Published by
The restaurant industry is in the midst of a digital revolution. Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) and dining establishments are actively seeking innovative ways to enhance customer experiences. Among the critical decisions that restaurant brands face is whether to opt for a white label solution or invest in a custom digital experience. In this comprehensive guidebook, we will explore the key factors and considerations when making this choice, delving into technical aspects, ROI, and how our team at Bottle Rocket approaches this ever-changing landscape.
10 Perspective From Our QSR/Restaurant Experts
Below are 10 essential insights we’ve distilled from our Bottle Rocket experts.
- The Limits of White Label Solutions: White label solutions, while widespread, often compromise brand differentiation and customization and fall short of meeting modern customer expectations.
- Platform Control vs. Brand Priorities: When relying on white label platforms, feature implementation and bugfixes prioritize the platform’s agenda over your brand’s needs and KPIs, leading to potential issues.
- ROI Constraints of White Label Apps: White label applications offer limited ROI due to their constraints within predefined features and functionalities.
- Unlock Loyalty with Custom Development: Custom development allows your brand to offer loyalty-driven appexclusive deals – increasing customer engagement, campaign support, and customer lifetime value.
- Data-Driven Evolution: Continuously adapting your digital experience based on data, insights, and customer feedback can significantly boost ROI and performance metrics.
- Custom Solutions for Business Transformation: Leveraging custom solutions can lead to increased average order volume, higher conversion rates, and more repeat purchases, driving impactful business transformations.
- Strategic Partnership for Success: Industry and MarTech platform knowledge are paramount when selecting a partner for your restaurant/QSR brand – enabling quicker, higher-quality results with reduced ramp-up time.
- MarTech Ecosystem Synergy: Success in the QSR/Restaurant landscape hinges on seamless integration and collaboration among various MarTech stack components to achieve desired outcomes.
- Maximize MarTech Investments: It’s critical to have the right experts in place to extract the value from your MarTech investments, optimizing tools to cater specifically to your customers’ needs.
- The Human Element: While having the right tools in your MarTech stack is essential, the true value – we believe 90% of it – stems from the knowledge and capabilities of the individuals wielding those tools.
White Label vs. Custom Solutions
In the ever-evolving restaurant landscape, flexibility is paramount. White label solutions are designed to cater to a wide range of clients, which often means they lack the ability to meet the specific needs of a restaurant brand. Conversely, custom solutions provide the flexibility to tailor the digital experience precisely to the unique requirements of the brand. For instance, when Apple or Google introduces a new feature that can benefit a business, a white label solution may not provide the freedom to implement it immediately, potentially hindering a brand’s ability to stay competitive and meet its key performance indicators (KPIs).
White label solutions are designed to cater to a wide range of clients, which often means they lack the ability to meet the specific needs of a restaurant brand.
Technical stability is another crucial consideration. While white label solutions are generally stable due to their extensive usage and testing, no software is entirely bug-free. When issues arise, the ability to promptly address them can make a significant difference in a restaurant’s operations. With a custom solution, a brand has control over bug fixes and updates, ensuring that any technical glitches are resolved swiftly. This autonomy reduces the risk of downtime, which could lead to revenue loss and customer dissatisfaction.
Technical Considerations
Stability in a digital solution is paramount for ensuring uninterrupted service to customers. While white label solutions are typically robust, they may still encounter bugs or technical hiccups.
The critical difference with custom solutions is that a brand isn’t at the mercy of a third party’s timeline for issue resolution. Instead, the brand can address problems on its terms, minimizing downtime and revenue loss.
Technical expertise plays a vital role in the success of a custom solution. When choosing a development partner, it’s crucial to consider their industry knowledge and experience. An agency with a deep understanding of the restaurant and QSR industry can make informed decisions, accelerating the development process and delivering higher-quality solutions. The ability to navigate the nuances of the industry, including online ordering platforms, loyalty programs, and POS systems, can significantly impact the success of a digital project.
ROI and Custom Solutions
For restaurant brands, investing in digital solutions is all about achieving a return on investment (ROI). Custom applications offer unique advantages in this regard. They provide the flexibility to implement features and functionalities that are specifically geared toward driving ROI. Whether it’s increasing average order volume, improving conversion rates, boosting loyalty penetration, or enhancing guest frequency, custom solutions can be tailored to meet these objectives effectively.
One of the key drivers of ROI is the ability to offer special features that engage and retain customers. However, white label solutions often come with limitations that can hinder the implementation of unique functionalities.
