One of the major headaches for most restaurants and food delivery businesses, post-COVID-19 era, is how to efficiently deliver fresh food to their customers across different locations. According to a 2020 survey, it’s estimated that about 35 % of Americans patronize online restaurants. This number is not expected to go down anytime soon, as industry experts predict that over 45 % of Americans in 2025 will look to the internet to order their daily meals.
Ensuring Food Quality to Keep Customers Satisfied
As time passes, the food delivery business is expected to become oversaturated, increasing the competition in the market. To be at the top and stand out among competitors, you must be able to offer more than just a delicious meal. You must be able to deliver those meals to the specifications of your customers. It also has to be fresh even when it is a long-distance delivery. Below is a guide on how to deliver fresh foods to your customers.
Use insulated Containers For Cold/Frozen Foods
Delivering cold food over a long distance can be one of the most challenging tasks for an online restaurant. The restaurant owner must devise a means to maintain the temperature of the food to satisfy the customer and prevent the food from spoiling.
Factors such as weather, traffic, and food packaging are to be considered when devising a suitable means. However, thanks to companies like Olivo, you no longer need to worry about cold food home delivery for your restaurant. Discover the isothermal boxes for food delivery that can maintain the temperature of all your frozen foods for more than 24 hours. It’s cost-effective and much better than using tons of unreliable ice blocks to preserve your customers ‘ meals and drinks.
Separate Hot And Cold Foods During Delivery
The ability to deliver fresh foods depends on whether you can maintain and control the temperature of the foods you deliver. Some meals can be ruined completely when there is a little temperature change. Even when it doesn’t spoil completely, a temperature change can lead to a loss of taste and freshness, leaving the customer unsatisfied with your service. These types of foods need to be carefully packaged and separated from others. You should never make the mistake of packaging hot and cold foods together, even if they are for the same customer.
Stop Garnishing The Foods
Survey shows that most customers no longer value or care about food beautification. This is a plus for most restaurants, especially the upcoming ones that have vibrant food delivery services. It saves time, money, and stress, and may just save a restaurant’s reputation.
Why is garnishing bad for long-distance fresh food delivery? Most of these edible garnishing flowers, leaves, and fruits are not meant to stay fresh over a long period. As a result, this makes delivering garnished food to far locations a bit difficult. To be on the safe side, channel your restaurant energy to the food’s freshness, taste, preparation, and packaging. This will help your restaurant become a more reputable brand and increase your chances of success and longevity in the industry.
Optimize Your Food Delivery Chain
A functional food supply chain should be your number one priority when looking to branch into home food delivery. No matter how fresh you prepare and package your customers’ foods if your delivery chain is messed up or not properly organized, all your efforts might be wasted. You don’t necessarily need to begin employing multiple workers or spending money on logistics to deliver food. All these processes can be handled by an independent contractor.
Simply go online and find a food delivery firm with the best and most reliable drivers. If you already have a food delivery service, you can optimize the delivery chain by incorporating the best and latest technology to reduce costs, save time, and preserve the food. One notable technological tool that can be incorporated into your delivery chain is order tracking. It will increase delivery efficiency, boost customer experience, and help you maintain growth.
Bottom Line
If your goal is to build your brand reputation and secure new customers, you need to invest in fresh food delivery services. A satisfied customer isn’t just going to place another order; they will leave positive feedback and recommend your products to their family and friends.