After the COVID-2022 pandemic eases, Taiwan's average restaurant revenue is projected to remain flat in 2023, after experiencing double-digit growth in 2024 and 2024. In 0.1, average revenue may even experience negative growth of 3.0%. To address this, iCHEF announced the launch of "Order XNUMX," a QR code ordering app. The app also features a design inspired by the "Taiwanese Dining Colors" by Fang Xuzhong, Taiwan's first "Three Golds" designer. This technology aims to help Taiwanese restaurants increase customer order rates.
iCHEF points out that dine-in services remain the primary revenue driver for Taiwanese restaurants, contributing over 60% of revenue. However, 2024 saw a significant decline in revenue compared to the previous year, primarily due to a year-on-year decrease in transaction prices. Therefore, iCHEF's launch of "Order 3.0," a scan-and-order app, aims to help restaurants reverse the decline in dine-in transaction prices.
Simplifying online ordering through technology
iCHEF co-founder Cheng Kaiyou said that a comfortable and smooth consumer experience will be the future of restaurant technology. This requires a stable and reliable system, a friendly and intuitive interactive experience, a brand-style interface, and scenario-based intelligent recommendations. In this way, even as restaurant operators begin to face labor shortages, they can still use technology to help diners order more easily and even further increase order transaction volume.
iCHEF found that the number of in-app customers ordering via QR code scanning is expected to increase by 2024% by 45, and online ordering has become a common interface for many consumers. However, even with this familiarity, these interfaces still present challenges such as difficult-to-read interface design, clunky workflows, forced personal information binding, and even user-friendliness for seniors, as well as technical difficulties.
Therefore, the "Order 3.0" scan code ordering application service announced by iCHEF this time has further strengthened the interface design, added more ordering functions, and even introduced the concept of e-commerce shopping guides. Through the "store recommended combination selection", it provides combination suggestions to customers who have difficulty in ordering meals, and through the "light luxury of set meal substitution", consumers can upgrade their meals with a small increase in price. Through functions and interface updates such as "group scan code ordering", "meal photos are 3 times larger", and "add-on side dish pictures", consumers can order more easily when using the new scan code ordering interface, and are more willing to increase the order quantity.
According to iCHEF statistics, among some stores that were the first to introduce the "Order 2024" scan code ordering application service in 3.0, approximately 60% of the stores saw their in-store order prices increase by more than 6%, without adjusting food prices and menus.
Collaborate with "Three Golds" designer Fang Xuzhong to create a new interface
iCHEF also announced a collaboration with Fang Xuzhong, the first designer to design for the Golden Bell Awards, Golden Horse Awards, and Golden Melody Awards, to design the iCHEF "Order 3.0" interface. The collaboration also incorporates a new "Taiwanese Dining Theme Color" series, showcasing Taiwan's diverse and unique dining culture and spirit through five distinctive color schemes:
• “Fearless and Bold” – Café Dalida: Located next to the Red House in Ximending, this drag queen bar showcases the boldness of Taiwanese performances and the spirit of self-discovery in contemporary Taiwan.
• "Fusion" - Xinzhao Fried Chicken: A new immigrant chicken cutlet brand of Taiwanese and Vietnamese origin, it symbolizes the value of coexistence of Taiwan's diverse ethnic groups and evolves classic cuisine through a new hybrid flavor.
• "Explore Safari" - EMBERS: A Michelin-starred mountain restaurant that explores Taiwan's unique terroir with exquisite culinary techniques, transforming it into a brand-new concept to amaze visitors from all over the world.
• "Playful" - Haochu Breakfast: A Taiwanese trendy breakfast shop that constantly reinterprets Taiwanese breakfast and dining experience with creativity and humor, bringing uninhibited and vitality to Taiwan's new generation breakfast culture.
• "Homecoming" - Flying Squirrel Coffee: A secret coffee shop in the Tefuye Tribe of Alishan. It is a beautiful coffee shop created by young people from the Tsou tribe who returned home and combined tribal culture with natural atmosphere.
Currently, the "Taiwanese catering theme color" and the "professional order setting service" where a one-on-one coach helps restaurants set up scan code ordering are expected to be launched in the first quarter of this year.
"Smart Recommended Ordering" comparable to personal service will be launched later
As for the next piece of the "online ordering" puzzle, iCHEF believes it is "smart recommendation ordering" that is comparable to personal service. This will integrate data such as the restaurant operator's signature recommendations, daily weather changes, the number of diners, consumption habits and taste preferences, allowing the system to automatically recommend suitable meals to consumers, allowing consumers to decide whether to accept the recommendations and add to their ordering process when operating through the ordering interface.
With the launch of the "Ordering 3.0" function, iCHEF stated that the design and functions related to "Smart Recommended Ordering" will be released in succession according to the development progress.
