Restaurants and food business owners pivoted from on-premise to takeaway and delivery services. The benefits of this shift were significant enabling restaurants to establish their online presence.
With reach to a much wider audience, they could boost their sales, revenue, and brand visibility. Some famous food delivery giants include Zomato, Uber Eats, and Swiggy.
The global restaurant-to-customer food delivery market will exceed $40 billion by 2023. So, the time is right if you plan to pivot to an online food delivery business.
However, pivoting requires preparation for a successful journey. The blog shares essential tips for preparing restaurants for takeaway and food delivery services.
Tips to Prepare Restaurant for takeaway and Deliveries
1. Tailor Services for Target Audience
While introducing a new service to your business, reflecting on the core strategies is important. One such crucial strategy for business growth is market analysis.
Before shifting to takeaway and delivery services, studying your market and defining your target audience is essential. If you have a clear picture of your target audience, you can frame your food menu accordingly to get the maximum sales.
You can consider the following questions-
- Which age group do you want to serve?
- Is your menu about snacks more than meals? Which audience prefers snacks?
- Are you targeting a specific group like women or kids?
Once you are determined about the target audience, being well aware of the competitors will also help. The research becomes the foundation for the market and sales strategy.
2. Upgrade your Ordering System
If you are shifting from physical business to online, there is a need to integrate a Takeaway ordering system to support online orders and deliveries.
The food ordering software enables customers to order takeaway or home deliveries. If the software is tailored to your business’s specific needs, achieving your sales and revenue objectives becomes easy.
The on-demand food delivery system will help handle:
- takeaways and deliveries
- online ordering
- customer information
- operation management
- Promotions
- Payment
- Inventory
Looking to pivot with the least investment? You can start your journey with a saas-based system for instant launch and minimal investments. Foodiv offers readymade online food ordering software with key features and intuitive design to attract maximum conversions and repeat business.
3. Adjust Menu for takeaway and delivery
Besides a winning marketing strategy, your menu should also be fit for takeaway and delivery. To begin, you can keep your menu simple with fewer options. Begin with a tight-knit menu focusing on quality over quantity. Limited items mean you can focus on what delights your customers’ taste buds.
Secondly, you can think of low-cost meals with high-profit margins as you offer few exclusive choices. Revisit your current menu and see what items require the same ingredients or preparation methods.
Lastly, an important consideration is food packaging. Serve dishes that can travel a distance while retaining their flavor. Food items with a longer shelf-life are ideal for takeaways and deliveries.
4. Space for efficient takeaway and delivery
Assign a specific area for order pickups for takeaway customers and delivery drivers. Ensure to offer enough space to manage packing and dispatch with quick checkout.
5. Staff for takeaways and deliveries.
Customer convenience is the key when offering takeaway and delivery services. You can ensure this with a well-trained staff handling multiple takeaway and delivery orders efficiently. Restaurant owners can hire new employees or train existing staff to handle tasks for hassle-free order deliveries. Ensure the staff manages the orders with complete hygiene and safety.
6. Create Clear Rules
You can establish clear guidelines for your restaurant’s takeout and delivery service. For instance, give accurate wait times. It will ensure customers keep coming back for more.
Make sure all your staff is on the same page. When your team talks well, orders sail smoothly. Introduce best practices to identify issues and how to resolve them with teamwork and diligence. Encourage collaboration like a family – sharing ideas and spotting problems.
7. Packaging Quality Matters
If you are worried about investment in food packaging, know that quality and customer satisfaction are the keys to success. Investing in packaging will yield happy and satisfied customers.
If they get cold or messy food or if things are mixed up or hard to eat, they will most likely never order again. Thus, you lose a loyal customer, lowering your brand reputation.
Thus, it is recommended to use strong, flat-bottom, and well-insulated packaging. It keeps your food in shape while retaining its flavours. You can also add a customised message or a free gift to make their ordering experience memorable.
8. No minimum order size
Apps like Swiggy or Blink It deliver even a single food item to delight customers. To compete with these food giants, restaurants can eliminate minimum order criteria. Make it easy for customers to order whenever they crave your food. Every order counts, and this move boosts your revenue.
9. Go Social
You already know the importance of take-out and delivery.
Now it’s time to leverage the power of social media to showcase your business to both existing and potential customers.
Instagram and Facebook are excellent platforms to help promote your restaurant. You can use these channels to share updates about your menu, special offers, and other exciting news.
Why not get creative and post engaging stories and reels that showcase your kitchen, mouthwatering dishes, and happy customers? This is a great way to bring your business to life and connect with your audience.
Don’t forget to use local and popular hashtags to reach your target audience. By doing so, you’ll attract food lovers and locals alike, and create a buzz around your restaurant.
10. Spice Up Orders with Special offers
Want customers to dig into your takeout and delivery options? Give them some tasty reasons to repeat their orders. Special discounts, promotional codes, or freebies encourage customers to place their next orders frequently.
Another important strategy can be loyalty programs that help you hold your existing customers tight for longer. Bonuses like free deliveries or coupons on future orders help keep them returning time after time.
Conclusion
Preparation is the key to offering efficient takeaway and delivery services to customers. We hope the tips mentioned in the blog will help you pivot efficiently. By staying updated with technology, embracing safety measures, and considering the potential of social media, restaurants can stay ahead of the game.