For example, some brands are leveraging apponly offers to encourage customers to use their mobile apps for specific promotions. Implementing such features may be challenging with white label solutions that lack the necessary architecture. Custom solutions can overcome these limitations, enabling brands to capitalize on marketing strategies that drive results.
Selecting the Right Partner
Choosing the right partner for developing a custom digital solution is critical. A partner with deep industry expertise understands the unique challenges and opportunities within the restaurant and QSR space. This knowledge allows them to make informed decisions, accelerating development and ensuring that the solution aligns with the brand’s goals. When working with a partner who speaks the same industry language, communication is more efficient, and strategies are more aligned with market realities.
The restaurant industry relies heavily on partner ecosystems and complex MarTech stacks. Leveraging these partnerships and tools effectively can make a significant difference in the success of a digital project. A holistic approach involves not only selecting the right tools but also understanding how to use them to their fullest potential.
These tools must encompass engagement tools, location management, analytics, and more. The ability to extract maximum value from these tools requires expertise and a strategic approach.
One common challenge in the restaurant industry is underutilizing available tools. It’s not enough to have access to a robust MarTech stack; it’s crucial to have a dedicated team that understands how to leverage these tools effectively. Without the right people and strategies in place, valuable features and functionalities may go unused. Strategies for improving tool utilization involve identifying specific use cases, assigning responsible team members, and continuously optimizing the use of tools.
Ignite allows restaurant brands to create a custom digital experience for customers with less friction and in less time than typical custom app creation. Fully customizable across iOS, Android, and web, Ignite is the key to unlocking your brand’s potential and delivering a customer-centric digital product to market that unlocks your product roadmap, realizes valuable KPIs, and allows you to innovate on top of a scalable base.
Bottle Rocket’s Approach
One of the ways Bottle Rocket helps restaurant brands navigate the digital landcape is via our proprietary digital accelerator product we call Ignite. Ignite reduces the overhead associated with custom solutions while enhancing flexibility for brands. It provides a foundation for rapid development, allowing brands to respond quickly to industry trends and customer demands. Ignite has proven successful in multiple customer engagements, enabling brands to achieve their digital objectives efficiently.
In summary, Bottle Rocket offers a holistic approach to solving the challenges faced by restaurant brands and QSRs. We leverage our industry expertise, familiarity with the MarTech stack, and prioritization strategies to deliver custom solutions that drive results. Our proprietary technical framework accelerates the development process, ensuring brands can adapt swiftly to changing market dynamics and customer preferences.
The choice between white label and custom digital solutions is a pivotal decision for restaurant brands and QSRs in today’s dynamic digital landscape. We hope this guidebook has provided valuable insights into the factors to consider when making this choice, including flexibility, technical stability, ROI, and selecting the right partner. By embracing custom solutions and partnering with experts like Bottle Rocket, restaurant brands can position themselves for success in a rapidly evolving industry, ultimately enhancing customer experiences and driving growth.
Meet the Bottle Rocket Experts Behind This Guidebook
Meet our Bottle Rocket QSR and restaurant experts. This group of industry veterans, tech visionaries, and digital innovators have invaluable advice to help you navigate the ever-changing world of digital solutions for restaurants and QSRs. Want to get in touch with one of our experts? Click the link at the bottom of the page to connect today!
Luke Rose, Director of Product Managment
For nearly a decade, Luke has specialized in the restaurant and retail sector. With a track record working with companies like Bloomin’ Brands, Fiesta Restaurant Group, Dunkin’, Shell, T-Mobile, and Groupon, Luke is dedicated to solving intricate challenges that demand a profound grasp of user needs, business dynamics, and the ever-evolving digital landscape. Luke’s role encompasses everything from crafting robust product strategies to collaborating with tech teams for the delivery of high-performing mobile and web applications.
Tim Duncan, Principal Product Manager of Growth
Tim is a tech and growth expert with a strong background in strategy, design, and launching web and mobile applications. He specializes in leveraging data analysis, product ideation, and hypothesis testing to optimize customer experiences and drive revenue growth. He helps brands enhance customer experiences and increase value actions through acquisition, conversion, engagement, and retention metrics. Tim previously worked at IBM as a Business Process Management Consultant and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Civil Engineering.
Will McGinty, Staff Engineer II, iOS
Will McGinty is a Staff Engineer II, iOS with over 9 years of experience at Bottle Rocket. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Lehigh University and a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Outside of work, Will enjoys rooting for his favorite teams including Everton FC, the New York Knicks, and the New York Giants. Known for his technical expertise and collaborative approach, Will has worked with award-winning clients including Robert Half, Coca-Cola, and Potbelly to name a few.
Download the full guide.
Ready to get started? Get in touch with one of our experts now.
