If you have a business in the food and beverage industry, the Corona crisis puts you in serious danger. The forced closure of all these businesses cuts into your money flow. The local government may have some bail out or subsidy plans but who knows how long that will take?
Asking your loyal customers to buy gift certificates from you is a good way keep a relationship with them while your business remains closed. It provides you with some useful cash flow. And you are assured of guests once you are open again.
Alternatively, or in addition to the certificates, you can offer a limited online menu for guests that they can pick up or you can have delivered. Bit every city offers delivery options, but Corona is causing more delivery options and services to appear because demand is great.
Both services can easily be created in Google Forms using your business GSuite account or your private Google account. The former is better but both will work.
Big benefit is that all customer details remain in your possession and don’t get stored anywhere else. Downside is that you will have to perform a few manual steps yourself to fulfill all the orders.
The fulfillment process is also a good opportunity to put your contract staff to work or to hire a few temp people to help you do it.
Take a look at this sample ordering form for gift certificates that I made for restaurant XYZ. People fill out their name, email address and certificate value. Perhaps add a bank account number so you can send them a payment request. Once payment is received, easily verified using internet banking or notification from your banking app, you can print a certificate, write down value and details and mail it out using the good old postal service!
For online ordering menus, you create a similar form. Add a webpage with the menu and place a link to your order form there. To limit your need to stock up on everything and perhaps enable you to cook everything by yourself or with just one chef, out together a limited “Corona” menu. Include your bestsellers and evergreens. If things work out well, you can add weekly specials.
Again, with an order coming in, send out a payment request to the customer, plan the fulfillment of the orders with the kitchen staff and text the customer that their order is ready for pickup!
Of course, if you already have an e-commerce system and shop, adding vouchers or online ordering can be even simpler. But this is a simple but effective way to add these services for free to your business and website!
Christian Peper 