Hungry for More.
Your customers are hungry. For more dining options. For information on your sanitizing efforts. And for easy access to your menu.
A recent study by Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management has identified a couple of trends that Restaurant owners will find interesting. Some are a bit obvious and others will require a bit of creative thinking!
- Transparency and Communication
- Make it clear that you are following new protocols for Restaurants. Make your cleaning practices visible. Maybe have staff disinfecting quickly after diners have departed. Wear masks properly.
- Innovation and Creativity
- Restaurants all over are adapting to our changing environment and consumers are reacting well. Consider "Family Meal" bundles that can be reheated and/or frozen. Offer Groceries and recipes for your most popular offerings.
- Contactless Technology and Virtual Presence
- Consider implementing Google Pay and other services to help make your interactions contactless. Maybe even a Virtual Tip Jar on your website where customers can help out your staff.
Also, make sure your current menu is available online and preferably on your website. It has got to be easy to see what is available during the crisis. Perhaps slim down the menu to only the most popular items. Comfort food is also trending now where customers need a little bit of familiar touches.
"To entice customers back to on-premise dining, tailor your approach to each customer segment:
- Loyal guests. Encourage loyal customers to return to on-premise dining by sending them personalized messages with critical information: when your restaurants will be open and why they can be confident that it’s safe to come in.
- Customers who spent their money elsewhere. Some fraction of customers may have shifted their spending entirely to your competitors during the pandemic—or made all their meals at home. Effective marketing levers for this segment could include loyalty-driven price promotions and just-in-time offers featuring the most popular items and personalized favorites.
- People who became first-time customers during the crisis. To retain these customers, look to initiate them into your loyalty program with a special offer. Also, make sure your digital presence is consistent across platforms: for example, the menu featured on your own app should match the menu on any food-delivery aggregators that these customers may have used during the shelter-in-place period, and should highlight the same family meals they ordered during that time.
- Potential customers. In a new dining landscape, some customers who previously patronized other restaurants will be “up for grabs.” It’s an ideal time to reevaluate your spending mix with a marketing-return-on-investment (MROI) simulator, which helps determine how to invest marketing dollars across email, social media, search, apps, local mass media, and other channels."
Courtesy of McKinsey.
Keep your head up and your creative juices flowing. Every change comes with new opportunities and we will get through this awfulness. And, be better for it.
