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Over to the past few months, takeaway has become part of many pubs, restaurants and bars service and this has proven popular, as 52% of consumers in June had ordered food delivery since the first lockdown began¹.

With the trade closed in England again, the appetite for takeaway services looks likely to reappear. In fact, over two thirds of consumers, who have used takeaway during lockdown, have said they will continue to use it for food delivery even when venues are open as normal². With takeaway looking like it is here to stay how can venues make the most of this opportunity?

​Top Takeaway Tips ​

Ensure you have the right license to operate takeaway services ​

Know the law and consult with the local authorities to make sure you have the right permits in place to be able to operate a takeaway service. If offering alcoholic drinks for takeaway ensure you have the right procedures in place to adhere to the laws around selling alcohol.​

Consider the right takeaway model for your business

Customer pick up at venue or use a delivery service to door? Consider which of these is right for your business and research the right delivery partner for your business. Make sure you social distancing guidelines in place at all times whichever method you choose.

Create a menu and keep it simple

Offer a condensed takeaway menu compared to in venue as too many options can be overwhelming and be operationally challenging. Stick to your best sellers across food and drink and refresh them with the seasons to keep interest and excitement for returning customers.

Get your takeaway drinks selection right

Pre-bottled and canned drink solutions make for the easiest delivery solution and can offer a great add onto to drive takeaway sales on top of food. If you are looking to offer fresh cocktails consider the use of ingredients, packaging, delivery practicalities and shelf life of the cocktail to ensure they are the perfect serve once they reach the customers home. Again, make sure you have a concise range and stick to your bestselling cocktails.

Tell your customer base about your takeaway service

To ensure you get uptake you need to tell your clientele about your takeaway services. Make sure you update your website and post on your social media accounts to make customers aware. Equally make sure you reflect the update onto Google Maps as this now shows people using the service the options for each outlet.

Consider use of promotions to drive sales up

Once you have set up your takeaway service, think about the use of deals, as you would in outlet, to be reflected on your takeaway menu to drive sales up. Consider combined meal and drink promotions or targeting quieter days of the week with a promotion to drive sales.

Use takeaway services to promote in outlet repeat visits

Think about using your takeaway service to encourage customers to make a visit to your outlet if and when it is safe to do so. This could be including a voucher to use in your venue when delivering the takeaway or contacting them to tell them about your updated hygiene and safety measures for reassurance.

For information on the LOCAL app by Matthew Clark, click here.

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