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.
Seal the cracks in your winter safety plan
While pandemic fatigue set in long ago – and may have resulted in some lax health and safety behaviors on your staff by this point – the next few months will require extra vigilance. At the time of this writing, the more-contagious U.K. variant of the coronavirus had begun to spread to other countries including the U.S. The longer the coronavirus is around and causing more infections, the more opportunities there will be for new mutations of the virus to occur. Dr. Stuart Ray, an expert in the virus that causes COVID-19 and vice chair of medicine for data integrity and analytics at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said human behaviors are especially important to containing the virus as new strains emerge. “We need to re-emphasize basic public health measures, including masking, physical distancing, good ventilation indoors, and limiting gatherings of people in close proximity with poor ventilation,” he said. “We give the virus an advantage to evolve when we congregate in more confined spaces.” Beyond those measures, reemphasize the importance of no-contact food deliveries and pickups. Further, as the vaccine becomes more widely available to essential workers including foodservice staff, have an ongoing dialogue with your team about vaccination – and the science backing its safety. While you may not want to mandate vaccination, you can encourage staff to get the vaccine by offering to cover associated costs, as Chipotle’s Brian Niccol announced the brand will be doing.
Take local action with your ads
When a consumer starts a Google search for something nearby, chances are they are looking for food. Modern Restaurant Management reports that “restaurants near me” is by far the most popular “near me” search, generating more than 6 million searches monthly. In fact, food searches comprise four of the top five positions in “near me” queries – with such searches as “pizza near me” and “delivery near me” appearing in the group. In the past we have used this space to talk about the benefits of local search engine optimization for restaurants – ensuring that your restaurant appears in those important “near me” searches when consumers get a craving. But you can be more proactive about attracting the interest of consumers near you too. Are you capitalizing on your local advertising opportunities to your greatest advantage? As the Rail reports, location-based advertising via search engines and social networks has become an increasingly precise means for businesses to target hungry customers who happen to be nearby. This form of advertising combines mobile advertising with location-based services, which enables a business to pinpoint a customer’s specific location and then direct advertisements toward their mobile devices. So on the afternoon before a big football game, a promotion about your chicken wing sampler could appear on smartphones of consumers shopping for game-time snacks in a supermarket nearby. Location-based advertising may help you win new customers who didn’t even know they wanted your food.
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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.