Delivery is the new restaurants strategy for new a client, at least that is the observed trend and that does not show any signs of deceleration in the near future.
The option of being able to reach more consumers with the current infrastructure has been the argument responsible for the growth of this channel in the last five years, it does not show signs of reducing in the times to come and it is one of the main pillars or paradigms for almost all the new market proposals.
Entrepreneurs see potential sales behind households and the need to compete in the current market, but incorporating this into the operation is the beginning of a wave of challenges and marginal revenue may not be as marginal as it seems. This option is the biggest disruptor for the sector and has been the lifeline of many brands that have lost customers in their restaurants in recent years. Obviously, every new sales channel has challenges, such as: the cost, products travel well, with whom to associate, etc. But in practice, not so obvious challenges arise.
HOW IS BUSINESS? PARTNER!
New technological infrastructure is almost always required, so the solution can be as simple as it is complex when it comes to integrating external order platforms, with the POS system and the communication kitchen channels. Everything needs to flow in the business production area.
While it sounds good and seems like an initial investment issue, the key is related to managing all the components in real time. Normally there are maintenance teams for refrigerators, grills and things like that, but they are not very aware that these technologies also require support, so they never think about it and do not have a solution, a support service, a person inside the team or a good third party.
Up to here partner! everything looks very easy, get ready and take note, because it will come out of your comfort zone.
THE NEW HUMAN FACTOR
No matter how much you prepare the team, do it yourself or hire the best messenger in the world, something will always happen in the delivery that is supposed to be almost automatic, very rarely the customer service is an element within the solution proposed. Although an alteration in the delivered product can be the worst case, the restaurants lose contact points and verification with the meals when the experience is off-site.
Welcome to a new human factor over which you have no control, positive or negative feedbacks usually never arrive and correct a situation may be too late; therefore, companies must work very hard to respond to the comments of the meals in real time through a responsible and serious person of the team instead of the courier who physically makes the delivery, who usually has no relationship with the brand or they never prepared to manage any situation.
SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE CONTINUE TO BE KEY
This channel provides a significant boost in sales if they do a good job of exposure and have never before offered the service, is a sale that rarely generates cannibalization with the customer who enters through the door of the restaurant, but the managers end up fighting between doing and day-to-day management.
Complications are minimized over time, if the manager balances the increase in sales without reducing the time of service and the experience offered to the client entering the restaurant. I have company clients who have decided for the good of their brand, to have well-placed kitchens that only accept delivery orders.
Due to the decrease in costumers as a result of budgetary restrictions at this time and changes in the way they consume their products, some brands have seen a destructive effect that can kill a business where service and experience are important. They begin to cut the workforce of the dining room due to slower traffic, something similar to what happens today in the sector of clothing sales; the complicated thing of this measure is that a line of business that was calculated as a marginal business, ends up being the main business and not necessarily the company structure is built for that model.
Explained in numbers, when the same dish sold in the dining room has the same or lower price in the domiciliary channel, but an additional cost (between 15% and 30%) is paid to a third party that is not an employee of the company and these sales begin to be important for the income, it is not necessarily a good business or a marginal business.
KITCHEN, WHAREHOUSE AND OTHERS CHANGE
Because the foods in a restaurant are cooked and served instantly, they are not designed to travel or be consumed any time after preparation. So now business consider and pay for a package that keeps hot foods, not soaked, visually attractive and environment friendly.
Once they find the package at the best possible price, they have to start looking for where to store all that; for which they must dedicate a storage space and define in which part of the production line they will be located so as not to obstruct the work flow. Some assemble kitchens only for delivery, some rob space to the dining room and others redistribute work spaces, but we are all in an experimental stage.
Not all restaurants are prepared to make delivery in their facilities, they have realized that exclusive spaces for orders reception and deliveries of them are very important because many couriers can arrive in the middle of the rain, with their motorcycle wet suits, their special food drawers and they realize that maybe they should not share the same dining room space where are their clients.
I do not continue, because later I will tell you about delivery 2.0