The Costly Digital Mistake Restaurant Owners Don't Know They're Making

Photo Credit Maura Postlethwait 

The Digital Disaster That Could Shut Down Your Restaurant's Online Business–and how to avoid it

A client called me in a panic this week: Their restaurant's website and email were down, and they had no idea why. Worse, they couldn't log in to their web hosting account because the two-factor authentication code was going to a former consultant's cell phone!

It took us five days to restore their website and email. The consultant had opened the hosting account in her own name, leaving the restaurant without its own login. The hosting plan had expired, and the owners never saw the renewal notices because they weren't listed as the account owners.

Meanwhile, emails bounced, some customers assumed the restaurant had closed, and the business lost thousands of dollars in revenue—all because the owners didn't control a critical account.

Earlier this year, another client couldn't update its Google Business Profile with new menus, hours and offerings. A former employee had registered it using his personal email and phone number, and he no longer responded to requests for access.

Last year, another restaurant client failed to remove a disgruntled employee's account access when she left. She not only drained the bank account but also deleted menu files, designs and other valuable digital assets. They were almost ruined.  

Would you ever hand someone the only set of keys to your restaurant's front door? Of course not! So why would you give away the keys to your digital restaurant, which can be every bit as valuable?

Digital lockouts can be much more expensive than an after-hours locksmith—and can hurt sales, customer trust and your ability to operate.

I get it. You're juggling a thousand details, especially when opening a restaurant. Delegating the tech setup makes sense, particularly if you're more comfortable running a kitchen or bar than managing digital accounts. But delegating the work should never mean giving away ownership or control. Yet so often, that’s what happens.  

How to Protect Your Restaurant's Digital Accounts

Here's a practical checklist to keep the keys to your digital restaurant where they belong:

1. Make sure YOU own and control every essential account.

Your restaurant should control its domain registration, website hosting, business email, Google Business Profile, reservation platforms, POS and other essential systems. Use a business-controlled email address as the primary contact. Verify who has owner or administrator permissions, and delegate access to employees and vendors as needed–and sparingly.

2. Keep a secure inventory of all your digital accounts.

Use a reputable password manager to securely store passwords and recovery information. Keep a record of each platform, account owner, login email, billing contact, renewal date and customer service information.

• Don't share your own login when you can give employees and consultants separate user access.

• Enable two-factor authentication, but make sure verification codes and recovery methods aren't tied to someone else's phone or email.

• Give a trusted business partner or designated backup administrator a secure way to access essential accounts in an emergency.

• Keep contact information current, and make sure domain registration, hosting and other critical services are set to auto-renew, with renewal alerts going directly to you or your business email address.

3. Know which digital accounts need protection.

Here are some of the most important accounts to track:

• Google Business Profile, Yelp, and other online platforms

• Google Drive, Microsoft 365 or Dropbox

• Instagram, Facebook, Meta Business Suite and other social media

• Reservation and online ordering/delivery platforms

• Design and branding tools such as Canva

• Toast or another POS

• Payment and banking accounts

• Mailchimp, Toast email marketing or other customer email platforms

• Website hosting and domain registration

• Website editor (such as WordPress or Squarespace)

• Website analytics and SEO tools

4. Remove access immediately when an employee or consultant leaves.

As soon as you part ways with anyone who has access to your digital accounts—and ideally as part of a coordinated offboarding process—revoke their permissions to every account, shared file and system they can access.

I keep an offboarding checklist for exactly this purpose, so nothing gets overlooked. Review account permissions periodically, too. You might be surprised how many former employees and vendors still have access!

5. Get help from a professional

Consider hiring an outsourced IT director to make sure you have all digital aspects of your restaurant set up correctly and to head off and manage any potential crises.  

Take 15 Minutes to Check Your Digital Keys

You've worked incredibly hard to build your restaurant, bar, café, bakery, brewery or distillery. Investing a little time to protect your digital operations is well worth the effort.

Start by answering 4 questions:

1. Who owns your website domain and hosting accounts, and who receives renewal notices?

2. Whose phone or email receives your account verification codes?

3. Who still has access to your digital accounts who shouldn't?

4. Where do you record all your digital accounts, who has access to that, and is it secure? 

If you don't know the answers, make finding out a priority this week. The hour you invest could save you thousands of dollars—and a whole lot of stress.