How web-based software boosts restaurant revenues 5% to 10%

Software that provides Internet-based ordering capability for restaurants has boosted revenues up to 10% daily at Palm City, FL-based Tropical Smoothie Cafe, says Brad Phillips, manager. The restaurant has been using the software for about a year and a half.

QT Service Software also enables the restaurant to change menus, announce new specials via e-mails before lunch, or announce special events on the restaurant’s web site, Phillips says. The one-time installation charge for the software is $200, with a $50 per month service fee.

Phillips says he was looking for a way to reduce the time customers waited during the lunch hour. The restaurant experiences heaviest volume between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on weekdays. Daily sales volume averages about $2,000, with about half coming during the lunch hour rush, he says.

The restaurant’s web site, www.palmcitysmoothie.com, has the menu and lists daily specials. The restaurant offers a wide range of food, including sandwiches, smoothies, wraps and salads. The form for placing an order is at the top of the home page.

Customers can pay either by credit card online or at the store when picking up orders.

When customers pay with credit cards online, the transaction goes to a secured site, which sends it to a processor, which sends the approval back. “That’s really nice because a customer can walk in and in 10 seconds, get their food and walk out,” Phillips says.