Sponsored by McCain Foodservice Solutions
While restaurants continue to reopen their doors for on-site dining post-COVID, many consumers are still opting to order their food for takeout and delivery. In fact, Americans now order takeout or delivery 50% more often than they eat at a restaurant.
This shift in consumer behavior yields a critical opportunity for operators to accommodate off-premises demand with the dining experience their valued customers expect. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your off-premises strategy or build one from scratch, adapting the following tactics can open new avenues for business growth, enhance customer satisfaction and strengthen your hard-earned reputation:
1. Offer Multiple Ordering Options
Technology has changed how consumers discover and engage with restaurants in their local area. While phone call ordering dropped to 11% in 2023, third-party delivery apps became the most popular way for consumers to explore and place their off-premises orders — particularly among younger generations. In fact, the number of customers using third-party apps to browse for restaurant ideas grew by 10% last year alone, enticing more operators to use these platforms.
But there's a catch: While third-party apps can help restaurant owners attract new customers by expanding their business’s reach, service fees associated with these platforms typically reduce profit margins. That’s why many operators are opting to add ordering capabilities to their own delivery app, website or social media account(s).
Older generations may still prefer calling in, but expanding your off-premises strategy to include additional ordering options can make your business more accessible to younger consumers and increase your chances of earning repeat business.
2. Offer More Daypart Deliveries
Technomic reports that the popularity of ordering delivery has increased for most dayparts; however, DoorDash data shows that late-night and breakfast orders grew by 36% and 23%, respectively, in 2023. This marks an opportunity for operators to garner more business throughout the day by adding delivery and takeout options to their daypart menus.
Whether they’re gearing up for the workday or winding down from a night out, an increasing number of diners are turning to restaurants to satiate their hunger through takeout and delivery orders outside of the lunch and dinner spaces. If you can fulfill this demand successfully, there’s a good chance they’ll order from you again, regardless of the time and place.
3. Prioritize Product Quality
In foodservice, you are what you deliver. That’s why food quality is the most important component of your off-premises strategy. Even if you expand your takeout and delivery menu and offer every ordering option under the sun, failing to satisfy consumers with a quality off-premises dining experience will likely dictate whether they order from you again or take their business elsewhere.
In fact, 60% of consumers are unlikely to accept lesser quality when ordering takeout food, according to Deloitte research. Unfortunately, many restaurants fail to meet these off-premises expectations due to inadequate product selection for off-premises dining.
“Soggy food is one of the most prominent issues with takeout and delivery quality,” says Raghav Srivastava, head of innovation at McCain Foods. “As steam builds up in the food’s packaging, most menu items go from warm and crispy to cold and mushy. The beloved French fry is one of the most popular food items to fall victim to these adverse conditions.”
Despite fries being the top-ordered side dish of 2023, two in three operators are still using fry products that aren’t designed for takeout and delivery. The result? Soggy fries and dissatisfied customers. That’s why McCain Foods made the perfect off-premises solution consumers can enjoy anywhere: McCain® SureCrisp® fries.
“McCain SureCrisp fries are designed specifically for off-premises dining,” Srivastava said. “Made with a special batter that consistently yields quality results for 10 different cuts, our SureCrisp fries enable operators to deliver crispy results customers can enjoy from the comfort of their couch.”
By enhancing the quality of delivery orders with reliable products like McCain® SureCrisp® fries, your business can leave a positive impression on consumers — especially those who may be experiencing your menu offerings for the first time. This can not only boost your reputation, but also encourage diners to place repeat orders in the future.
As the popularity of off-premises dining continues to grow, now is the time to satisfy consumer expectations with the quality products and ordering options they currently hunger for throughout the day. Taking advantage of this opportunity can improve not only notoriety and sales, but also the satisfaction of your valued customers.
