Whether you own a takeaway business or run a restaurant or café that offers delivery to customers, you need to be mindful of the logistics.
While offering takeaway service can certainly create a wider customer base for your business, if food arrives in an undesirable state, it could damage your brand rather than boost it. If you are considering introducing this type of service to your business, or you want to establish a takeaway restaurant, here are some key considerations to remember.
Managing Orders
One main thing to consider is how you will manage your orders effectively, especially during busy periods. You need to ensure that your customers are given realistic ETAs when it comes to their orders; otherwise, you may fund yourself inundated with phone calls asking where people’s food is, and even find yourself left with some negative reviews as a result. Make sure you are investing in a quality system that allows customers to make orders online and that your kitchen can receive them promptly. Always check that these systems are running smoothly throughout the day to reduce technical errors that can impact service.
The Right Packaging
Another essential to get right is the packaging you are using for your food orders. It needs to have the right heat retention for hot meals so that your customers aren’t disappointed with cold food on arrival. This is also important for any dishes that should be served cold. The packaging you use should also have some reflection on your business’s brand, and you can pay extra for branded packaging options, or you can do this yourself in-house with stamps, stickers, etc.
While all of the above is important to remember when choosing food packaging, there is also the question of how your packaging will impact the environment as well. Eco-friendly options do need to be looked at, and reducing plastic is key. You can buy environmentally beneficial packaging from numerous suppliers, such as these pizza boxes wholesale from Envior.
Reliable Drivers
You must make sure that you have reliable delivery drivers that you can trust, as they will be making contact with your customers and are responsible for getting the food to them in good condition. A lot of businesses in the catering and hospitality industry will take orders through Deliveroo and Just Eat, and the drivers here will likely be different each time. Although these services are good, you should think about hiring one or two drivers to work directly for your business, especially if takeaway service is a big part of what your restaurant does.
Offering delivery service from your restaurant or another catering establishment can be a brilliant way to boost income and raise further awareness for your company’s brand. However, getting this service right is key if you are going to promote the right image of your business, so make sure you have thought about the above to implement this service correctly.