2020 Pandemic: a year of broken paradigms, deepened trends, lots of changes and Learning
Many people think
that in 2020 the World, the way many companies work, even the way of people
relating to each other, changed. Others
may not agree or may believe that this is something temporary.
However, what is certain is that last year was a year of paradigms shifts and a lot of learning. We can plan down to the smallest detail and still have nothing under control. Today, more than ever, it is required to have flexibility, agility, to seek solutions by trying different products or methods, because nobody was prepared for what we had to live and it is necessary to adapt, and to do it ASAP!
Our Foodservice industry was no exception. Delivery and Take-out services are nothing new, but they unexpectedly became the undisputed Protagonists. For many Restaurants, delivery service and take-out have been part of their business model since the beginning of time. But, for others, along with Covid-19, came up questions such as What do we do if Customers cannot enter the restaurant because we must remain closed? Do we close indefinitely? What do we do if Clients do not want to enter or stay for a long time, for fear of getting infected? What options do we have? What alternatives can we offer to these Clients?
For these Restaurants, Delivery and Take-out became the answers or the only means to survive in the midst of the storm called "pandemic", forcing them to venture into an unknown world from one day to the next…
This metamorphosis
many businesses went through is now part of the new normal. It has become a must have when designing a new
business model or rethinking the existing one.
Not only as a preventive measure in case of new disrupting events may
happen in the future, but also because of what we are still going through. It has already hit so hard the customer
purchase patterns, that it has deepened an existing trend which has embodied
the Takeout or Delivery services as a new rule: Food away from home, at home.
It is a modal too expensive to make temporary changes, and too important in the
near future to not tap it in the changes and design we are now undergoing. Consider
any expense on this matter an investment.
Projecting or relaunching your Business for the “after the Pandemic” time.
Having in mind that the Food Away from Home at Home will represent an important chuck of the current business while Governments get the current situation under control, it is needed to rethink how to serve the customers in order to have them not only repurchasing from your business, but also filling your business tables once we reach the “after Pandemic” moment.
It is not the same to serve your Clients at the restaurant, where you
have perhaps worried about "details" such as the atmosphere, the
decoration, the distribution of spaces and tables, the music… Where the staff
who have received training, you or the manager of the premises can see the
reaction and behavior of the public, manage and solve any problem in the right
place and time. That is not the same as to do it over the phone or not even
achieve it because they no longer have direct contact. Now the relationship is remote, through third
parties, or perhaps even more difficult for some… “virtual”.
How then to maintain the link? How to keep our customers satisfied? How
to get "them back"? How to increase "consumption"?
rotation"? Ultimately, how to take care of and keep going with the
business and the jobs it generates?
Fortunately, there are already vaccines, but the scenario in 2021
remains complex for our industry. Therefore, considering how relevant and
sensitive this matter is for our Customers, we want to share some advice from
Marketing experts, and also the best practices that we have found by observing
and sharing with those who have had successful experiences and learnings based
on their own mistakes, in order to provide you with a "pinch of
yeast" as part of our commitment to you.
Best Practices and Recommendations for a successful Delivery and Takeaway:
We might think that to implement a Takeaway Food Service all we have to
do is continue preparing our delicious food the same as always, the one that
our Clients know, put it in a container and that's it! Voilá! Let them come for her! But… Unfortunately,
it's not that simple. Just as in the kitchen and in the restaurant room, there
are many things you should think about, as always, putting yourself in the
place of the other, understanding what your Client needs, what they are looking
for, what is the problem that needs to be solved? And then, answer... how can
you - through your business - be part of the solution?
Therefore, we want to help you through this and the following
publications. Some of the topics related
to the modalities of Delivery and Take Out Food that we will deal with in
greater depth - named without order of importance or appearance - are the
following:
●
Menu What are you going to offer? Should I continue with the same dishes
from my traditional Menu? A new Menu? Maybe a mix or part of the traditional
one?
●
What is the destination? Where will your food be enjoyed? Perhaps the food
you prepare will be shared among friends, in a study meeting, or among members
of a family after a busy day at work. Perhaps in the car, on the way home or in
the office during a meeting or in front of the computer… There are many
possibilities, but thinking about this, matters!
●
Packaging in the Delivery and
Takeaway Food, what if your star option is a
clam chowder and you decide that it cannot be missing from the Takeaway Menu?
Do you have the appropriate container? You don't want half of its content to
end up in the delivery bag, staining the car, clothes or the rest of the food
that travels as part of the same order, right?
●
Marketing and Brand Management Your brand is your Business, its identity, what
others perceive of it. Then, it requires
attention and care.
●
Customer Experience You want your customer’s experience to be the same
or better than what your Customers receive at your own location. As in the
restaurant, here they also have several contact instances, details that you
must take care of so that their experience before, during and after, is as
pleasant and fluid as possible. You not only want them to be satisfied, you
want them to come back and recommend you !!
We hope the suggested approaches and recommendations will help you grow
your business! You are invited to share your concerns, experiences and
learnings, and of course, to continue reading us on our Blog!