The restaurateur's toolbox for responding to new consumer habits
The restaurant sector in France has never had the wind in its sails so much: according to BPI France figures, the number of new restaurant businesses has grown by more than 51% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2020.
Despite an uncertain health situation and controversial legislative measures (health pass), managers and operators continue to invest time and money in the foodservice sector.
However, in addition to traditional market research to ensure they get off on the right foot, foodservice establishments now need to integrate several elements and tools into their arsenal.ements and tools in their arsenal to adapt to the new expectations and uses of their customers (which sometimes appeared before the start of the health crisis, but have been reinforced by it).
From contactless payments to click & collect and delivery, here's a quick roundup of the essentials you'll need to include in your restaurant toolbox to prepare for every situation.
But first, let's take a look at the new consumer habits of our fellow citizens and their impact on their eating habits and choices.
The new consumer habits of the French in a post-COVID world
A study by Alixpartners published in June 2021 reveals that 50% of French people feel that the pandemic has had a permanent impact on their consumption habits.
Streaming video: a boon for the catering industry?
The various confinements and closures of cinemas last year prompted the French to spend more time watching films and series online1. While this may seem problematic for restaurateurs (fewer cinema visits = fewer restaurant visits?), it may also enable them to capitalize on this new trend with takeaways and deliveries.
According to the study, 30% of those surveyed said they would like to see more films at home in the coming months: a clientele all the more apt to make use of meal delivery.
Organic and local: health is once again a priority
Consumers are now looking for short distribution channels, local products and products that respect the environment. According to the firm's study, over 76% of French people say that the health crisis has heightened their environmental concerns, and 38% of them have changed their purchasing habits.
For restaurateurs, eating healthy is a differentiator that can clearly attract new customers. Seasonal or vegetarian menus, emphasis on local produce, detailed information from waiters on the provenance of products, etc.: establishments committed to healthy food will meet their targets.
Fighting food waste: a growing trend
One of the leading trends in the foodservice sector in 2021, the fight against food waste echoes the growing awareness of the French of the need to be more environmentally virtuous.
Using leftover ingredients, composting non-reusable leftovers, doggy bags, investing in more energy-efficient equipment, reselling unsold food to private individuals: the fight against food waste is protean and increasingly scrutinized by consumers in France.
What's more, a report by the World Resources Institute2 has shown that every euro invested in anti-waste initiatives by restaurants saves an average of 7 euros: an initiative that's not only good for the planet, but also profitable!
The restaurateur's toolbox for coping with new consumer habits
Delivery, a long-term solution
One figure illustrates the importance of home meal delivery: since the outbreak of the health crisis in March 2020, meal delivery has grown by a staggering 50%, with over 80% of 20-40 year-olds ordering meals at least once a week on average3.
This new consumer trend is set to continue: according to Deloitte, meal delivery will grow by 10% a year by 20234 in Europe.
Before taking the plunge into home meal delivery, you need to consider the following points:
- Reorganization of your space: installation of delivery zones, dedicated preparation stations, switch to a "dark kitchen" model, think ahead about the layout of your restaurant to accommodate this new channel.
- Equipment: dedicated tablets, online ordering site, synchronization of cash register software with delivery platforms - delivery can't be improvised!
- In-house vs. third-party delivery: do you have the resources to manage your own fleet of delivery drivers (vehicle, payroll, logistics)? Have you built up a sufficiently solid customer base for them to call on you? If not, third-party platforms are a good solution.
- Specific menu: not all your dishes are suitable for delivery - determine which ones are best suited to transport.
If you decide to outsource your delivery service to third-party platforms, synchronizing your checkout software with delivery platforms such as Ubereats or Deliveroo has the advantage of centralizing all your orders on a single screen (no more tablets to manage orders separately), enabling faster pick-up of dishes.
Bonus tip: being present on delivery platforms is only the first step, the second being to stand out from the competition! Order acceptance times, preparation times, promotions, customer reviews: you need to optimize many elements to optimize your ranking on delivery platforms.
Takeaway sales: an additional, lower-cost channel
Here too, the results are clear: a study by the NPD Group revealed that takeaway sales doubled their market share in 2020, accounting for 30% of total restaurant sales, compared with 15% in 20195.
Takeaway sales, or click-and-collect, is a sales channel that was neglected or under-exploited before the outbreak of the health crisis.
To cope with this new consumption habit, restaurateurs need to equip themselves with tools to ensure fast, frictionless order-taking, on a par with ordering from a third-party delivery platform.
Whether it's menu display, preparation time, flexible pick-up times or order personalization, your online ordering site needs to be able to meet the needs of your customers.
A tool like Lightspeed Order Anywhere combines all of the above, as well as ensuring functional and simple order entry via a simple link or QR code (no need to download a cumbersome app to your phone). It also has the advantage of centralizing all orders via a single platform in your cash register software, again enabling rapid order processing, with no additional commission charges.
