4 reasons why off-premises delivery can add up more customers

There’s no question that off-premises dining or home dining has become an essential part of people's live. During the pandemic, it was a necessity. After the pandemic it will live on as the ultimate convenience option, especially for busy families.

But let’s be honest, for most casual dining brands, the off-premises dining experience just doesn’t live up to in-restaurant dining. (And how could it?) When the guests dine in, restaurants have the ability to orchestrate exactly how they experience the brand through ambience, service, food quality, décor, personality and so much more! It only makes sense that when the customer order food, much of what makes the restaurant brand so memorable gets lost on the way home.

That’s why it’s time to think innovatively about how one is going to keep the brand character, even at home. For most restaurants innovation is the key to distinguishing the offering both in the dining scenario as well as in the delivery scenario. So what are the key factors that ensure satiating home-delivery experience? We explored.

Packaging is the key: Importantly it is not just the food but the packaging that has to be innovative as well as with delivery. In terms of innovative packaging, few companies were already bringing unique style to their patrons much before the pandemic. One such example is Biryani By Kilo.

Also Read: Why Packaging will become mainstream in 2021

“With home deliveries, 'packaging of food' and the 'delivery personnels' are the face of the brand. If we get these two right, we automatically provide a great delivery experience to our customers,” said Vishal Jindal, Co-Founder, Biryani By Kilo. 

Another major aspect of packaging apart from ensuring freshness is its attractiveness. Commenting on the same, Sapna Saini, Marketing Head of The Burger Club stated “For the first appearance, we keep the packaging colourful and informative which speaks about the brand and product. It plays an important role.”

Delivering it right: After the packaging, comes how the food is delivered. How food is handled during delivery because it is crucial to gather customer loyalty. “As we are all well aware, the food experience is never the same as dining, especially with fast food. We are made to be prepared fast and consumed even faster but it's a challenge to provide the same experience in delivery as it takes on average 30-40 mins to reach the consumer. Packaging, food handling and timely service are the major factors which we keep in mind to provide the same food experience in delivery,” Saini commented. 

Also, while making sure that every delivery personnel is well sanitised and follows all safety protocols, one can score higher marks for delivering experience. Also updating customers through SMS which they can track the delivery rider journey to their homes or offices as well as order status at all times comes as a bonus point. 

In-house delivery fleet can help: Brands like Biryani By Kilo are very particular with their delivery fleet and who their riders are. “We do not indulge with any third-party riders and hire our delivery executives on our own. Apart from that our delivery personnel are also trained to provide our customers with a good experience by indulging in respectful conversations and also by assisting them,” added Jindal. 

In-house delivery gives full control over the delivery experience. With the statistics highlighting how critical a good delivery experience is to customers in deciding whether to order from the same restaurant again, one might view keeping full control over delivery logistics as a smart business decision. Also for handling large packaging with minute details and offerings, the delivery person has to be well-educated about the brand. 

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Customers demand transparency: Today’s customers demand more and more transparency from the brand’s end with regards to the ingredients used, cooking conditions, packaging and even delivery. So bringing innovations to delivery experiences definitely gives them more comfort.

Biryani By Kilo showcase all the 'Safety Standards' followed on their website. To make the customer more comfortable with online delivery in such times brands use tracking app that not only tracks the location but also the temperature of the delivery personnel.

The importance of innovative off-premises delivery has definitely increased. It's not just the food but the whole experience counts. 

                                                                                                       Edited By: Nusra