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    • Your restaurant may have a Facebook page and Instagram account, but do you have a website? In this time of soaring social media popularity, you may think a website isn’t necessary, but your online marketing strategy isn’t complete without one. 

    Each component of your online presence has a role to play, but your website is the hub that brings them all together. Think of it as your one-stop virtual shop for your restaurant’s brand. 

    The Edelweiss Tavern in Kitchener uses Sociavore to promote their restaurant brand, provide their customers with access to online ordering, and keep their customers up-to-date at all times.

    Restaurant websites attract visitors and drive sales

    Amina Gilani, co-founder and COO of Sociavore, a website building platform designed to meet the needs of independent restaurants, says, “Over 80 per cent of customers are going online first to discover a restaurant.”

    Restaurants Canada likens your website to your front door. “Today’s diners are keen to learn as much as they can about your restaurant before they make a reservation, so they’ll visit your website to get information. There, they expect to find your menu, hours of operation and location, social media links, and maybe even a blog.”

    “Today’s diners are keen to learn as much as they can about your restaurant before they make a reservation, so they’ll visit your website to get information.”

    Restaurants Canada

    With the COVID-19 pandemic in its second year, your website visitors want much more than information. They’re looking for a virtual guest experience to replace what they’ve come to expect from your physical location, and functionality that allows them to interact with you.

    Your restaurant website can also drive sales. Technomic’s Industry Insights report of September 7, 2020 states, “Convenient online and app-driven ordering has been a lifeline during the pandemic,” and reports that 24 per cent of consumers who order food for off-premise do so using a restaurant-specific website.

    Cindy Perri, brand guardian for Charcoal Group restaurants, which use Sociavore, says, “Not only does our website support all of our marketing efforts as the final destination in a long line of communication and storytelling, but it also functions as the technological bridge between the guest and restaurants for programs such as online ordering, gift cards, loyalty, feedback and takeout efforts, to name a few.”

    Convenient online and app-driven ordering has been a lifeline during the pandemic. 24% of consumers who order food for off-premise do so using a restaurant-specific website.

    Take control of your online presence

    If you think your restaurant doesn’t need an online presence, think again: you already have one. 

    Even without a website or any social media accounts, someone Googling your restaurant or your type of eatery will find plenty of information about you in the form of reviews (some of which may be negative) on sites like Yelp, personal blogs and even friends’ Facebook posts. 

    Having a restaurant website helps you take control of your online presence. “You don’t want other people to build what your brand is online,” Gilani says. “You want to be able to do that for yourself, just like you do for your bricks and mortar experiences where so much care is put into that guest experience.”

    Sociavore optimizes your site for search engines, something known as SEO. Simply put, making it easy for search engines like Google to find your site makes it easier for people to find you. 

    The power of social media integration

    Your Instagram account can convey your restaurant’s food and vibe through beautiful images, but the platform doesn’t allow for much information like hours and menus. Also, their hashtag-based searches make it challenging for someone who doesn’t know about your restaurant to find you when they’re looking for a new place to eat. While a Facebook page can include lots of information and photos, its busy format doesn’t lend itself well to showcasing your brand. 

    “Websites are different from social media in that they hold more robust information that you can’t necessarily post on social media as easily, […] so it’s great to have that place guests can go to find out more,” says Perri.

    One way to address these social media shortcomings is to direct people to your full-service restaurant website via links in your Instagram profile and Facebook “About” section and posts. Similarly, links from your website to your social channels encourage more followers there.

    Sociavore also provides seamless integration between your website and social channels. For instance, you can automatically import your Instagram posts to your restaurant website, post to social media from your website and even schedule those posts. Social media management can be time consuming; Sociavore makes it more efficient.

    Sociavore is a website building platform designed to meet the needs of independent restaurants.
    Sociavore integrates online ordering, giving your customers the ability to order, set a pick up time, and pay.

    Brand Points PLUS and Sociavore make it easy

    Small restaurant operators may not have the level of resources and technical expertise of the chains, but with Sociavore’s no-technical-skills-required, drag-and-drop approach, you can easily build a highly customized, professional website that supports your operations and offers guests the functionality they’ve come to expect in the age of apps. With a Sociavore-powered website, they can make reservations online, order takeout or delivery, purchase gift cards, buy tickets for live or virtual events, and more.

    Greenbridge Foodservice has aligned their Brand Points PLUS program with Sociavore to help you compete just like the big guys. They’re offering special pricing and an exclusive all-in-one plan where their teams build your website and update it quarterly for you. And you can use your Brand Points PLUS points to pay. Learn more at https://chefconnexion.com/digital-smarts-for-the-independent-restaurant-operator/.

    In our increasingly digital age, it’s important for your restaurant to have a website. It’s become even more so in light of pandemic restrictions and consumer hesitancy about dining out. But you need more than a sharp-looking site that simply provides information. Your website should be an operational force for you and an inviting and functional experience for guests.

    So, what’s a small, independent restaurant without the resources and technical know-how of one of the big guys to do?

