Off-premise dining – Part 4 – Menu selection and Packing
Menu selection
When you deal with online ordering and delivery, you are walking a thin line of quality control.
What should be the product mix of the menu to offer online? Either in your online ordering platform or delivery aggregators’ platform. What menu items? What portion size? And what modifications are allowed? Besides, the menu item price also can be a factor, as you have aggregators’ commissions and promotions to consider.
Meal preparation time and the delivery time will affect the quality of the delivered food. Packaging and handling the food during the delivery also are quality factors. Especially when it comes to aggregators, you do not have control over their drivers and food handling.
The whole menu cannot be available for online ordering. The portion size of a menu item might need some modification. Besides, the selection of hot menu items is different from cold menu items. The quality of the delivered food should be in the center of the product mix selection.
It’s better if you serve your neighborhood customers with your inhouse delivery and online ordering. And, use aggregators for orders from long-distance customers than your neighborhood. With this approach, you can have two menu sets for online ordering — one for your portal and one for the aggregators.
To encourage the customers in your neighborhood, you can provide a broader menu. You can consider menu items that maintain quality for long-distance delivery for aggregators. Besides, offer items with higher margins and lower food costs through aggregators. Aggregators’ commissions should be a deciding factor to chose menu items.
In the end, you want to make a good experience for the customer and bring them back for more delivery orders.
Grocery and semi-prepared food
One of the essential matters you need to consider is adding a revenue stream. Regardless of the loss of revenue in the dine-in operation, you need a new revenue stream. A new revenue stream has been discussed in many blog pages. Adding a boutique grocery operation to the restaurant products mix is one way. When you have a delicacy item or a high moving item, you can sell it as a semi-prepared food with proper packing. These items along with some high-value items and individual retail items, can be pushed through online ordering systems.
In casual dining and fine dining, offering a gourmet meal to be finished at the customer house is an attractive choice. Customers can experience a higher quality of meals by completing the prep at home and avoid food quality decline due to delivery time.
Packing
When we are talking about the quality of food delivery, we have to consider packing as well. High-quality packing materials and well-designed containers help you to avoid spoiling the quality.
The high-quality packing costs more. But, maintaining the quality and giving better customer experience worth the cost. Proper packaging can help the delivery drivers as well. Adequate packing helps them to avoid the chance of wasting food during delivery.
Labeling and completing instruction are essential in the case of semi-prepared food and gourmet food. Customer experience is in the center of the entire practice.
If you are selling grocery items, the packaging can be a place to promote your brand, especially on bulk items that you pack in your premise.
You should measure the cost of the packing with the three elements of quality, customer experience, and reducing wastage. In this way, you can see a better ROI for using higher quality packing materials.
Packing materials can deliver the restaurant message. Delivery package acts as a sales sheet and promote your brand and align your brand with high quality.
In the end, don’t forget the environment! Recyclable packing materials produced from recycled items are always an advantage. It will deliver the message that your restaurant care and pay attention to the environment.
Restaurateurs should not ignore the impact they make on the customer and environment and in their business success.