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.

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”.

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.

• 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.

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).

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.

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.

• 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).

But what to do first? Start with green improvements or implement new technologies? And how much will it cost? Here you have two options. You can ask your customers to mark what is most important to them in order to retain their loyalty.