At the moment many restaurants and cafés are closed because of the coronavirus. That’s why it is the perfect moment to organize a delivery service for your own restaurant.
Not only Italy but all the European countries are going through rough times as it happened only a very few times in the recent history. The pandemia led to numerous victims and made every economical activities impossible. Of course, also cafés, restaurants and any other type of gastronomy are affected and many people are confronted with huge financial problems.
Nevertheless some shops managed to keep at least a little part of their income. For being active in gastronomy in times of quarantine there is only one single possibility: offering a delivery service. Some restaurants and coffee shops offered this service already before the beginning of the crisis, some managed to reorganize themselves quickly.
But how to organize a delivery service successfully?
REGULATIONS IN THE FOOD DELIVERY SECTOR
Regulations that you have to respect when establishing a food delivery service are mainly coming from the food control sector. It’s every restaurant owner´s responsibility to ensure the following aspects:
- Hot food must never reach a core temperature under 60°C when arriving at the customer’s home. That’s why the possibilities of transport need to be well reflected, especially in terms of the distance. Deliveries in neighbourhoods where food would be arriving under this temperature need to be avoided. Otherwise the product will lose in quality.
- A cold perishable product must not come to a temperature of more than 7°C.
- The loading space of the vehicle and all the boxes have to be clean and hygienic. In the sense of autocontrol it can be helpful to plan in advance in which periodicity the vehicle gets cleaned and disinfected.
HOW TO ORGANIZE A DELIVERY SERVICE FOR OUR OWN RESTAURANT?
The delivery of pizza&Co. into people’s living rooms is only one of the markets to think about. Others could be the delivery to offices or open spaces.
Regulations for home delivery services are clearly now. Hereinafter we give you some additional advices for your improvement and success.
In our Espresso Academy Management courses we teach ‘The five pillars’ that are fundamental for every restaurants success: location, product, placement, price and promotion. These pillars are the base for our advices.
- The location. Is the restaurant located in an area where a delivery service would be worth it? There are two fundamental groups to differentiate: The ones ordering food to have a comfortable lunch or dinner on the sofa and the others ordering food for a dinner or lunch at the office. This means it’s worth the effort to analyse in advance in which zone your restaurant is located: Is it more a residential area or a business district with many offices and companies? In addition the catchment area needs to be defined exactly. Many dishes are not suitable for a long distance delivery because of loss in heat and quality. A long drive costs furthermore more time and hence more money.
- The product. We all know the most frequently requested products at delivery services: First and foremost the pizza, then burger and every kind of Asian dishes. In these days of quarantine the range of products for delivery grew rapidly. From cocktails at home to filter coffee everything is included…there are no boundaries for creativity!But apart from the classical offer, what else to prepare for your customers? Also in the delivery sector it’s possible to differentiate yourself from the competition. Except of the basic food you could create the category ‘gourmet’. It must not consist out of super expensive products, but of particular products, which has the pleasant effect of a higher customer loyalty.Please notice: For restaurants we always recommend small menus, focused on specialties. Unfortunately this is not suitable for a delivery service. Every customer has his preferences the menu should contain. That’s why a broad selection is recommended.
In the US many delivery services work together with platforms like Uber Eats. The table shows the market share of the different platforms in American cities.
- The placement. Before starting your delivery service you should know the target group you are working for. A wide range of products is suited to appeal a wide range of customers. Nevertheless it can be worth thinking about serving unconventional markets. For example: You specialize in lunch at the beach and bring the food straight under the sunshade. Exactly like that a picnic at the parc could be the perfect moment to relax and order some food at the favourite restaurant.
- The price. There are many market researches having an eye on the price fluctuation of delivery services. Of course delivery is a service that doesn’t permit expensive prices. From experience we know that customers don’t perceive delivery services as a service of high level. And that’s why they are not willing to pay a lot for it.But nevertheless the price is, to a certain degree, not the significant factor for a customer calling a delivery service. In fact, people order food, because they don´t want to cook by themselves or because they want to try something new they would never cook at home. The customer indulges himself with a little luxury, a comfort or wants to satisfy a culinary desire. And this is exactly the reason why he will be willing to pay one or two Euros in addition.Conclusion? It’s not possible to make people pay 20€ for a hamburger. Also not in case it is prepared with excellent ingredients. But normally it should not be a problem to demand one or two Euros more than competitors, in case you communicate it well.
- The promotion. Marketing has a thousands of possibilities and concepts. To decide for the right step out of this wide range it is important to know your target group. Only then you know if you should focus on online or offline promotion. In general, we think you should cut no corners for a professional website that is visually appealing and easy to use for the customers. It’s also a good option to generate a big reach with promotions on Instagram and Facebook. For the offline promotions you need, also professional, flyers to reach also people never or only rarely using the digital media.Is it useful working with platforms like Deliveroo & Co.? Their wide range and already generated websites which are easy to use for customers are definitely big advantages. But working with them brings also costs. That’s why every shop owner needs to calculate for his own restaurant if a collaboration makes sence or not.
We are coming to an end and you are ready to delight your neighbourhood with delicious food.
Good luck!