Life as we know it is only becoming more and more digitized. Think of all the things you do on your phone or online in general that you used to do in some other way: banking, communicating with others, networking, checking the weather, reading the news, even socializing. And, of course, we can definitely add ordering food to this list.

So it’s only natural that nowadays customers have the expectation that your menus will be online too. If they are looking for a new place to eat, chances are very good that they’ll Google your restaurant to look at reviews and check it out on social media before getting in their car to make the drive and spend their hard-earned money. So – to be blunt – if you don’t yet have an online version of your menu, you’re falling behind!

Don’t worry; it’s easy to fix this problem. There are multiple ways to quickly catch up and potentially boost your restaurant’s exposure and revenue with an online menu. Here are a few ways you can do it:

  • Add your menu (and possibly a branded online ordering mechanism too) to an already designed website.
  • Claim your free restaurant listing with Sirved.com and upload your menu to advertise it to millions of users per month.
  • Take a photo of your menu and post it on your social media page.
  • Upload your menu to a third-party site like Google or a menu-hosting site.

The more places you can post your menu online, the better, as obviously it’ll garner more views this way. But remember that if you make any changes to your menu, you’ll need to update it everywhere you have it posted. This can be a tedious job that requires you to make the necessary changes in every spot so you don’t leave outdated information up. To avoid this problem, consider registering with Sirved.com, which has a feature that allows you to easily keep all of your information and menus updated across the entire internet.

Why is it Important to Have an Online Menu Presence?   

Although it’s not terribly difficult to get your menu online, you may question why it’s really necessary. After all, you’ve survived this long without one, right? But, as mentioned above, this is the way things are going in general – nearly everything is online these days.

An online menu also provides you with another way to reach your customers outside of your restaurant walls. In essence, it’s a form of advertising and part of your customer’s experience. For an existing customer, an online menu impacts their perception of your restaurant and what you have to offer. For prospective customers, it plays an integral role in convincing them to choose you. Without an online menu, they might just go elsewhere.

And when you take your online menu a step further by offering a process to place orders right then and there, it becomes a tool that can directly increase your revenue. A digital storefront, if you will.

How Can Online Menus Boost Your Revenue?

Let’s talk more about the idea of an online menu increasing sales and, therefore, revenue. Yes, it helps bring in new customers. Yes, it can be a part of an ordering solution that lets people immediately place an order and pay. What else?

#1: They are easily shared.

Putting your menu online makes it simple to promote and share it. If it’s on your social media site, visitors will see it. If it’s on search engines or a site like Sirved.com, it’ll be shown to potentially millions of prospective customers who otherwise would never have known anything at all about your establishment. The exposure from a broad digital footprint is remarkable and far-reaching.

#2: They are easily updated.

Unlike a physical menu that takes time and costs money to reprint, an online menu can be quickly and easily updated whenever and as frequently as needed at no cost. If you claim your listing with Sirved, when you make a change to your menu, it’ll be reflected everywhere all across the internet with no additional work necessary on your part.

Online menus are also advantageous because they make it simple to highlight a new promotion or special. You can also easily remove menu options that you’re suddenly not able to offer because of supply chain issues or labor shortages.

#3: They are easily tracked.

One final perk of online menus (with ordering capabilities) is that it’s possible – if you partner with the right vendor – to use their analytics to make informed decisions that can increase your profit. For example, by tracking customer engagement and behavior you can determine which dishes are your best sellers, what items are frequently added on to orders, when customers typically place orders, and so on. All of this information can assist you in making smart decisions for your restaurant.

So the moral of the story is to not dismiss online menus. At first glance, they may not appear earth-shattering but can in fact lead to more customers, sales, and profit. They are easy to share, update, and track, all of which benefit you.

Don’t forget to take advantage of all the free benefits Sirved has to offer your restaurant, including the ability to easily keep your online menus up-to-date across the internet, complimentary advertising solutions, access to an easy-to-use QR code generator for contactless menus, and more. Gain access to your 100% free Sirved toolkit by claiming your restaurant listing today.