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Learn all the smart ways to manage an online delivery service for your restaurant.
COVID-19 has had quite a negative impact on various businesses. Restaurants and bars in particular are facing a critical situation as the world is still looking to recover from the pandemic. Gone are the days when you could simply go to your favorite eatery nearby and have a delicious meal.
Despite the disturbing circumstances, as compared to other business sections, governments around the world have given concessions to numerous restaurants as we have seen many eateries operating normally through takeaway and online food delivery services. You also might have seen plenty of bars resuming normal business during the period as they have been provided with special operating licenses.
Converting your sit-in eatery to a takeout or delivery business
If you are a restaurant owner and have always run your place as a sit-in eatery, you are right to be worried. Since there is no cure for the crisis and there is a lot of uncertainty regarding safety health measures, you are bound to look for other options. In this instance, you can either take orders from phone calls or third-party food ordering applications. Once you receive an online order, you start preparing it and wait for the customer to pick it up while following the usual social distancing rules.
The idea of running a takeout space is beneficial but only in short term. Many people are still scared and hesitant of leaving their comfort zone and order takeout food. So it would be fair to assume that even a food takeaway strategy would not be the best decision to take.
At this point, you are only left with one option that is to force an online food delivery system to get things going. An advantage of taking such an important and innovative step is that you get to rehire most of your working staff. In simple words, you are back in the business!
Ways to Implement Food Delivery System
These days, you are less likely to find restaurants with delivery services as most of the eateries prefer using the much convenient third-party applications. Such platforms make it easier for eateries to handle big loads and keep their food quality in check through a very simple process.
The procedure starts when a customer orders food from the app and then the app forwards the order to the relevant restaurant. In some cases, the app is directly connected to your business’s POS system that makes the process even much easier to carry out.
These services require a particular monthly fee that is not much of a burden considering the number of orders that you are guaranteed to get. Some apps may charge you on an order-to-order basis that could be a percentage of your original order amount. The wise thing to do here would be to explore different delivery service options to get the best and most beneficial package for your business.
Once you have opted to open food delivery for your restaurant, the next thing to do is to create a properly working system. In theory, the system is quite simple to run and execute. The first step is to market your business as an online ordering restaurant. The process initially requires you to provide your customers with a way of contacting and ordering from your business. After that, everything is pretty much straightforward.
You start receiving food delivery orders through phone or particular software or app. The payment is either a debit or credit card payment. Usually, most eateries also receive order payments through the cash on delivery method. However, due to COVID’19, it is recommended that you go for wired transfers or card payments.
The next thing to do is to somehow build a connection between your online ordering setup and the POS system. Taking such a measure will certainly be of great help as it will make it easier for you to manage your business in such testing times. A major advantage of getting an online delivery system is that you can adjust some of your staff to new openings in the setup. For instance, some of your previous waiters could work as delivery riders. As a result, you could earn some much-needed appreciation to manage a decent workforce in the current situation.
Another great benefit of opting for online food delivery is that you can expand your menu. You can throw in a few more recipes that are popular amongst the locals. You could add desserts, beverages, and some disposable food items as an extra source of revenue. This will make your regular menu more creative and attractive to a customer.
Managing Food Delivery in COVID’19
If you are aware of how regular food delivery works, you would have noticed a drastic change in the pattern during the ongoing crisis. There are more safety measures taken to ensure that there is minimal risk of spreading the virus.
It is now mandatory for delivery riders to wear masks, gloves, and carry a decent hand sanitizer. You might have noticed riders from different eateries dropping food at the customer’s doorstep or a lobby in case of an apartment. Despite strict measures and numerous rules to follow, online food delivery is proving to be the most successful way of generating more revenue for your business in such a time. As per the current trend, it would be fair to assume that the system will get even much better and bigger soon.
Conclusion
Adding the delivery option to your eatery is certainly a difficult step to take. Many business owners are used to serving and managing a sit-in setup that seems easier to control. People often prefer to skip the technicalities involved in the food delivery system to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
If you are thinking of adding delivery to your restaurant, you are certainly on the right path. Keep the above-mentioned tips in mind and you are good to go!