The coronavirus pandemic has tested the adaptability of businesses in the F&B industry. As many struggled to crack the code to stay in business while lockdowns all over the world are in place, authorities have suggested restaurants shift to a takeout and delivery business model. Whether your business has always offered delivery and takeouts or it’s your first time exploring them, let’s take a look at how you could thrive when dining out ceases to be an option.

Altering Your Menus and Prices

One thing, in particular, that must change as you enter the takeout business model is your menu. Practicality is your friend as you set up what should and should not be included in your takeout and delivery items.

Curating Your Menu

Not everything in your dine-in menu should be included for takeout or delivery. Not all dishes are takeout-friendly. Some foods lose their freshness or overall appeal during transit. This is why you should consider the deliverability of your items in making your takeout menu. What works is to take a look at your eligible bestsellers as your first options for takeout and adjust it over time according to demand and analytics. Items that are not ideal for takeout can be converted to heat-and-eat dishes as workaround restaurants have resorted to

You might also want to factor in the delivery options and how you can pack your food in a way that they would stay fresh and satisfying to the customers.

Price Changes

Shifting to a takeout model especially if you were a full dine-in type of restaurant would certainly impose price changes in your menu. There is of course an additional cost of procuring safe and good quality one-time use utensils, disposable tamper-free food containers, tissues, among others. There should also be room for the delivery cost. With these in mind, you can adjust your meal prices accordingly. Just make sure to be transparent about the said changes to your customers.

Creating Family Meals

To creatively fill up the gap that dine-in options left, some restaurants also resorted to introducing different bundles such as family meals to increase the size of orders. Family size meals are great to encourage larger orders. If you plan on incorporating this type of meal into your menu, make sure to analyze how you can adjust the prices, portions, and meal combinations from its single-size counterpart.

Partnering Up With Third-Party Delivery Services

Aside from the cost of delivery itself, you will also have to consider whether partnering up with a third-party delivery service or just hiring your own suits your business better. When you opt for third-party partners, you can also increase your reach and advertise your products through their platform. Just remember that third-party delivery services charge a relatively high commission rate so cautiously lookout for the ones that can work well with your terms and conditions.

Establishing Online Presence and Maintaining Your Brand

Establishing your online presence has become one of the integral parts of businesses these days. With social media and the internet becoming easily accessible and widespread, a well-maintained brand would help you get more customers than you have ever imagined.

Using Different Channels for Advertisement

Advertising in as many online channels as you can help you reach the most customers. You can explore email campaigns or social media ads such as geo-targeted Facebook or Instagram posts. You can also update your website to relay your COVID-19 protocols to comfort people about the safety of the products you are offering. With more people staying at home, you can expect that customers are going to be checking for your restaurant online and it will only increase year by year, so be sure to stay online and update your customers as consistently as you can.

Social Media as a Means of Communication

One of the most accessible ways to keep in touch with your customers is creating social media accounts such as a Facebook Page or an Instagram Business Profile. This way, you can update your customers about your new business hours, seasonal promos, and limited-time discounts and urge them to avail themselves of your takeout services. Share your business’ success story and how it keeps up with the pandemic; the more creative, authentic, and engaging your posts are, the more you can build rapport with your audience and prospective customers.

You can also open your social media accounts as a channel where customers can order your dishes and other products.

Communicating Your Food Prep, Sanitation, and Delivery Procedures

With the pandemic still ongoing, a lot of customers have become more reluctant to enjoy food from restaurants due to the fear of catching the virus either through contact with your delivery personnel or the food itself. You can, however, win back their trust by reiterating how seriously you take your health protocols and maintain a safe distance during delivery.

Promote Contactless Delivery

Through your app or any platform, you can persuade your customers to try contactless delivery. This means that the food you prepare is packed and delivered under the strictest safety procedures. Upon delivery, the driver would leave the package on the doorstep, move at least 2 meters or 6 feet away, then contact the customer and wait for them to collect the food before going. This comes hand in hand with cashless transactions.

Develop a Long Term Plan

It’s not ideal to make your customers think that your health and safety precautions only exist because of the pandemic. It is best if you establish a sustainable plan that can allow you to keep on delivering the safest services to your customers in the future and if possible, adapt the new protocols to your post-covid business model.

Enforce Revamped Food Handling Trainings for Your Employees

Every business has come up with ways to show their customers how they can stay on top of the global crisis. Through enhanced employee training, you can save both your staff and customers from the threat of the virus. Remind your employees to make it a habit to present the contactless delivery option to customers. Establish your set of rules and guidelines about contactless delivery and train your delivery personnel accordingly. Additionally, provide them with the basic equipment against the virus such as face masks, face shields, alcohol, gloves, etc. You can also come up with ways to make your food packages more sturdy and safe while maintaining affordability.

Making Your Takeout Services Stand Out

Every restaurant had to adapt to takeout model this pandemic. This means that you have more competitors than ever. Fortunately, you can always make your takeout services stand out through the following:

Creative New Promos

Brainstorm innovative ideas and promos with your staff to stay afloat with the tough competition. The basic promos might include bigger discounts for a minimum purchase amount, food bundles of your best sellers, family meals, gift cards, among others. Promotions like this will never cease to invite new customers and even existing customers to try your products again.

New-Normal Products

You probably have heard of meal kits as one of the heroes that saved restaurants in this pandemic. This creative approach to bringing your products to your customers is one of the most effective strategies you can use to lure more customers back to your business. DIY burgers and ramen kits are great examples that make customers experience how your food is made as they cook it themselves. Heat-and-eat dishes are also one good example of new-normal products.

Conduct Surveys

One thing you can do to make your takeout services more appealing to your customers is to have them directly answer their needs. Through surveys, you can ask your customers what they want to see or need from your business. You can then extract such needs and form them into product improvements that reflect their answers. This way, you can make them feel heard and therefore establish a connection with your brand.

Food Subscriptions

Another innovative solution restaurants have started using is food subscription services. Unlike meal kits that have existed a few years back, food subscriptions are the pandemic’s causality. Food subscriptions are ideal in a takeout model and when customers sign up, it shows how committed they are to your food and business. After signing up, the meals are delivered to them or picked up on a schedule. This way, your business has a certain and steady income source during these uncertain times.

What Lies Ahead for the F&B Industry

It might take quite the adjustment to finally get things going after shifting to a new business model. One thing you can rest assured is that these changes will not go in vain. For all we know, blended business models are what awaits you and the rest of the industry in the future. As everything is shifting to a more convenient, rather digital way to conduct business, you should practice being endlessly adaptable by eyeing business trends and familiarizing yourself with new concepts such as e-commerce and social media marketing. With a solid plan, you can make adapting to a takeout model easier for your business.

Checking out the food industry this pandemic? Read ”Changes in Food Service Post-CoVid” to learn more.