While the pandemic has disrupted the operation of many SMEs since last year, catering is one of the sectors most severely affected. According to the consultancy and study firm Food Service Vision, their 2020 turnover would record a loss of 34% compared to 2019, or 27 billion euros. Health restrictions, in particular decisions to temporarily close, have forced establishments to find alternatives to continue their activity. Others have chosen to focus on delivery and take-out to continue their business, especially during confinement.
These services have become essential for many institutions and their customers since 2020, a trend that continues more than a year after the start of the crisis. But it is obvious that orders and on-site catering are two different things: some establishments are having difficulty taking the turn of the take-out sale, whether it is to ensure their promotion or fulfill their orders.
Valéry Arnoul, founder of Liberty’s Burger in Paris, is one of those restaurateurs who have reviewed their operations. Following the implementation of containment, he was forced to rethink the entire organization of his establishment. Before the crisis, the restaurant operated mainly on room service. To meet the new expectations of its customers, it was forced to change its main distribution channel and focus on home delivery: “I was really surprised. From the first day, we were overwhelmed with orders to such an extent that we had to turn off our tablet to ensure the orders already issued”. He therefore also had to review the organization of his team in order to optimize the production lead time, a key factor in the success of home delivery 1 .
Discover our advice to develop your take away services and promote your restaurant:
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Set up promotional offers outside of peak hours.
Take-out orders are often in full swing on Friday and Saturday nights, but you probably need to have some level of activity the rest of the week for this system to be viable. If you want grow your business and increase your take-out and delivery orders, why not offer promotions outside of peak hours?
If lunchtime orders are scarce, you could create a special lunch menu featuring your most popular dishes at a reduced price. If you work in slow motion on weeknights, one solution is to offer free delivery from Monday to Thursday evening, and why not offer dessert!
Certainly, these promotions will not allow you to generate as much profit as in normal times, but it is in your interest to develop your sales during the less popular niches. Better a little turnover than none at all!
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Leverage every order to showcase your brand.
As we say in the trade, “we taste first with our eyes”. More than ever, food must be photogenic. Aesthetic expectations are therefore high. When you wrap food, make sure your customers can easily reheat and present the dish without ruining its visual appeal.
The delivery experience is crucial for customers. Consider in particular the personalized bags or containers adorned with decals : Even a simple phrase like “Bon appétit” can create contact when you can’t say it in person.
Don’t forget to add a adapted communication medium, such as a flyer, postcard, or menu in each bag to announce upcoming deals or promotions, share delivery information, or even some details about your business history.
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Be present on social networks (and not just with photos of your dishes!).
Give your followers a preview of what you cook in the kitchen. Share photos of your dishes to make their mouths water: they will also help them choose their next meals. If you’re cooking a dish for the weekend, announce what you’re cooking, what toppings you’ll add, and when it’s on the menu. Although the use of telephones in the kitchen is sometimes badly perceived, sharing photos of your dishes with your subscribers can be really profitable.
But it’s not just about food; it may also be wise to show where its preparations are made, and that everything is done in strict compliance with hygiene rules.