Takeaway in the time of Covid
In these challenging times takeaway is most hospitality businesses only option due to a lack of outdoor space. Takeaways have their own obstacles such as a lack of revenue generation in comparison to full table service or the wider group of competitors in recent weeks. Below are a few novel ways of competing while increasing customer reach and interest. This may be more imperative than ever if further restrictions reduce the radius in which takeaways can be collected/delivered. It is also necessary to overcome specific obstacles such as determining no contact ways of distributing takeaways such as hatches and car drops.
– Picnic Baskets
These have become very popular even moving into the winter months due to their restriction friendly nature. A full picnic basket or different smaller versions could be offered of your produce or indeed your suppliers as a collaboration to be sold through your outlet. This is being done successfully throughout the country by businesses such as Niamh’s Larder in Cork or Eatyard in Dublin.
– DIY Meals
While this can be a slight food safety headache if you are supplying ‘Do It Yourself’ meals for your customers perhaps items that do not require refrigeration would be more suitable. Vegan and vegetarian restaurants and cafes can move into this area easily while other restaurants can follow suit with meatless options or provide cold boxes for the meat products. This is an innovative way of engaging with your customer base in a new way and cutting down on the employee labour costs of a business.
– Full Restaurant ready meals
Due to the current circumstances many restauranteurs are offering takeaway that would never of offered it before, this has resulted in fine dining options to takeaway and eat at home. This is an opportunity in itself to provide a full three course takeaway meal with a bottle of wine at a premium price for stay home celebrations such as birthdays or anniversaries. More than ever this is a time to celebrate anything you can in any small way possible to keep spirits up.
– Delivery
When delivering food, it is important to keep minimal contact between the driver and the food. Frequent hand washing practices, using online payment and paper bags for the food containers can help with this aspect. The delivery drivers should always be trained in sanitation practices and wear a mask. Another practice can be to drop food to the doorstep and move back a few paces for the customer to collect.
If you require any assistance with some of the above mentioned changes feel free to contact us at info@thefoodsafetycompany.ie or attend one of our webinars on outdoor eating or takeaway practices.
