Over the past several months, re-inventing a restaurant into a curbside pickup/delivery operation has been challenging. For many operators, it has entailed developing new menus, sourcing packaging, creating an online order system and beefing up delivery programs. Add to that, developing a marketing campaign with a limited team and budget.
With the re-opening of dining rooms now upon you, it’s crucial to maintain (and even grow) your off-premise sales after all that work. Here’s how RTS Partner chef Becky Foulk has been helping clients do just that. Note: For a primer on launching a takeout/delivery operations, click to watch this video.
First, you probably realize by now that your corporate and event catering business will be slow to return. What is needed to replace it is a focus on catering to small at home parties and family meals.
Meal kits (along with the alcoholic beverage kits below ) are nearly ready-to-eat meals (or kits) where customers cook all or part of the meal. The majority of the labor comes from the restaurant’s kitchen, Ideally, they are produced during non-peak periods. Although grocery stores (like Whole Foods) have been offering these for years, few have that personal chef-inspired finish. Which is to your advantage.
The basics: When developing these menus and kits, keep in mind the following:
Meal Kit Ideas: Offering ready-to-grill kits is a great idea because they will be familiar to nearly all of your customers. Here are a few:
RTS Partner Len Ghilani is a restaurant operations specialist. Here, he offers ideas for two beverage kits that should appeal to customers grilling their food or otherwise eating outdoors at home. Kits can be sized (and priced) to include everything customers needs to assemble a couple of drinks or several servings.
A word about packaging: Packaging is costly in the to-go business. Yet you want to ensure the final packaging and/or bag adequately represents your restaurant. So evaluating how the food travels and is received by the customer is vital to growing sales. You must first determine what is important to your brand and the product you’re serving — eco friendly, logo, microwave or oven safe, temperature or the texture of the product — and purchase what you need to meet that need.
If you need assistance with your restaurant’s takeout or delivery program, Results Thru Strategy can help. Call 888-812-2150 or email RTS CEO Fred LeFranc at fred@resultsthrustrategy.com.
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