Chuck Tanowitz

McDonald’s sets the standard for technology in the restaurant industry. The list of innovations the company brought is long, and that innovative spirit is a big reason why McDonald’s remains the leader in the quick-serve world.

Even before the pandemic hit, McDonald’s had developed a strong mobile ordering process through its Order & Pay mobile app that acted as a great launching point as the company moved into a contactless future. Better than most companies, McDonald’s knows that a contactless dining experience is key to alleviating consumer fears of returning to restaurants.

The McDonald’s app leverages the brand’s existing drive-thru operations as well as mobile payment options to ensure guests feel safe about dining with McDonald’s. The restaurant trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News reports these findings from a recent survey from AlixPartners in an article “Off-premise: The rise of contactless ordering and curbside pickup amid COVID-19 offer keys to survival”:

• “43% of consumers said drive-thru is the most preferred method for ordering restaurant food during the pandemic.
• “Takeout and curbside pickup is preferred by 33%. Third-party delivery was the least popular, as most say they’d rather order directly from a chain.”

Available for download at the AppStore and GooglePay, McDonald’s Order & Pay provides customers with a contactless experience for both Drive-Thru and Curbside pickup. Once the Order & Pay App has been downloaded and the guest is registered with the program, the app uses geolocation technology to help identify a participating restaurant nearby. […]

As everyone focuses on the new realities of takeout and delivery, it’s important that brands have the tools they need to identify and target those loyal guests who are most likely to purchase through the new ordering channels.

That’s why we rolled out two new filters that enable marketers to find just those who either missed recent visits or have an online ordering history. It’s a way to identify the right people and help drive much-needed revenue.

View the 30-minute Paytronix webinar Machine Learning and Dynamic Segmentation

Missed Visit Score

Behind the Paytronix platform lies artificial intelligence that offers visibility into customers’ individual actions. This means we can understand an individual’s visit cadence. For a coffee shop or C-store patron, that rate might be once a day. For a pizza store, it might be once a week. And for a fine dining restaurant, it might be once every two months. The new Paytronix missed visit score informs you whenever that rate changes so that you can adjust your outreach accordingly.

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As we all try to adjust to the new reality of doing business, the Paytronix community is coming together to share best practices for customer outreach in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak. We hope you find some ideas here that will help you in your day-to-day marketing operations.

Extend Your Outreach

Right now, use your loyalty resources to connect with both existing and potential customers, regardless of whether they are loyalty program members. Let them all know if you are open and to what extent. Are you open only for takeout or do you offer ordering and delivery? How about curbside pickup?

While your loyalty program has always been a great communications channel for reaching your best customers, consider taking your campaigns into new channels.

Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar, the 87-year-old, Pittsburgh-based creator of sandwiches topped with French fries, took a one-off reward usually only available to loyalty members, such as two sandwiches for $10, and promoted it on all available channels – loyalty, e-club, and social media – to reach the widest possible audience.

Stay home. But order big. Safely snag some comfort with FREE delivery and takeout at https://t.co/LoI9al5RUM, on our mobile app or through @DoorDash. pic.twitter.com/LJMXD2vtvL

— Primanti Bros (@primantibros) March 17, 2020

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When the COVID-19 pandemic forced Prime Hospitality Group of Indianapolis to close its dining rooms, the leadership team needed to maintain a source of revenue to help keep its 750 employees safe, fed, and part of the team. 

That’s a key reason why the company signed with Paytronix to offer ordering and delivery through the rapid-response product that launched last week. In just a few days, Prime was able to get delivery up and running at its flagship location in Northside Indianapolis and keep serving guests. It also plans to use the DoorDash connection for delivery, in addition to existing deals with Uber Eats and Postmates. These efforts will enable this location to continue doing the highest volume in Prime Hospitality Group’s portfolio.

Takeout and delivery had previously been a secondary focus, intended to fulfill guests’ preference for convenience. Until recently, Prime had always concentrated almost exclusively on the on-premises experience.

“I believe that online ordering and delivery is a necessity in our current circumstances,” said Prime Hospitality Group President Kristy Rans. “We still think that our product is one that can be enjoyed at home even outside the traditional service and hospitality that we provide within the four walls of our restaurants.” […]