Over the last few years, many foodservice operators were forced to put innovation on hold as they focused on making it through the pandemic. Now with 2023 underway, it's clear that mindsets are beginning to switch and there's a renewed effort to introduce creativity and fresh ideas into the workplace. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the top three ways you can join in on this “innovation revival” and welcome a new kind of change into your operation this year.
1. Refresh your menu for greater profitability
Nothing says fresh quite like a menu makeover. Although there are many ways to refresh your menu, it might be worth embracing a more slimmed-down version of your current offerings. After all, why should you have all those ingredients hanging around for a few dishes that only a few people order? Not only that, but research also shows that consumers actually prefer fewer choices. And get this, the “less is more” phenomenon is backed up by research and actually makes your customers feel more satisfied with their final order.
A good place to start is to evaluate which items on your menu are the rockstars and which are lagging behind. After you’ve done this analysis, pull the items that don’t perform well. Remember, it’s OK to be aggressive here; you can always add a menu item back later.
You also need to achieve a balance between popularity and affordability. Of course, the perfect scenario is a menu full of crowd-pleasing, high-profit items. But that can be a moving target since customer behavior changes and food prices fluctuate. If a menu item becomes too pricey to serve, you’ve got a few options. The first is to remove it altogether. Alternatively, you could swap out higher-end ingredients for less costly substitutes or keep ingredients the same and just reduce the overall portion size.
Another creative approach is to adopt an upgrade model where you charge customers an additional cost for the inclusion of more expensive ingredients. For example, swap out your tasty chicken alfredo for a plain pasta alfredo with the option of a chicken, salmon or shrimp upgrade. These build-your-own models bring tiered price-point benefits to your guests and a better profit margin for your operation. Pass that affordability on to the customer, and it’s sure to be a win-win for all.
Regularly evaluating and adjusting your menu is a strategic move, but you also need equipment that will support this ongoing evolution. One strategy is to bring on multi-functional units like salamander grills or induction cooktops, so you have the flexibility to accommodate many types of food and cooking methods. Whether searing, sautéing, grilling or more, equipment types like these will give you the flexibility you need to prepare whatever your menu and profitability margins call for.
2. Put customer satisfaction at the center of your service models
Service models today need to be convenient and flexible. Since most customers expect some type of pickup or delivery option, find different ways that add those elements to your takeout services. Consider a separate, condensed to-go menu with items that are easy to transport and hold. Offering food that's delivered with that 'just cooked' texture, temperature and taste will boost customer satisfaction. At the same time, a more simplified to-go menu can decrease food wait times and simultaneously reduce pressure on kitchen staff.
Speaking of pressure, foodservice professionals are no strangers to this kind of stress. Let’s say your operation has 15 dine-in customers waiting for a table, seven orders ready for pickup and five meals standing by for a DoorDash driver to grab. A scenario like this could benefit from a separate, designated pickup area. One helpful solution to consider is an automated food locker. These units work by holding food in a locked, temperature-controlled cubby. Once the delivery driver or pickup customer arrives for their tasty meal, they can bypass both staff and dine-in customers and go directly to the locker. From here, they simply punch in a code, wait for the appropriate door to open, grab their grub and be on their way. Fewer lines, less waiting and more convenience.
Want to innovate in ways that expand your audience beyond pickup and delivery? A pop-up offering, like a food truck or food cart, might be the answer. You can even “borrow” space in a separate kitchen to set up shop and serve your delicious fare. For example, say there’s already a deli in another town that’s open in the morning and afternoon dayparts, but you’d like to serve the evening crowd. Or there’s a local brewery on a different side of town that only needs half its kitchen space. Holding an occasional pop-up event using a food truck, cart or remote kitchen allows you to serve a new area and expand your customer base.
That said, an on-the-go strategy like this requires equipment that will not only keep up with demand, but also transport easily. Commercial units such as portable induction cooktops are helpful solutions that you can conveniently move from one location to the next. Not only that, but induction cooktops are great for keeping up with demand, as they cook food at a remarkable speed. For instance, a 3600-watt induction unit boils six cups of water in only three short minutes. That’s double the speed of an electric range and almost three times faster than gas. As an additional advantage, portable equipment can provide consistency since your cooking method will always stay the same no matter where you’re located.
3. Adopt intuitive technology for enhanced efficiency
According to this year’s National Restaurant Association State of the Restaurant Industry Report, 62% of operations predict they’ll be understaffed this year. Thankfully, efficiency-boosting technology can give hope to this troublesome trend. Take your online ordering system for example. There’s probably room for improvement. Be sure that your digital menu and ordering system are user-friendly and mobile-responsive. The best systems simplify the process and ensure orders are accurate. As an added bonus, online orders bring in 23% more revenue when compared to dine-in purchases (remember that profitability piece). So, if you haven’t already, get that better webpage and ordering system up and running.
Much like an intuitive ordering system, a tech upgrade can also add convenience when it comes time to pay for tasty meals. No doubt, the days of waiting for the check are slowly riding off into the sunset. Instead, customers can pay immediately with a QR code, pay-at-table kiosk or handheld POS device and then head on out the door. And just like that, your table turnover rate (and profits) are up.
Innovative technology isn’t just happening out front; it’s also becoming a mainstay behind the scenes in the back of the house. Pop into any modern-day kitchen and you’ll see a host of automated equipment that works alongside foodservice employees to make workflows more efficient. Equipment with programmable preset temperatures, blower speeds and cook times, along with pan-sensing technology and automatic shut-off features, make space for employees to multitask and put their energy toward more skilled work.
But the ingenuity doesn’t stop there. Some operations are going full-on sci-fi. For example, the all-in-one robotic pizza solution from Hatco, Ovention and Nala Robotics melds three of the best products from three top-notch companies. Nala Robotics’ AI-based robotic arm works to gather and press pizza dough, spread the sauce and sprinkle cheese and toppings. Then the pizza is transferred and cooked in an Ovention oven. After cooking, the end product is sliced and then transferred and housed within Hatco’s temperature-controlled, automated pizza locker — hot and ready for pickup. Systems like these can revolutionize countless operations, from c-stores and hospitals to military dining facilities and quick-serve restaurants. There’s no end to the opportunities in sight.
How can we help?
Creative ideas inspire productivity which makes way for increased customer satisfaction and profitability. Now that sounds like a recipe for success. Interested in how Hatco can help your operation innovate this year? Check out our equipment offering today.