In short, make sure you set up a fast, functional, mobile online ordering site , connected in real time to your POS software, to respond quickly to new orders.
Contactless payments in demand
Contactless payments are part of a global context of contactless catering: mobile or online order-taking, take-away sales, deliveries, digital order kiosks, and so on.
It's hardly surprising that the FrenchA survey conducted by Lightspeed in January 2021 revealed that more than 20% of French people consider contactless payments to be one of the prerequisites for the complete reopening of restaurants. In addition to limiting physical contact, contactless payments have the advantage of being able to speed up order-taking or checkout.
What's more, a report by the Observatoire de la sécurité des moyens de paiement published in July 2021 claims that contactless now accounts for half of all card payments, compared with a third before the health crisis. This trend is set to grow significantly over the coming years, especially as the contactless payment ceiling has been raised from 30 to 50 euros!
Restaurant operators need to equip themselves with compatible payment terminals capable of handling mobile payments as well as traditional credit or debit cards: for example, these tools can accept a whole range of payments at competitive rates, bypassing suppliers and intermediary payments. In many cases, they also eliminate the need for manual entry of payment amounts, by connecting the payment terminal to the POS software.
Mobile table-top order-taking and self-service order kiosks: fast, personalized service
A tool that is set to develop further in the coming years is the self-service order terminal, as its installation can increase average sales by over 6% in the first year of use6.
Consumers want to order quickly and efficiently: touch-sensitive kiosks allow customers to reduce their waiting time by avoiding the need to wait for a waiter to come and take their order, while reducing physical contact with your staff (remember to use antimicrobial film to reassure your customers about the risk of contamination).
Mobile order-taking at the table is in the same vein: customers now wait to browse your menu, order and pay via a QR code from the table with their phone.
Touch terminals and mobile order-taking have the advantage of being able to connect with your establishment's cash register software, avoiding ordering errors and increasing order-taking speed.
Another consumer demand is for personalized menu choices. Touch terminals or QR codes for online ordering must offer a broader combination of menus and dishes: the traditional "starter-main course-drink-dessert" proposed on your menu must therefore be rethought.
For restaurateurs, this personalization of menu choice offers a significant advantage in terms of additional sales and their impact on the average basket. The restaurateur Barak, for example, saw his average basket increase by 15% following the installation of a touch-screen ordering terminal in his establishment.
Digital reservation book to streamline your customer flow
Booking a table at a restaurant is a growing trend: the latest figures for 2021 show that half of French people book a restaurant online, but only 47% of restaurateurs offer an online reservation service7.
What's more, the online digital reservation book solution Guestonline has noted an increase of over 10% in the number of global reservations in June 2021 compared to 2020. The introduction of the health pass does not appear to have had any impact on the overall number of bookings.
The main reason for this? With the social distancing measures and the limited number of guests, customers no longer want to take the risk of turning up at the last minute only to be refused entry.
Consumers prefer online reservations for their ease of use: setting up a digital reservation system to meet this new expectation is essential.
Website, social networks, Google My Business listing: give your customers plenty of choice when it comes to reserving their table!
Several online reservation solutions, for example, enable restaurateurs to limit last-minute cancellations by sending reminders, requiring advance payment or collecting customers' credit card prints. Choose an online reservation tool that automatically integrates with your cash register software: this way, reservations automatically open a table in your seating plan, avoiding last-minute duplication.
Indispensable (or almost indispensable) tools for staying one step ahead
The health crisis has turned the traditional restaurant business model on its head.
While traditional table service will always be the norm, other channels and tools are now being added to the restaurant business: delivery, take-away sales, mobile order-taking at the table, self-service order kiosks and contactless payments are the new realities of tomorrow.
By embracing them, you can ensure that you meet consumer expectations, which in turn will boost your sales.
Sources:
1) https://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/l-essor-du-streaming-video-impose-une-course-au-gigantisme-20210517
2) https://www.fastcompany.com/90306002/for-every-1-they-invest-in-cutting-food-waste-restaurants-save-7
3) https://www.lefigaro.fr/conso/depuis-un-an-un-francais-sur-deux-estime-avoir-modifie-ses-habitudes-de-facon-permanente-20210601
4) https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/corporate-finance/deloitte-uk-delivering-growth-full-report.pdf
5)https://www.ouest-france.fr/sante/virus/coronavirus/covid-19-grace-aux-livraisons-et-a-la-vente-a-emporter-la-restauration-rapide-en-plein-boom
6) https://bigthink.com/brandon-weber/the-secret-to-why-mcdonalds-is-adding-self-serve-kiosks-at-a-rapid-pace
7) https://www.alioze.com/chiffres-food
Article translated from French