Data privacy isn’t just for top-level cybersecurity professionals; it’s for everyone. As a restaurant owner, both your business and your customers need protection in the digital age. Restaurants collect a massive amount of data from their customers through online ordering, reservations, and loyalty programs. Let’s talk a bit more about why restaurants need a data privacy plan to protect the online ordering process.
Building Trust
Customers who trust you are more likely to be repeat customers. If your restaurant had a reputation for food safety violations, it would quickly drop in ratings and see much less business. Trust creates relationships, and your best customers have ongoing relationships with your company. The same principle applies to your customer’s data. If your customer’s valuable data were mined through one of your channels, it would damage the trust that your business has in its customer base.
Differentiation: Stand Out From the Crowd
One of the most effective ways a brick-and-mortar business can succeed is by expanding its operations. As of now, virtually no restaurants inform their customers how they plan to use their data or if they have a privacy plan in place. By being different in this way, you can quickly stand out from the crowd and gain a valuable edge in the marketplace.
Protect Yourself From Lawsuits
One of the biggest customer data lawsuits in recent history occurred in 2017 through Panera Bread’s online databases. Panera was told about the breach but didn’t take appropriate action. Hackers stole names, addresses, and the last four digits of customers’ credit card numbers. The lawsuit ultimately cost the company a staggering $ 37 million.
Online Ordering
Online ordering is one of the most vulnerable areas where a restaurant and its customers are susceptible to online cybersecurity attacks. When data miners and hackers target a database, your customers’ information is often readily available, given the amount of data that must be gathered to process an online order.
It’s common knowledge that the majority of reservations and takeaway orders are placed online rather than on the phone. With the widespread use of online ordering apps, it’s much easier for customers to consider their choices, and easier for you as a business to sell your products.
With the same increase in online ordering use has come an increased vulnerability in cyberspace. Some restaurants even specifically advertise their hands-off approach to handling their customers’ data. In a city in which customers are the most in-the-know regarding data collection and cybersecurity, that should be a sign for us all.
Your customer’s data makes your business a target. If a hacker successfully retrieves data from your databases, your business could be fined, and your customers’ valuable information could be stolen — in some cases, including banking passwords and social security numbers.
With all that in mind, it should be evident that you need a data privacy plan to make sure that your customers stay customers and not targets. Your customers will appreciate having their private data protected when ordering from your restaurant, and it will also safeguard you from lawsuits and other risks.