How to Make Your Restaurant More Takeout Friendly
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the way we eat at our favorite local restaurants. There is less dining out and more ordering in. There’s been quite a learning curve for restaurants, though. Plenty of businesses are still trying to figure out the best ways to serve their customers and still turn a profit.
One way to help your restaurant thrive during this time of hardship is to make sure you’re as takeout friendly as possible. Louisville Label is here to help you do just that. Here are three ways to better prepare for an onslaught of to-go food orders.
Craft Your Menu
Now may not be the best time to offer your entire menu for in-person or takeout dining options. If you’re able to, that’s great, but for many business owners during this time, it’s more important to focus on popular items that travel well. Not to mention, with the way the supply chain is acting, some of your specialty items may be harder to keep in stock.
With the stress of the pandemic beating down on us, the whole world is craving more comfort food. And what’s not comforting is your dinner showing up completely wrecked. That’s why meals like pizza and burgers are so popular right now. They’re tasty and travel well!
Even if your menu is a little slimmed down right now, you can still take advantage of upsell opportunities, like meal deals, and customizable menu options, like build-your-own pizzas, burgers, salads, and more.
It’s important to be smart about pricing your menu items, too. You have to take into account the price of ingredients and packaging, plus paying your employees and keeping your building up and running. Not to mention, you still want to make a profit. Price things too low and your profit will be minimal at best. Price them too high and you could lose customers. With all the extra fees associated with ordering from third-party delivery apps, it’s no wonder that fast food and other relatively low-priced restaurants do better using those services.
Convenient Ordering Process
You want to make things as easy for your customers as possible. Your menu must be online and well put together. Build an effective layout with readable lettering. Bring attention to your best-sellers and big-ticket items. All your contact information and ordering options should be listed clearly.
Your ordering process, too, should be simple. Even if customers have to place an order over the phone, make sure your number is clearly shown and your phone process is accurate and efficient. Having multiple ways for customers to order, however, increases convenience, whether it’s over the phone, online, through an app, through a third-party, or any combination of those. On your website and social media pages, make sure you bring attention to all the ways your customers can order or get their food delivered, if you have that option.
When thinking about your delivery radius, particularly if you’re doing it in-house, you have to find the perfect medium. Too small and you’ll miss out on potential customers. Too big and your costumes’ food will show up to their door cold and soggy. You have to decide the limits of your quality. Quality is not something you want to sacrifice during a pandemic.
Quality Packaging and Labels
It may not seem as important as some other factors, but don’t overlook your takeout packaging and labels. You want to invest in high-quality packaging that will prevent spills and messes, so your food arrives at the homes of your customers in near-perfect condition.
This is also an area where you can get creative and promote your brand. A lot of customers are looking for high-quality presentations of their meals upon arrival, effective ways to keep their food fresh, or ways to help the environment through sustainable packaging. Those are all things you can achieve with takeout packaging.
Sticker labels can do a lot for you, too. Takeout food labels can show off your brand and provide restaurant contact information and more. They’re a way for you to build a more cohesive image. Plus, using labels as tamper-proof seals for your food is a great way to make your customers feel safer about ordering delivery.
How Louisville Label Can Help
At Louisville Label, we are dedicated to helping your restaurant succeed. We want you to have the best label options available, and we have all your to-go labeling needs covered. We can offer you labels to seal packages, logo labels for to-go packages, labels with an open area you can write in, and more. Having effective packaging is only one step you can take to make your restaurant more takeout friendly, but it’s a step our team excels at.
For all your takeout packaging label needs, trust Louisville Label! Talk to a team member today.
