Cloud Kitchen POS Software 2021

One can easily say that cloud kitchens have been the new normal for the past couple of years. The world is suffering from the deadly novel coronavirus. We are not allowed to go outside of our homes for safety concerns. This had a huge impact on the restaurant business across the world. There are no candlelight dinners, family reunion parties, nights out at bars anymore. But people found a way to satisfy their craving through online food ordering services. This is where cloud kitchen, also known as ghost kitchen came in.

1. What is a cloud kitchen?

Cloud kitchen is also known as “ghost kitchen”. Cloud kitchen is different from normal restaurants. It is food preparation and cooking facility where food is prepared and delivered at doorsteps by taking orders via calls and online ordering platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo, etc, or having their win website form where customers can order food from. This means that there will be no dine-in option for the customers. It generates revenue by partnering with food online aggregators. Cloud kitchen prepares food while food delivery services make sure the food is safely delivered to the customers. There has been a major boom in cloud kitchen business across the world, especially during the pandemic as people are looking forward to door-step deliveries rather than dine-in options.

If you are looking forward to starting a cloud kitchen of your own, then these are the things you need to seriously consider:

• Choosing the right POS system software:

Cloud kitchens are completely technology-based. One of the most important things you need to buy when you are starting a cloud kitchen is a well-advanced “Point of Sale system”, also known as the POS system. The POS system software which you buy must have advanced features like a powerful inventory management software, delivery tracker system, an online shopfront feature (the most important feature), etc.

• Investment:

Investing in the right kind of equipment like ovens, kettles, utensils, and dishwashers, everything needs to be in one place to accelerate mass production and help in the smooth functioning of your kitchen. The most important investment an owner of the cloud kitchen needs to make is buying an advanced POS system software. POS system software is considered the heart of cloud kitchen. So make sure you invest in the right areas.

• Choosing the right partners:

If you are new to the business and if your brand is not well known to the public, then it would be better to join hands with third-party food delivery aggregators like Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo, etc. Once you are well known to the public, you can create a website of your own to receive and process orders.

• Promote your business:

What good does it be if you are not known in the market even though you cook good food? Use these marketing strategies to promote your business:

• Social media marketing.
• Influencer marketing.
• Affiliate marketing.
• Email marketing.
• Content marketing.
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Paid advertising.

2. What are the advantages of having a cloud kitchen?

Let us discuss what are the major advantages of having a cloud kitchen:

• Low operating costs:

To start a cloud kitchen of your own doesn’t require much startup capital. That’s the beauty of a cloud kitchen. If you’re planning to open a restaurant, you may need $100k or $1M depending on the interiors, location, and concept. Only a few are capable of owning that amount of money. Whereas in the case of a cloud kitchen, all you need is a commercial kitchen space, good chefs to master cooking, and delivery partners to deliver your food. You don’t need to waste your money on dine-in as it is not required. This itself will save thousands of dollars of your money. And if you consider renting kitchen space, you can bypass the need of buying pricey equipment too. You can start a could kitchen with just a fraction part of what it needs to start a restaurant.

• Easy to start:

As mentioned above, you don’t need to buy pricey kitchen equipment to start a cloud kitchen and you don’t need to build an entire kitchen from scratch and you don’t need to renovate the place. There are cloud kitchen facilities across the world, you can just walk in, sign a lease contract for a couple of years and you’re ready to rock the business.

• Less cost of labor:

As there is no dine-in option available in the cloud kitchen, you don’t have to worry about the front-of-the-house staff. You don’t need waiters, someone to work on the cash counter, etc. This itself cuts your labor cost significantly. All you need are chefs who can cook delicious food and a powerful POS system to manage your business.

3. What are the disadvantages of cloud kitchen:

• Source of income:

The majority of cloud kitchens fail because of their single source of income. As there is no dine-in facility in cloud kitchens, online orders are the only income source. If your third-party food delivery aggregators favor certain restaurants over yours, then you are done. If they decide to charge you 5–10% more, you won't have any leverage over these food delivery apps.

• Lack of interaction:

There is only one way to find out whether your food is up to the mark you think it is, reading the customer reviews. As there are only a handful of workers available in cloud kitchens, it is very easy to forget to check the reviews as they will be engaged in one work or another. This lack of interaction between you and your customers could lead to lower ratings and thus lesser orders.

• You don't have pricing power:

Why would any customer pay you the same amount of money which they are paying in any restaurant if you don’t provide ambiance and experience to cherish? Customers who order from cloud kitchens look for deals at which they get food at cheaper rates. Hence, you need to need to keep the price of your recipes low at all times.

You may be wondering whether starting a cloud kitchen is a good option or not. But always remember a coin has two faces. As mentioned above, you need a powerful POS system to run a cloud kitchen. Zobaze POS is one of the powerful Point of Sale systems ever created with many advanced features and is ready to offer you premium services at low costs. Zobaze has 500k+ downloads and a 4.7 rating in Google Play Store. For any queries or information visit: www.zobaze.com