The latest trend in the food industry is convenience and small business owners should take note. Every process in the restaurant, bar, bakery and catering industries is being scrutinized and adopting new technology to enhance the customer experience is essential. Establishments that make it easy to order, pay and receive their food will prosper in a fast paced society. While speed and convenience is key, you want to make sure you don't sacrifice quality for convenience.
Flexible Menu
Today’s consumers want variety and a chance to sculpt their meals to fit their taste. While there are some limitations that should be placed on this, you’ll want to have gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options for your most popular menu items. There is no longer room for a “no substitutions” attitude in today’s competitive market.
Online Ordering
Placing an order for take-out or delivery should be made as easy as possible. You’ll want to have an option on your website to place an order and pay. You may also consider taking it a step further and creating an app for your business. This may be costly, but considering the potential returns and the fact the industry is moving towards them, it’s well worth the investment.
Take-Out
Most people don’t have the time to sit in a restaurant or café and enjoy a meal. Offering an efficient and fast take-out option can help you increase sales during traditionally slow parts of your day. Be sure you are organized and provide everything your customer will need to enjoy their meal on the go.
Curbside
If you have a large establishment with it’s own parking you may consider offering curbside pickup for your take-out items. This small perk can separate you from other businesses and gives your employees a chance to leave a lasting positive impression on your customers. Be sure to set aside designated parking for these orders and mark them clearly.
Delivery
If you’re in the F & B business and not currently offering delivery it is a food industry trend that you must consider it immediately. There is a large portion of the population that doesn’t like, or doesn’t have the time, to go out to eat. Your target customer may be in your local area but may prefer to eat at home. Today, it is less about location, more about convenience and getting your product to your customer.
UberEats
If you don’t have the staff or organization to offer your own delivery service you should consider contracting with UberEats. McDonald’s recent partnership with them caused waves of delivery traffic and it will be necessary for small businesses to sign up in order to remain competitive. This website makes it easy for customers to find you, and with ordering being so easy, it could really ramp up your delivery sales.
Meal Delivery
Meal delivery services such as Blue Apron have taken a bite out of traditional food service outlets. With Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods they have decided to enter the game as well. While you may not be able to compete with them on a large scale, offering the base ingredients for customers to recreate your dishes at home can still help to put cash in the drawer.
Quikstone Capital Solutions (formerly Sterling Funding) has been providing small business owners with merchant cash advances to stabilize and improve their companies for more than 12 years. If you are in need of a cash to cover unexpected costs, or if you’re looking to make long overdue improvements, a merchant cash advance could be right for you. With the ability to quickly qualify and get your money in a timely fashion, there is no more convenient option.
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