Contactless delivery might be a perfect solution for the restaurant industry, that has been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak the most. While the situation might not be ideal, there are still ways for those establishments to promote themselves and sell food online.
Using the right marketing strategies and offering no-contact deliveries can help you reach out to both existing and new customers.
If you are worried about the prosperity of your restaurant during this difficult situation, adapting contactless deliveries is a must. A substantial part of your customers will require their orders to be delivered without any contact with the food delivery courier.
You will need to be able to not only implement high hygiene standards in your eatery but also inform your customers about new delivery procedures.
That brings us to the topic of restaurant marketing during these difficult times. You will have to adapt and promote your business while showing a compassionate side. Promote contactless deliveries and support health workers or local charities.
Contactless delivery – how to start.
Preparing a contactless delivery
To make no contact deliveries you should supply a restaurant with a wide selection of sanitation supplies. Anyone involved in the food preparation process should wear protective gloves, visor, and breathing mask if possible.
The same applies to your food delivery couriers, protective gear will encourage both your employees and customers. Another important aspect of contactless deliveries is the payment process, money, and paper receipt can host viruses and germs for extended periods of time.
To make delivery 100% safely you should utilize an online payment system ale let your customer purchase cashless.
Contactless delivery lets your customers purchase and receive products from your establishment without personal contact with any of your employees. Customer orders desired item through online platform,website, mobile app or through phone call, payment should be handled by online service.Next,designated employee delivers order and leaves it in safe and easily approachable place. To avoid any personal contact with client courier should inform him through phone call or text message about delivery and leave the premise. Deliveries done this way minimize risk of contracting viruses and germs.
No-contact food delivery best practices:
- Always have protective gear on when approaching a delivery site.
- Sanitizes hands after every delivery made.
- Keeps safe distance from customers
- Informs customers about arrival through message or phone call
- The delivery courier should place an order in a clean and easily accessible place
Contactless deliveries made this way should guarantee safety both for your customers and employees.
Promote the no-contact delivery system
First and foremost, if you are able to keep your business open during this situation it is important to follow the regulations and guidelines in your area. No-contact deliveries can be a great option if you wish to continue working while taking the safety of your employees and your customers into consideration.
Putting emphasis on the safety of your employees and your customers alike is very important. The best way to market this is through your social media profiles, where you can easily include links to a mobile app or website with an online ordering system in order to motivate your customers to make a purchase.
Safe takeout
Takeout is an alternative to contactless delivery for those that wish to stay open but don’t have the option of delivering meals to their customers, or would like to utilize both methods. This option should once again be done under certain rules for everyone’s safety. Designate an area where customers can receive orders while keeping a safe social distance. Wearing the appropriate items for everyone’s protection, preparing, and delivering the food in a safe manner is of utmost importance.
While this might be a less popular method than the delivery one, you should still make sure that you promote it online. Whether you choose to promote it through your social media accounts or through promotional emails, this will motivate your customers to order takeaway more frequently.
You can easily put such promotional messages together with the help of a good writing tool or service and make sure it looks compassionate and professional. You can find such sources on any of the best writing websites and choose the right one for your needs.
Keep in touch with your customers
One of the most important things when it comes to your marketing strategy during the quarantine is to continue sustaining contact with your customers online. Your social media accounts, website, and email can be a great means of communication. At the end of the day, you should try picking a platform that is easier for you to use frequently.
You can easily reply to comments, repost pictures, and answer questions on various things they might be wondering about your business. You can also easily reassure them that you are taking all the necessary measures in order to keep them safe while delivering from a distance.
Run contests through social media
Online contests are a great way for you to attract more customers and ensure that people still think about your business. You can get creative and try different things through these contests.
For example, you can host a contest where you will be giving away a free meal for a lucky customer. You can even ask people to recreate some of your most popular dishes, ask them to take a picture of their favorite kitchen tools and final dish, and have a chance to win a meal.
No matter what you choose, contests can help attract more people to your page and they can help your restaurant increase its orders. Making the time to put together a contest during this situation will also give your followers a much-needed distraction. This will positively impact their opinion of your business.
Offer discount codes
Discount codes can act as great motivation for your customers to place more orders. The discount codes should be applied through your website or mobile app when a customer is placing an order. You can send these out in a variety of ways but the most common ones are through emails and text messages, also you can automate this process with UpMenu promotional engine. This will allow you to easily send out multiple messages to many customers on time and you can make sure they are personalized. You can even include a message where you will mention the experienced difficulties and how your business is handling them to make staying at home easier.
Conclusion
While the situation might not be ideal, there are stills ways for you to keep in contact with your customers and promote your restaurant. The quarantine will pass and it is in your best interest to continue building your restaurant’s reputation.
In order for this to happen, you should make sure to educate your employees on the safety measures and supply them with the necessary materials. Masks, gloves, and alcohol-based wipes or antiseptic liquids are important and essential is such interactions and all employees that do deliveries should carry them.
Use these tips and other advice to manufacture your own strategy for a tougher time. Consider opening a ghost kitchen and implementing an online ordering system.
