Unhurtful catering tips to live happily ever after

Remember the Sprite ad “Image is nothing, thirst is everything. Obey your thirst”? It seems to me that, despite the pandemic, we have lived to the point where the image has become the key in the life of the brand. How many sensational stories have there been, after which large companies experienced an outflow of customers and shares fell in price?

Fresh in my memory is the situation with Reebok and the “Get off the male approval needle” advertising campaign. And Balenciaga, who was accused of pedophilia because of children with toys dressed in BDSM costumes. There have been and will be many such stories. This means that brands, regardless of their field of activity, really have come to invest their efforts and resources in their image.

In this article I want to tell you how you can strengthen your position in the market for catering establishments. After all, the image for them is equivalent not just to how many customers will come to them, but how many will return for the second, third and fourth time. How many of them will become brand advocates and will choose these establishments, and not their competitors.

Of course, you can immediately begin to criticize and say that small home / boutique restaurants do not have the means or the need to win the love of hundreds of visitors. Yes, it is easier for a network business to do this (from a financial point of view). But it is not necessary to implement everything at once. I want you to just think about how you can influence your future now. What kind of bricks is it worth building the foundation of today, so that someday you will turn into an empire. So that in the event of another pandemic, cataclysm or any other misfortune, customers would like to support you.

Everything that will be told further is an excellent ground for reflection (and for someone a direct guide to action) if you have plans for scaling, entering new markets, and not just the goal of “surviving here and now”.

United Nations and the restaurant business. Yes it is possible

Let’s start from afar. The UN has formulated sustainable development goals. It is a set of 17 interrelated goals developed in 2015 by the UN General Assembly. It is a kind of blueprint for a better and more sustainable future for all, which has been conceived for the period up to 2030. It was created so that people could provide a better and more dignified future for themselves and the entire planet.

Why is it important? Companies that adhere to any of these 17 goals are highly valued in society and can make the 500 food tech list (it’s like a 500 fortune). Such companies cause a high resonance, become interesting objects for investors and generally support the paradigm of innovative contribution to the future.

And if all this seems to you pathetic words, then most likely now you are just catching up with your competitors, without any plans to overtake them in the future. Of course, I do not insist on the implementation of these ideas right now, but I suggest thinking about it. They are organically combined with the aim of scaling and entering new markets.

For me, the most interesting goal for catering is number 12 “Responsible consumption and production”.

Its implementation can be approached from different angles. For example, to equip the kitchen with energy-efficient equipment. Or you can focus on choosing products and suppliers.

– Choose products that do the least harm to the environment.

– Use such utensils for cooking or packaging food that will cause the least harm to health.

– Give preference to products whose production requires the least inputs of raw materials, energy, etc.

– Choose products with the longest shelf life to reduce waste.

In this way, you will not only show your serious attitude, but also attract a caring audience and create demand for greener alternatives in various industries. This will lead to the fact that more new solutions are required, and there will be a gradual replacement of goods in the market.

Talk less, work more

Of course, you can always start simple and tell the site when ordering online what ingredients you use to cook. Perhaps they are from local suppliers, which means that you reduce your carbon footprint. This is where the idea of engaging customers in various interactive activities with the help of counters and points of the loyalty system is cool, offering to reduce this trail with you.

In matters of packaging, you can also deliberately focus on its environmental friendliness, offer to hand it over for recycling. There are cases in which manufacturers of daily rations include the option to return the package to the courier. Such customer participation is rewarded with discounts and bonus points that they can spend on their next order.

Many restaurants have changed tactics and no longer try to give you free or paid chopsticks, napkins, etc. And they offer to decide for yourself whether you need them or not. Focus on this, offer to give up unnecessary dishes, and in return use one of the loyalty program schemes.

In terms of delivery, you can always reconsider logistics in terms of the last mile. For example, to make it more environmentally friendly with the help of electric transport. This will not only improve your image, but also reduce future costs. Offer discounts for self-delivery or give the opportunity to choose how products will be delivered (public transport is always a help here).

If you are ready to enter the IT world

Let’s also consider scaling not only in the context of b2c, but also in b2b. In this regard, modern ERP systems play a huge role. With their help, you can set up the entire chain from the loyalty program, personnel management, kitchen loading to contactless customer service, back office tools, and even, perhaps, some kind of application. Up to the point that you can develop your own platform for the purchase of food and turn it into a b2b marketplace for suppliers (for example, farmers) and consumers (any catering establishments). This will help you and other restaurants to connect directly with manufacturers and reduce the amount of time (and money) allocated to the operation.

If you are ready to develop in this direction, we are happy to advise you on the development from creating a website or an application for online ordering to the formation of a whole platform that will include all areas. Some of our cases can be viewed here. Do you have any questions? Email sales@dev.family.

Man cannot live by bread alone

In conclusion, I would like to touch on the topic of recycling. Data-driven start-ups are now coming to the fore to reduce food waste, either through price regulation or by building the right connections with food banks or consumers.

It is possible, following the example of British and French startups, to fight food waste, giving new life to unsold products / unused ingredients.

We even had our own startup idea. Its essence is this: this is an addition to some large product — the function of creating a dish from leftovers. Maybe help establishments introduce a “dish of the day” for some fixed low price. The guest will not know the details, but the value for him is in saving food from being thrown away and in reducing the financial burden on the kitchen (this can be shown using some kind of icon on the site).

This idea can also be developed into an app for kitchen staff, when they prepare food for themselves using recipes that allow for the best use of food.

What else can be implemented?

– Service through the car window (Curbside Ordering = “order at the curb” or integration with car software, for example, Dominos has one with Chevrolet)

– Restaurant Subscriptions (You can access Chef’s dishes, special events and other features through them)

– Pre-order in the establishment in the mobile application (allows you to calculate the load on the kitchen, avoid the queue under the delivery window, increase audience loyalty)

– Use of artificial substitutes for milk, meat, eggs, seafood (to attract a vegan audience)

I have covered more in this article. But if you want to discuss the details, you know where to write — sales@dev.family

For a snack

Criticism, when it is reasoned, is always good. But it’s much better to share your thoughts and ideas about how you think you can improve catering. If you are a regular customer of establishments, tell us how you think you can make your favorite cafe even better. If you are a foodtech representative, ask a question, share your pains, because we all have a common goal — to make our future better, without spoiled and thrown away products, with cool and convenient delivery, with fast service in the institution itself. But the main thing is to build adequate communication between those who create and those who consume. After all, without it, we all just hit the wall of misunderstanding and complain wherever possible about the sucky service.