Takeout business has boomed for many restaurants over the past year—primarily out of necessity. But it has also built a new habit for patrons, and this “temporary” pivot is likely to stick around well beyond the pandemic.
But takeout amounts to more than just packaging up a meal and handing it off curbside. Sure, customers come for the food, but what they unwrap at home can have a significant impact on your business.
Dinner—Safe and Sound
Everyone wants to feel confident that the food they consume is safe to eat. We trust that there’s a lot of oversight in the supply chain (manufacturers, shipping, retailers). But every layer of handling adds another level of trust. Just dining (or ordering) out requires confidence from the consumer that you operate a clean and safe restaurant. Picking up packaged food from a restaurant—especially in a global health crisis—can safer than dining in, but also begs the question, “Who is handling my food?” Then, with the explosion of app-based 3rd-party delivery services, an iffy experience can be the end of a relationship between restaurant and patron.
Security label stickers can help your restaurant demonstrate that you care about your customers’ food safety andconfidence. By sealing every box and bag with a sticker that clearly shows food is untouched once it leaves the kitchen, your customers can feel comfortable ordering from you again and again.
All the Details
It’s tempting to think that your customers know what they ordered—after all, they called you—and don’t need any more information about the food they’re about to eat. But it’s likely much more complicated than that.
- One person may have ordered for several people in a household. Not everyone may know or remember what was ordered.
- The customer may have asked for recommendations from staff and opted for something that sounded good, but are unlikely to remember the specifics.
- Someone may have placed an order to be delivered to someone else, either as a gift or to help out someone who is homebound.
- Some customers simply won’t remember everything about a large or complex order.
Surprise and delight your customers with eye-catching and informative labels that meet their needs and even offer helpful information beyond their expectations.
- Nutrition: consumers have been conditioned to find calorie and nutrition metrics on nearly all food. Even if the information is on your website, don’t expect patrons to look elsewhere. Provide the information right on the takeout box.
- Restaurant contact information: don’t let them forget where they got this yummy food from! This is especially crucial if the food was a gift order or group buy.
- Individual item labels: large orders (such as family-style) should be labeled individually to make it easier to serve. This can be extremely important if orders are divided because of allergy issues.
- Date and time: it’s not unusual for consumers to order extra for leftovers. Help them organize their fridge and make food safety choices by including the date and time the food was prepared.
Getting to Know You
Labels are an excellent way to increase brand awareness, and even to let consumers “get to know you” when they’re not dining with you in person. The way that you box up and label your takeout orders should reflect the quality of your in-house service. A high-quality representation of your logo, color scheme, menu fonts, and more show that you want to serve your customers with an experience that is unique to your restaurant—even if they’re dining at home. People eat with their eyes as much as their mouths. And they open the packaging with their eyes too!
Advertise
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to leave reminders for customers through labels and stickers. If all the labeling is onthe packaging, it’ll be discarded at the end of the meal. Consider adding a few extra attractive stickers in the bag for them to keep as a reminder and pass along to friends.
Takeout isn’t new, but it’s reached new levels—and new restaurants—these last several months. Making the most of this type of customer interaction with savvy labeling will make it a profitable part of your business for years to come.