Not every chef or restaurant has success with offering takeout. Here are 6 tips from a chef having some success on how you can improve your takeout sales.
Chef Benjamin Ginette Leblanc-Beaudoin is the owner of the multi-award winning Iron Kettle Bed and Breakfast located in Comber, Ontario. A former contestant on Food Network’s Chopped Canada, Chef Benjamin is an advocate for local food, and a 15 year hospitality professional, with classic-French training. He’s been doing takeout out of Iron Kettle for the last 4 years, and it sells out.
Every. Single. Time.
Here are chef Ben’s tips on how restaurant owners can increase their takeout sale.
SCRAP YOUR MENU
People don’t want your menu, and most of those things are not good reheated, or transported. Condense your menu, and don’t offer 100 options. This would be a great time to realize that you have too many food items on your menu. For example: if you offer breakfast takeout – don’t offer your menu. It is not worth it for you to operate to do 30 orders at your regular $8 menu.
GIVE YOUR GUEST VALUE
Make sure that you offer something your clients will see as a value. Whether it is a lot of food, fun items, or something that they could not make at home. You need to communicate what that is clearly. Give your guests an even bigger deal if you set a cut off time for your orders (i.e. order 24 hours before and receive 10% off).
BE ORIGINAL
Everyone is doing takeout, find a reason why someone should get delivery from you, or drive to your place to pick it up.
CHOOSE ITEMS THAT WILL WORK WITH TAKEOUT
Offer nachos on your regular menu? Nope – not takeout worthy. Choose foods that are easily reheat-able, that don’t need to be crisp (no French fries!), and make adjustments for items that would work out best with a little care by your client in order for them to enjoy their food at it’s peak of quality.
For example, pizza: under-cook them and advise your guests to heat them to finish them in their own oven. With a burger, do not assemble the burger. Separate condiments, bread, and patty.
SET DAILY LIMITS AND LIMIT YOUR DAYS OF OPERATION
Would you rather make $1000 in one day, or $200 for 5 days? Scarcity sells my friends.
GET RID OF YOUR STOCK
Would you rather have $100 in your cooler/freezer, or in your pocket? You need to get rid of your stockc, and using your regular menu will not help you do this. Get creative – get inventive, step out of your comfort zone of your 100 item menu. Blow your stock out!
