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.
Hospitality, reinvented
When you think of top-notch restaurant service, it probably doesn’t look like it did in early 2020. It’s yet another aspect of the restaurant experience that operators have had to reinvent. If you consider your menu alone, your ability to provide the kinds of options customers want is key to providing the kinds of memorable experiences that bring them back. Food trend specialists Innova Market Insights produces an annual report of top 10 trends for the year based on responses from consumers around the world. In their latest report, half of the trends listed are about the need to inform customers about the foods they are eating, explain what health-related benefits they can provide, and offer the option of customizing foods to particular dietary needs and preferences. The research found that 60 percent of global consumers care about where their foods come from – and if they meet key ethical, environmental and clean-label standards. They put their money toward the businesses that meet those standards: 64 percent of consumers surveyed said they have found more ways to tailor their life and products to their individual style, beliefs and needs. They support restaurants that can find ways to bring the restaurant experience home to them with restaurant-branded products, meal kits and sophisticated ingredients to go. And not so surprisingly in a pandemic, consumers are increasingly interested in their immune health and eating foods that meet their individual nutritional needs: 60 percent of respondents are increasingly seeking out food and beverage to support their immune health – with one in three saying their concerns about immune health increased in 2020 over 2019. When you consider your menu, look at it through the lens of consumer transparency and customization. What equipment and cooking processes will enhance not only the taste but also the nutritional value of the food you’re preparing? How can your technology help you proactively select suppliers you’re proud to promote to customers? How can your access to real-time inventory information help you prepare more dishes with fewer ingredients while also adapting to a range of nutritional needs? What special aspects of your menu are specific to your brand and can be packaged up and enjoyed at home?
Who are the people in your neighborhood?
As the pandemic has called for people to work, learn, eat and shop from home, attitudes about the best places to live have shifted too. The suburbs and some rural areas have experienced a lift as people have left cramped urban quarters behind. A survey conducted by Zillow last spring found that the rise in remote working was generating a property-buying spike in suburbs and smaller cities. What’s less clear is how temporary that suburban shift will be. As a result, it’s become a bit more difficult for restaurant operators to know who their customers are – and how their preferences may differ from those in pre-pandemic times. Your in-store technology should be providing real-time updates to help you manage business day to day, but it’s important to keep an eye on the larger picture too. Datassential’s Firefly database is one new tool that lets users examine the restaurant landscape in any city or geographical region. It pulls from demographic data including average household income, median age and other factors to help operators get a better sense of how their community is changing – and how they will have to adjust as a result. Overall, the suburban shift has much to offer restaurant operators, including greater flexibility with space, lower costs, and less competition from other chef-driven concepts. A recent report from US Foods says succeeding with current suburban diners is about offering value and variety, while accommodating their interest in being adventurous.
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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.