Passionate about Normandy and good food, Vincent Vercoustre has launched his wine bar in Le Havre, offering a wide selection of wines by the glass. Right in the heart of the city center, the W Wine Bar is an original and modern concept for a good time of discovery and conviviality. Faced with the need for barrier gestures, Vincent installed the digital menu via QR code, a key asset that his customers have totally embraced.
How did you set up the digital menu in your wine bar?
The question of the digital menu arrives at the announcement of the first deconfinement, in May 2020, the catering unions sent the sanitary protocol for establishments receiving the public, including the ban on paper cards, which are distributed from hand to hand. Restaurateurs have had to adapt to offer an alternative. The digital menu arrived as a simple solution. You create a card online, print its QR code and then place it on the tables.
At W Wine Bar, initially, “the installation of the digital menu was very focused on health protocol. To reassure customers, we’re going to show that we’re really mobilized to protect them,” explains Vincent.
The whole restaurant industry was on the same bandwagon, and we soon saw these little black and white squares popping up all over the place in restaurants and bars.
How was the QR code initially received, and how do your customers use it today?
“Back then, we had to do a lot of teaching, even to young people who asked us how it worked. I regretted it a little because people weren’t used to it yet. In the second containment, we made even better use of the map, and added more descriptions. We made QR codes directly on the table, to show them off better.
It was fantastic to see how people took to it. Today, as a result, we don’t have to bring them a menu. When we arrive, they’ve already made up their minds, so it goes a lot faster. We save time with those who have adopted the QR code. For some people, we’re still doing a bit of pedagogy, but the more it progresses, the more it’s become part of everyday life. When they don’t have access to the QR code, I suggest they go to my Instagram or Facebook page and click on the menu link.”
What impact does the digital menu have on your business?
We quickly step outside the context of health protocol, and Vincent measures the impact on his service and business. The service is fluid and fast, and even faster when it comes to getting to know the menu, so you can take the time to follow Vincent’s advice on the wine list.
The map is intuitive and offers more descriptions as well as photos. Naturally, this has a positive impact on the average shopping basket. “Yes, absolutely. The more explicit and appealing the card, and the more attractive the photos, the more appealing it is to the customer.”
“The other advantage is that when customers want to order, they already have the menu in front of them. That way, during service, we know they’re going to recommend when they’re on the digital menu.”
Indeed, in the restaurant business, the more customers have access to the menu, the more likely they are to recommend something.
How to create a digital menu with DOOD?
To create his digital menu via QR code, he came across DOOD’s corporate website. “Your tool is very simple, but for a restaurateur who isn’t necessarily very digital. It’s really user-friendly for updating.
The positive points of the digital menu :
- We change our map in real time
- We can add more content, (photos, description, allergen) which “makes the menu more explicit for customers”.
What do you think about the place of the digital menu in the foodservice industry in the years to come?
“My dream is for there to be no paper,” says Vincent. In the near future, we can imagine restaurants and bars where it would be obsolete to see paper maps.
“My clientele is the 30-50 year olds, they arrive, clack, it’s top.” Generation Y is known for being connected, having smartphones, and also liking to go out. There’s no secret to the use of QR codes, and they’re gradually becoming part of our daily routine.
“I find that your product, everyone needs it, everyone’s going to go for it. It’s good for every restaurant, whatever their model. Of all the platforms we saw, the most competitive was DOOD.”
To advise others, if we had to quickly sum up the impact of the digital menu, what would you say to your hesitant colleagues?
“It’s to optimize their customer relationship, by saving time and having better communication.
It’s a global optimization, on the customer’s side because they have precise and detailed information, and also for the restaurateur, who updates his products, and no longer needs to bring menus to the table during service, after clearing, etc… It’s a real qualitative and quantitative optimization from every point of view. Whatever the business model, a restaurateur needs a digital menu. Today I couldn’t do without it.”