/index.php\/2020\/03\/19\/fb-embraces-the-digital-era\/","title":{"rendered":"F&B Embraces the Digital Era"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Technology affects almost everything we do and hospitality especially is influenced by technology as is operating a restaurant or food outlet. Changes are constantly occurring in the way restauranteurs interact with guests and with the way diners interact with restaurants. Restaurants no longer simply provide food and beverages and deliver service in an inviting and comfortable setting. Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director of Historic Hotels Worldwide puts it, \u201cToday\u2019s customer wants to discover, experience, and, most important, share. You need the most modern technology to enable that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hospitality Asia spoke with several chefs and restauranteurs to gauge how they utilise digital technology in their operations and how they incorporate ever-changing technology. These questions ranged from how technology is making inroads in their business to the influence of social media like Instagram and food delivery services.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Media Making Inroads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media is essential for restaurants these days and\nhaving the finest food, the best wine list and impeccable service doesn\u2019t\namount to much if potential guests don\u2019t know this. News travels fast and the\nnews travels fastest on social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old saying, \u2018a picture tells a thousand words\u2019 is more\nimportant today than it ever has been with many chefs spending as much time on\nthe plating as the preparation to ensure the result is Instagrammable. It\nappears that many diners choose food that looks good and not necessarily, if it\nis good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Won, owner and chef at the impressive Enfin by James\nWon in downtown Kuala Lumpur relishes the opportunities presented by the\ndigital world. \u201cWe made a conscious decision from the restaurant\u2019s inception to\nstrategise a programme for the digital world and to make it an integral part of\nour business,\u201d he maintains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The restaurant is engaged in an online reservation platform\nthat integrates customer relationship management to mobile devices and across\nto the Point of Sale (POS) systems. Being totally linked to its social media\naddresses means customers are able to make reservations around the clock and\nreceive the latest information from the restaurant. This includes – reservation\navailability, changes to their reservation, dietary requirements, allergies and\nenabling deposits to be paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Won continues, \u201cAcross our social media platform, we\nhave a dedicated content scheduling and nourishment programme delivered every\nquarter\u201d. The chef also works with the print media for content creation; and to\nstay in touch with them regarding brand and new developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nearby is Joloko Restaurant which has a webpage that is well\ndesigned and effective, according to owner Rick Jorre. \u201cWe post and update\nsocial media like Instagram and Facebook at least three times a week and upload\nInstagram stories on a daily basis. We send monthly newsletters to those on our\ndatabase and most important of all, we collect data from our existing customers\nthrough our online reservations platform, a loyalty programme with automated\nmarketing and by hosting events, which require attendees to subscribe. We have\nat least one article each month published on blogs or online magazines,\u201d adds\nRick Jorre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, in Launceston Tasmania, Jeremy Kode from Geronimo\nAperitivo Bar and Restaurant fully embraces the digital world. \u201cIt assists in\nevery aspect of my operation. Social media is the obvious digital marketing\ntool however, I use others. This includes rostering and payroll applications\nand online booking platforms that assist with marketing opportunities and the\nability to capture bookings around the clock. The booking tool we use also\nprovides vital guest information that allows us to know guest dining habits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy Kode\u2019s business is expanding and a project management\ntool enables decision makers to successfully manage the current projects and\nhave the ability to add tasks to those responsible for particular operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No restaurant can survive without being connected, one way of\nthe other with the digital world according to Miguel Perez, Food and Beverage\nDirector at the Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur. From external (marketing and customer\nreviews) to internal processes (management, reservations and finance)\nrestaurants are no different from any other business according to Miguel Perez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are going all in with the digital marketing world,\u201d\naccording to Hans Gill at Tiki Taka Restaurant. \u201cWe\u2019ve been focusing on\nFacebook as well as Instagram ads to drive our business and it has worked\nreally well. People aged from 25 to 45 are social media savvy, hence the best\nway to reach these consumers is by social media advertising. We offer a free\ndaily dessert giveaway that just requires diners to \u2018check in\u2019 into Tiki Taka\non Facebook or Instagram,\u201d claims Hans Gill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Balasubramani Naidu, Director of Food and Beverage, New World Petaling Jaya Hotel, restaurants are involved in digital technology, primarily in digital marketing and secondary, in digital payments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plating, Photography and Posting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Social media has created new restaurant behaviour and characteristics. \u2018Two, four, six eight, tuck in don\u2019t wait\u2019 is meaningless these days as diners clamour over the best position to photograph the food before tucking in. Food and Instagram are inextricably intertwined with over 330 million food posts on Instagram and rapidly rising. It is as if this social media platform was exclusively developed for the restaurant industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Wan is fully aware of the relationship. \u201cFood plating design and styling have changed to make sure phone cameras are able to capture the image we intended. Lighting in the main dining room had to be changed to allow photography to be friendlier and more flattering. Service timing also needs to accommodate diners eating behaviour because we need to allow the customer time to take photos before eating,\u201d explains the chef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He adds, \u201cSocial media exposure has extended our reach to new customers who are not traditionally our target market. People are interested to know what the food looks like and do not really read or want to understand what the cuisine is about via words.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo Kuscher, General Manager at the Royale Chulan Seremban Hotel adds that hoteliers are expected to stay on their toes to create Instagrammable moments for their guests to communicate with their friends. This needs to be creative, edgy and memorable. Creating memorable moments is also important like cooking classes with the chef involving a pre-dawn visit to the local markets to source for fresh sustainably grown organic produce.\u00a0 He adds, \u201cAlthough millennials are gadget conscientious, well-heeled travellers, especially those staying in luxury properties need to create special personalised moments with unique touches for their discerning guests.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation is the same in Launceston where Jeremy Kode maintains keeping customers engaged is incredibly important. Social media, especially the proliferation of outstanding food and beverage-focused publications, has helped in the general awareness of good food and beverages. \u201cWe constantly look at what is happening across the world to ensure we are abreast of new ideas and inspiration,\u201d he explains . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balasubramani Naidu suggests that social media is now more powerful than word of mouth. Indeed, great \u2018images of the eye\u2019 are considered a greater multiplier with the biggest impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Miguel Perez, there is a similarity between the food and beverage industry and the fashion industry. \u201cThe digital world represents a window to show the world what you do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hans Gill suggests, \u201cYou must adapt to changing times or you will be put out of business by the market. Hence staying abreast with the latest happenings is very important. The great thing about social media is you can understand your customers better by following them on Instagram. You then know what they like and dislike. This gives you a better understanding of what your customers want and you can adjust your business model to keep up with their demands as well as trends.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Delivery Services<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n