    Greenbridge Foodservice’s Brand Points PLUS program and the independent-restaurant-focused platform Sociavore have collaborated to offer small restaurant operators customizable websites with everything they need to compete on an equal footing with the big players.

    Sociavore understands the needs of independent restaurant operators

    Kristen Storer, Greenbridge’s VP of marketing and operations, says they were looking for ways to help operators with their technology needs but found that a lot of service providers focused only on the big chains. “And then we came across Sociavore. They are completely aligned with Greenbridge; that is, focused on the independent operator in Canada.”

    Amina Gilani, Sociavore’s co-founder and COO, says the all-in-one platform was built to help independent restaurants manage their business online. “We have all the features that you need to really create an amazing digital guest experience and allow you to sell through your own website and strengthen your guest relationships.”

    Sociavore is based on first-hand knowledge of the needs of independent restaurants. Gilani’s co-founder, husband Thusenth Dhavaloganathan, grew up working in his family’s restaurant. Later he and Gilani, who both worked in software at different companies, built tools to help his father market his restaurant. That’s when they realized there wasn’t a platform specifically designed to help independent restaurants with the digital side of their business.

    “That’s why we started Sociavore,” Gilani says. “It’s really based on our needs coming from an independent restaurant, knowing what they need day-to-day. It’s operations-focused, so the back end is built from the ground up for independent restaurants, based on their needs.” 

    Customizable websites for restaurants

    “Sociavore has been a beneficial tool for our company. Its capabilities were integral in keeping us on top of communication during these challenging times.” 

    Cindy Perri, brand guardian for the Charcoal Group of restaurants

    Cindy Perri, brand guardian for the Charcoal Group of restaurants, says, “Sociavore is an extremely user-friendly platform that allows us to make changes and updates quickly. The fact it specializes in the hospitality industry gives it that added bit of understanding to anticipate our needs. Sociavore has been a beneficial tool for our company since our partnership began, but especially during the last year with all the changes the restaurant industry has experienced. Its capabilities were integral in keeping us on top of communication during these challenging times.” 

    Professional, customizable, easy-to-build websites

    Sociavore offers a user-friendly website builder with a variety of designs so your online presence is a virtual representation of your restaurant. “Like social media feeds, your website is an online extension of your physical location’s experience…. I like to refer to it as our online hospitality experience and Sociavore is an important part of bringing that to life,” Perri says.

    You can use any or all of the features, including:

    Sociavore seamlessly integrates with many services restaurants may already be using, including reservations systems like OpenTable and Resy, social media platforms, email marketing software and many POS systems. 

    Contactless ordering
    Online menus
    Digital payments

    The online ordering delivery options illustrate Sociavore’s flexibility. “The restaurant can choose who fulfills the order,” Gilani says. “Some restaurants do the deliveries themselves, use a local delivery network, [or] can use our DoorDash Drive integration.” They also integrate with third-party delivery services.

    When it comes to measuring results, Gilani adds, “We have all the metrics that you need to be able to see who’s landing on your site and how your site is helping grow your business.” They also integrate with third-party analytics like Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics.

    Robust support if you have questions

    Although using Sociavore doesn’t require technical skills, they understand users may still have questions. Extensive video and written documentation along with chat support give users the know-how they need to solve problems while building their restaurant website.

     “The Sociavore team is always willing to help and listen to user suggestions,” Perri says. “They don’t hesitate to implement an update or additional function if it is beneficial to all of their customers. I actually view them as an extension of our marketing team.”

    The Brand Points PLUS advantage – Sociavore plans

    Three levels of service are available under the Brand Points PLUS/Sociavore alignment. Restaurant operatorscan choose month-to-month or annual plans, and there are no contracts. Brand Points PLUS members can visit Sociavore website to see plan and pricing details.

    With the Essential plan, restaurants build their websites themselves. “We built it in a unique way so you don’t need to know how to code and can pick and choose whatever features you need,” Gilani says. 

    The optional Concierge service provides full website setup for users who don’t want to do it themselves. “The restaurant hands over their menus, any photography they have, logos, branding, anything like that, and we will look after the setup,” Kristen Storer says. “We know they’re busy; they’ve got lots of other things to do on a day-to-day basis.”

    The All-in-One plan is exclusive to Brand Points PLUS restaurant operators. This full-service plan is the simplest way to use Sociavore. It includes the Essential Plan, Concierge service and four annual website updates administered by the Greenbridge team. 

    “It’s really about Greenbridge and their network of distributors trying to say we’re here for the restaurant operators,” says Storer. “We want to support them. If they’re successful, we’re successful. We’re all in this together.”

    As an added benefit, operators can redeem their Brand Points PLUS points for Sociavore gift cards, “which means they could get this whole service potentially for free,” Storer adds. Gift cards are available in various denominations (e.g., a $50 gift card is 400 points and a $100 card requires 700 points).

    Highlights of Sociavore benefits for independent restaurant operators