Foodservice Updates is designed to help foodservice operators keep on top of all the industry news and provides tips for keeping business running smooth. We endeavor to provide the latest tips and solutions to keep you in the know.
Find the right fit for delivery
At a time when food delivery providers can charge commissions on the order of 30 percent, restaurant delivery is facing pressure to evolve – and fast. The good news is that new models are appearing all the time – and they are building on the community spirit that has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic. Fare is a new commission-free food delivery service that CaterCow just launched in New York City. Instead of delivering small, individual orders, it offers a select menu of foods that must be ordered in advance and are then delivered in bulk to a person’s door within a specific building or neighborhood. While it requires some planning and coordination across households, the only charge is to the recipient, who pays a delivery fee (which starts at $3 and climbs based on the size of the order, according to Restaurant Dive). The restaurant keeps the rest. As restaurants have had to close in recent months, or even in the best cases, adapt their models to the current environment, consumers have become increasingly aware that restaurants need patrons to meet them halfway. That may translate into a willingness to forgo some convenience for the sake of ensuring a restaurant’s profits. Can you entice your customers to adapt to picking up meals themselves if you offer a discount or a free item in exchange? Could you mine your tech to identify pockets of customers, then offer a deal to cost-effectively deliver meals in bulk to apartment buildings yourself? Could you partner with nearby restaurants to share a delivery team? Now is the time to think creatively about how to get food to customers – and to tell them how they can best support you.
The new restaurant review
In the space of just a few months, hygiene has taken on a much-elevated role in hospitality. Zagat’s newly released Future of Dining Study found that nearly 75 percent of the 6,500 diners surveyed said health and safety were overwhelmingly the most important factors influencing their decision to dine at restaurants in the months ahead. And much like the guest opinions about your service and food that appeared on Yelp and Tripadvisor a few months ago, you can now expect consumers to scrutinize (and comment online about) the cleanliness of their experience with you, whether good or bad. Any additional checks you can put in place to protect your new health and safety policies may help you to both address health risks quickly and manage your online presence. Further, supplementary health and safety checks could become more prevalent in states where virus infections have spiked. For example, the Texas Restaurant Association and the customer feedback firm A Closer Look have partnered with Dallas College to develop a training, inspection and certification program for restaurants. Pyments.com reports that the program includes a mystery shopper-type component that allows a person to answer a three-question survey about the health practices they see at the restaurant. The information is then relayed in real time to the restaurant’s corporate offices – and may at the same time help give consumers the outlet they need to share a negative experience.
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COVID-19 Statement
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, Team Four/Value Four is continuously monitoring this unprecedented situation and making adjustments in the tools and methods we use to serve our customers. We are 100% committed to serving you with the service and attention to detail that you expect from our company. While we have temporarily suspended all travel and are now telecommuting, please be assured that we are squarely focused on helping you keep your business working. We are in constant communication with our business partners; vendors, suppliers and other providers; to ensure you get the products and services that you need to continue operating in these unchartered waters.
While we have adjusted to telecommuting, we have put the proper IT and telecommunications systems in place at everyone’s homes so we can seamlessly serve your business as always. We are available via email, telephone, text, conference calls, and video calls. We are 100% committed to being there to assist you in your time of need.
The suspension of travel and the introduction of telecommuting were implemented to protect our employees and their families and to do our part in the social distancing program to help prevent the spread of the virus.
We believe that our employees are our most valuable asset and the most important part of our service to you; therefore, we have given our employees additional paid sick leave and family leave in the event they need that benefit. In addition, we have NO plans to reduce staff or reduce hours and we have communicated these facts to our staff so they can serve you and care for their families without concern for their careers or their ability to pay their bills.
The health and safety of you, your families, your employees and their families are in our thoughts and in our prayers. We are a resilient country and people; we will get to the other side of this crisis together and we will rise and eventually be stronger than we were before we went in. In fact, we have formed a working group to develop customer-centric strategies and services to create positive momentum as we return to a more normal world.
Thank you for your friendship, our partnership and the business you do with our companies.
While we have adjusted to telecommuting, we have put the proper IT and telecommunications systems in place at everyone’s homes so we can seamlessly serve your business as always. We are available via email, telephone, text, conference calls, and video calls. We are 100% committed to being there to assist you in your time of need.
The suspension of travel and the introduction of telecommuting were implemented to protect our employees and their families and to do our part in the social distancing program to help prevent the spread of the virus.
We believe that our employees are our most valuable asset and the most important part of our service to you; therefore, we have given our employees additional paid sick leave and family leave in the event they need that benefit. In addition, we have NO plans to reduce staff or reduce hours and we have communicated these facts to our staff so they can serve you and care for their families without concern for their careers or their ability to pay their bills.
The health and safety of you, your families, your employees and their families are in our thoughts and in our prayers. We are a resilient country and people; we will get to the other side of this crisis together and we will rise and eventually be stronger than we were before we went in. In fact, we have formed a working group to develop customer-centric strategies and services to create positive momentum as we return to a more normal world.
Thank you for your friendship, our partnership and the business you do with our companies.