Congratulations. You’ve started your own food business! A wild ride awaits, for better or for worse.
But rest assured, here; you’re not alone. During the last two and a half years, many lockdown-preneurs decided to set up shop in the world of food. In fact, Speciality Food Magazine (SFM) reported that a record number of new businesses were started in the food and drink sector in 2020 and 2021, with new restaurants and bars rubbing shoulders with homerun operations that flourished during lockdown.
Moreover, new business owners have big plans for their futures, with more than seven in ten planning to continually grow their revenue and nearly half wanting their business to become their sole source of income.
If you’re looking to grow, here are 6 IDEAL tips for promoting and expanding your food business.
Food Delivery Pros & Cons Explored
Us Brits love our takeaways, and since the pandemic, online ordering has been more popular than ever before. Food delivery sites like Deliveroo and Uber Eats are now integral to the country’s weekly diets. In fact, the average Brit’s takeaway spend rose by 42% between 2019 and 2021, from £452 to £641.
For restaurants and other food businesses, offering takeaway can be a blessing and a curse, but if you can make it work, doing so can help you optimise your visibility on Google and help promote you to customers through emails and social media advertising.
As a food business during uncertain times, and particularly in the face of potential upcoming lockdowns, it would be a mistake not to consider selling your delicious wares through the conventional, ubiquitous delivery platforms, such as Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats.
You could also consider having your own fleet of delivery drivers. This gives you another avenue for spreading brand awareness in your local area and negates the huge commission that the mainstream platforms take.
In doing so, you’ll be able to stick branded signage on the vehicles that you use, telling customers that you’re doing business, loud and proud. Other advantages of having your own in-house food delivery drivers include you having greater control over the customer experience. You can train your drivers to balance speed with quality service, whereas third-party fleet drivers are all about fulfilling as many orders as possible, as such their customer service isn’t always great.
On the flip side, using your own drivers runs the risk of negatively impacting your brand image. Should they drive too fast in a slow speed zone, for instance, in all that branded garb we just recommended, customers may start feeling negatively about your business. Moreover, running your own fleet of delivery drivers can become costly, quickly; there are wages to pay and fuel costs to cover, and that’s before you consider the admin involved.
But that’s not all; your drivers can run up against a number of legal issues including speeding, traffic incidents and parking fines and as such, there will be insurance premiums for you to cover, rather than you being protected by a larger food delivery operation.
Food for thought, indeed.
Read: 4 IDEAL market research methods for food businesses
Sell Condiments & More For Extra Sales
SFM reports that “table sauces, sales of pickles, chutneys and relishes have been boosted by increased demand for food to eat at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.’’
Indeed, by opening up new revenue streams and expanding your repertoire from perishables to preserves, you give your food business more opportunity to stand out and, ultimately, make money.
Pickles, chutneys and relishes are a great way to bump up your customers’ average spend. Moreover, every time they look into their food cupboard, they are reminded of your brilliant business (as long as you’ve branded the jars clearly, that is). Such items also make wonderful gifts for customers to buy for friends and family, further expanding your business profile.
Get these jarred items stocked in your local delis, health food stores and shops for even further reach. And if you have a physical space for your food business, then have them on display, share them on your social media and sell, sell, sell.
It’s All About The Socials
Social media – it’s one of the most influential and important elements for any business to get right. If you don’t bother capitalising on the power of social media, then you may as well shut up your online food business right now. How you approach your socials is a more delicate matter, however; you need to find a particular aesthetic and voice to make yourself stand out, rather than using generic pitches and non-descript pictures.
Rather than go on, we’ll defer to this nifty guide on social media tips for restaurant marketing here. Check it out.
Read: 7 IDEAL tips for aspiring restaurateurs
Offer Nationwide Meal At Home Kits
Due to the topsy turvy effect of the pandemic on business, each and every arm of the food industry has had to devise inventive and innovative new ways to reach customers.
Enter restaurant recipe kits that come with everything a customer needs to create professional, restaurant worthy meals in their own kitchen. Many fantastic finish-at-home restaurant meal kits are currently being offered by the UK’s top chefs and restaurants, and you should consider it, too. Offering nationwide delivery will allow your food business the opportunity to expand outside its local area, get your products sampled and get your brand noticed on a nationwide scale.
Of course, this embracing of a larger economy of scale requires investment, both in more comprehensive food preparation equipment, and in a delivery infrastructure that can respond to growing demand.
On another note, do make sure to use recyclable packaging to minimise the environmental impact of your meal kit; customers notice these details and respond favourably when sustainability has been factored into your brand’s thinking.
Read: 5 reasons why food traceability matters for your business
Supper Clubs & Cooking Lessons
Eventbrite conducted a survey involving more than 2,000 people who had attended dining ‘experiences’ such as supper clubs and cooking lessons, and the survey found that most people believe that it’s OK to pay more money for receiving a unique dining experience.
Around half of respondents also said that they would be happy to pay more for a meal from the exact same menu at a pop-up event where chef interaction is involved, as opposed to one served in a regular restaurant. And what’s even better about chef interaction? It’s another great way for you and your team to present your food business to new customers. Result!
Consider A Food Truck For Festivals & Popups
A walking, talking, moving, grooving advert for your food business, food trucks are a great way to promote your business to new audiences who wouldn’t perhaps otherwise give your brand their patronage. Keep your food provision tight, accessible, easy to hold and even easier to eat, and you might find food trucks present a lucrative new revenue stream and a new way of getting seen. Good luck!