IS YOUR FOOD MENU HELPING YOU STAND OUT?
The last few years have changed our relationship with food. During the pandemic, not being able to eat out and having more time than normal meant levelling up our home-cooking with new ideas, skills and recipes.
Lockdowns might be behind us, but our attitudes to eating out have stuck around. People are still reluctant to go out for food as much as before, so restaurants are having to come up with new strategies to get them through the door. One easy way to excite people is with a great food menu.
At OCHE, we combine the best food and drink with modern digital darts to create an unforgettable experience.
THE NEW NORMAL
With more people choosing to eat at home than before Covid*, home cooked meals have become the restaurant’s biggest competition. When they do eat out, people are looking for great quality, healthy options served up in interesting environments.
Over the last few years, we’ve all got used to ordering food using delivery apps. Around 25% of meals are ordered via apps and websites post COVID, compared to 21% before*. More people ordering in means less money being spent on eating out.
The shift to working from home and hybrid working has also had an impact. With less people going to offices in city locations, restaurants’ lunchtime and breakfast offers have been hit particularly hard.
HUNGRY FOR CHANGE
Luckily, it’s not all bad news. People are keen to go out again and socialise, with many people preferring the atmosphere and service of a restaurant to taking food away or ordering online. With the right food and a high quality menu, there are plenty of opportunities to grab new customers. At The Social Gaming Group, we’ve honed our menus to combine the best quality food alongside the added excitement of social gaming.
THE POWER OF FOOD STORIES
Grab your customers’ attention by telling them the story behind your food. Using social media, email marketing and your website, show off your food (and how it ended up on your menu) to engage your fans and encourage them to come and try it in real life.
If you need some help with food stories to boost customer engagement, here are a few examples:
Award-winning chefs – introduce the chef behind your food and use their profile to entice current and potential foodie customers.
Define your offer – is it fine-dining quality fused with casual dining? Is it great for sharing? Is it perfect for romantic nights out? Tell people what you do best.
Showcase signature dishes – and the more mouth-watering the photos, the better.
The best ingredients – people are willing to pay more to eat better and healthier food.
Stay on trend – highlight plant-based options and healthy, tasty and visually appealing dishes to connect with your target Gen Z and millennial audiences.
Best-selling dishes – have you tried our dish of the month? If it’s flying out the door, chances are more people will be queuing up to see what all the fuss is about.
Reward loyalty – send and share discounts to encourage repeat visits.
Take customers on your journey – test out new recipe ideas and ask for feedback on their favourites.
SHARING IS CARING
At The Social Gaming Group, sharing is everything. Humans are social beings and are looking for opportunities to spend time with friends and family, sharing food and having fun.
Gen Z and Millennials love to share, both the experience itself and the photos on their social channels. Instagrammable food that looks as good as it tastes is essential when it comes to designing your food menu. Customers can become brand ambassadors for you by posting their food online and telling their friends and family.
Increased engagement will naturally lead to more feedback. Listening and responding to this will help keep your existing customers happy, understand what they like and what can be improved to attract new ones. Positive reviews bring new people in which (hopefully) lead to more positive reviews. Invest your time in customer engagement early on and enjoy the snowball effect!
EMBRACE THE FUTURE
Customers have become used to contactless ordering and payment. Online menus on QR codes, app ordering and automated payment makes your whole operation more slick and puts your customers firmly in control.
When it comes to your food, remember to show off what you do best, listen to what your customers want and give them the best possible experience once they choose to spend time with you. And hopefully, they’ll repay the favour by spreading the word far and wide.
Sources:
* 37% of consumers planning to eat their meals at home versus just 33% pre-Covid, The New Normal for Restaurants: Consumer behavior in a world after COVID-19
