The restaurant industry did an admirable job responding to the pandemic in real time. Seemingly overnight, sit-down restaurants were converted to pickup operations. Food delivery personnel became “essential workers.” Every forward-facing facet of foodservice was retooled or modified in the name of customer experience. These were heroic efforts in unprecedented times.
There’s no denying that the pandemic turned the restaurant industry upside down. Three years later, it is time to take stock of the industry as a whole and determine which dining preferences that arose during that period are here to stay. There is evidence that adaptations such as expanded outdoor seating and to-go alcohol sales will continue as legacy measures. But the greater, more permanent changes are in frictionless technologies. Accordingly, restaurateurs and foodservice operators that have fully embraced their ability to meet the demands of pickup are poised to take full advantage moving forward.
Customers want convenience
A recent CNN news report revealed a theme about customers’ continued demand for convenience. “In the early days of the pandemic, people got used to eating their restaurant food at home. Today, they’re back in restaurant dining rooms — but still prefer to get meals via the drive-thru, a pickup window or delivery more than they did before.” The pandemic taught consumers that order-ahead pickup meals can be on par with those meals served sitting down in the same restaurant. When quality meets convenience, the sky’s the limit.
Innovations in restaurant equipment have made a restaurant’s decision to create more on-premise space for pickup orders an easy one. Frictionless ordering and payment set the stage. Now, technological improvements on the pickup shelf are taking over. On one level, the Glo-Ray 2-Go® Heated Shelf is capable of holding a great quantity of hot food items at optimum serving temperatures. This is great for maintaining freshness and food safety when dealing with a large quantity of the same food.
The next generation of heated pickup convenience can be found in heated lockers. The Flav-R 2-Go® Locker System and Flav-R 2-Go® Pizza Locker System offer customization, security and peace of mind to optimize customers’ convenience. With a dedicated locker, set to a dedicated temperature, a customer simply enters a code to retrieve food at peak freshness. There is no interaction with staff and no waiting in lines. It is possible for the entire customer experience to be hassle-free and user-friendly.
Operators want cost-effective and efficient solutions
One of the most famous lines in ad history was created by Ron Pompeii when he said, “Set it and forget it.” Of course, he was promoting his in-home rotisserie chicken ovens. Nonetheless, the simplicity of that message still rings true. Consider the streamlined efficiency of a team member who prepares a meal for pickup, sets it out for pickup and then immediately focuses on the next meal preparation without interruption from a customer. The team member’s time is optimized, saving the operator money.
The acceleration of online ordering is the new normal. Operators who meet the moment are positioned to take the advantage. The right equipment to serve your expanding consumer base can alleviate labor headaches and bottlenecks. Restaurants can achieve a “set it and forget it” efficiency with cold and hot pickup foodservice solutions. The kitchen team’s proficiency and confidence flourish knowing cold food stays cold on a cold shelf or frost top and hot food stays hot in numerous ways.
Operators thinking about long-term growth with minimal physical footprint are considering the state-of-the-art Pickup Pod™. Pods offer a series of technological innovations that promise to cut down on mistakes, maintain optimal food temperature levels and save your operation money in the long run. From the restaurant worker’s perspective, it’s a simple task. The food is prepared and then placed into a customizable, temperature-controlled or insulated locker. The worker doesn’t have to think about it again.
Order-ahead pickup is here to stay.
The order-ahead pickup model is not going anywhere. Customers are more likely to frequent restaurants that enable a convenient means to high-quality food. In short, customers are bringing the restaurant dining room to their home living rooms. On account of this configuration, restaurants should maximize the order-ahead pickup experience and set up their operations for long-term growth.
Stay on the forefront of advanced foodservice technologies and ongoing shifts in consumer demands. Find a Hatco rep near you today.
