How Restaurants Can Prepare for the Takeout Boom in 2021
By: Sonal Mishra
Tags: Takeout, Online Ordering System, Restaurant, Food Delivery

The demand for contactless delivery has gone through the roof in the last year. This has led to a dramatic increase in take-out and restaurants all over the world have had to make some quick changes. For starters, fine dining and cafes that heavily relied on in-house dining have now been forced to open their doors for takeout and curbside pickup, whilst providing the convenience of online ordering.

Given the current demand for a takeout, popular restaurant chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack have invested quite a bit in contactless drive-thrus. Sweetgreen, another famous American food chain plans to open a restaurant by the end of this year in Colorado that will offer take out as well a space dedicated solely to in-car dining. Panera Bread has been vocal about how the chain was able to make more sales by adding a drive-thru facility to their existing outlets.

As the need of the hour is to provide food to customers safely, it should not come out as a surprise if restaurant operators start expanding to other cities and states with just takeout and curbside offering. But setting up a takeout facility would require a lot of planning for any restaurant to succeed. If you’re planning to dedicate a small portion of your restaurant to takeout and curbside services, this article should help you get started.

How to Set Up Your Restaurant for a Take-out

If your restaurant is new to the world of take-out, we have some tips for you on how to make it easier and more effective. Let’s dive in!

Infrastructure

Initially, it can be a little difficult for a restaurant to set itself up for takeout. It is not the same as providing in-house dining and requires some extra effort. To begin with, you need to have ample space for providing take-out. As a diner enters the area, you should be able to track which order they’re here for. This can be done with the help of geolocation or mobile phones, as they help restaurants access a customer’s location from the moment they’ve placed the order, up till they arrive for picking it up. This saves a lot of time and the customer doesn’t have to wait in the long queue to pick up the food. A short wait time leads to lesser frustration and a happier customer experience, which further encourages customers to come back.

Make sure that the pickup location is labeled clearly so that a customer knows where exactly to drive to. Use big banners and arrows for easy navigation. If you have the space for it, you could also offer a dual-lane system so that more customers can be served at once.

The goal is to make the entire process as quick and seamless as possible, leading to satisfied customers.

Employee Training

When it comes to a take out, your employees need to exhibit a stellar level of efficiency. They need to be trained to process takeout orders efficiently. This is the area of restaurant operations that cannot afford any kind of mistake. Remind them to double-check each order to avoid errors, as it can be infuriating for a customer to reach home and find out that part of their order is missing. Your kitchen line needs to be polished and professional, always ensuring complete accuracy for each order. Remind your staff of the importance of constantly being in sync.

Packaging

With a take-out ordering, there isn’t exactly a lot of room for interaction with customers. So, it important to market yourself with the little space you have. Ensure that your food packaging has your brand logo, motto, and colors on it clearly.

At the same time, it is important that you use sturdy containers that keep the food warm and scrumptious for a good amount of time. It needs to be temperature controlled but also ensure perfect quality.

Try to use materials that are sustainable and offer less wastage. Don’t forget to add utensils, tissue papers, and condiments to each order, in case your customers plan to remain in their car while eating their food. This way, you show them that you care about their dining experience, whether in or out.

Efficient Online Ordering System

Effective take-out operations need a robust online ordering system. A customer would not appreciate waiting in long queues for a food order. In today’s technology-driven world, long queues are a big turn off. To avoid long queues, it is important to have an efficient online ordering system in place with a simple interface. Allow customers to place their take-out or curbside orders on your restaurant website or app. Once the order is placed, the customer should receive real-time updates as their food is prepared. You also need to ensure that you offer all modes of payment.

Summing Up

As millennials make up the prime demographic for marketing today, the restaurant industry needs to go out of its way to offer them higher convenience and efficiency with each order placed. To truly connect with the youth, it is of utmost importance for a restaurant to have technology-driven operations.

While a restaurant could have survived without online ordering and take out up till a few years ago, these features are no longer optional today. They make up for a huge chunk of annual profits and draw in more customers too. By optimizing your online ordering system, your restaurant can experience a much higher rate of growth in no time.