Running a family restaurant or bakery business can be a great way to earn a living but also set your family up for life.

Many parents decide to open restaurants because of their passion for food but also to give their kids somewhere to work and something to inherit when they are older. Of course, restaurant and bakery businesses don’t always go smoothly, and sometimes incorporating something new can help.

One of the latest trends in this field is food delivery, even for bakeries and cafes rather than fast food.

With the rise of Coronavirus and the increasing focus on digital technologies, offering food delivery is no longer a choice: it’s a necessity. After all, while in lockdown most individuals are unable to get out and buy food regularly, but they still want takeaway food to raise their spirits.

Even once the lockdown is over and life returns to something resembling normal, there will still be a high demand for food delivery services. They will have been proved to be a convenient way to order meals, meaning that many customers will choose this option over collecting food directly from the establishment that has prepared it.

It might be hard for some organizations to add delivery seamlessly into their offering. Here, we are going to look at some of the things that you should consider when you start to offer a delivery service within your family business. Keep reading to find out more. Even once the lockdown is over and life returns to something resembling normal, there will still be a high demand for gourmet food delivery service.

Think It Through

The first thing that you need to consider when you are introducing a food delivery service to your business is whether it is a good idea or not. Some food is not made to be transported by a bike or even a car as it might not get there warm or in good condition. Of course, customers do understand this on occasion, but you need to check if this is right for you. It might be useful to try it out a few times before committing to offering delivery.

Finding A Reliable Service

Another thing that you need to consider is how you are going to deliver the food. Some businesses save themselves some time by using a service like Uber Eats or Deliveroo but it is also possible to hire drivers yourself and put your trust in them. If you do decide to hire your own delivery drivers, you must make sure that you have delivery insurance for them. Take a look at some quotes from the top delivery insurance providers online to help with this.

Communicate With Staff

When introducing any new practice or service into your business, you need to make sure that each and every one of your team understands what’s going on. Talk to your staff about your new delivery service and explain the rules, so that they can provide customers with accurate information about the service and how it can benefit them. This approach will also ensure that your employees feel supported and included in your business decisions.

Remember Health And Safety

As part of your discussion with your team, you need to create health and safety procedures that will ensure the safety of both staff and employees. Talk to your staff about how the food will be prepared, stored and transported so that you can create a seamless process that keeps out allergens and contaminants, but locks in flavor and freshness. Your team will be doing the work to create and deliver the meals your client’s order, so they will be the best people to talk to about how you can all keep the food fresh and safe.

Promote Your New Delivery Service

There’s no point in launching an exciting new delivery service, only for clients to overlook it because they didn’t realise. As such, it’s vital that you promote your service and encourage customers to use it. Use social media to share the news and help customers to order and enjoy delivery food from your business. You can also use physical promotions, such as posters, leaflets and banners, to show customers that you’re introducing a new service. By promoting your food delivery offering, you’ll be able to encourage existing customers to take advantage of this service and drive new customers to buy from your business.

Offer Deals On Food Delivery

If you want to draw in new customers and really push the uptake of your new service, consider creating a special offer on delivery food. Try to create an offer that benefits other parts of your business, such as your online presence. For example, you could offer a 15% discount if customers order and prove that they’ve liked and shared your social media page. Alternatively, you could set an order minimum; for example, you could offer the discount only if customers spend more than £50, to encourage them to spend more on food from your company.

Consider The Extras

Finally, you should make sure that you are considering all of the extras that come along with this kind of service. You will need to invest in food packaging as you might usually sell your food on plates and this isn’t going to cut it. It might be useful to find something that is environmentally-friendly so that you are not increasing your carbon footprint. Other things to consider include delivery charges and estimates on how long it will take. Will you offer delivery on your own website or will you use an external site? Will you employ delivery drivers or outsource to drivers with fast food delivery car insurance? Don’t forget to look into these things.

Final Verdict

If you want to improve your family business and drive it towards even greater success, then it might be time to start offering food delivery. Your customers will appreciate that they can access your food when they can’t get out of the house and you might even increase your profits along the way. Make sure to consider everything that we have discussed in this article and this should help you to get on track with your new food delivery service.

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