We live in an age where everything is served on demand and food delivery marketing ideas are getting increasingly innovative. At a push of a button, customers now enjoy movies via live streaming and getting around via car-booking, all while enjoying coupons and discounts that are automatically applied. The same goes for food, where the food delivery industry is booming. While only larger chains used to offer delivery, the entry of food delivery businesses means that even smaller individual restaurants are able to hop on to the bandwagon. Additionally, certain individual restaurants have developed ways to offer food delivery services without the need for a middleman.
More people, especially tech-savvy millennials and the gen Z crowd are moving away from cooking and enjoying the convenience of ordering their favourite dishes to be cooked and delivered right to their doorsteps each day.
In fact, there’s no getting around it — COVID-19 has transformed the restaurant business. With the introduction of Circuit Breaker and phases for COVID-recovery, businesses have struggled to find ways to adapt to the changing regulations. However, this doesn’t mean that your business has to suffer. Even in the midst of the outbreak, some restaurants have transitioned to a highly profitable takeout and delivery model. The question is, how can you make this work for you? What’s the best way to adapt your business to takeout and delivery?
We’ve put together a few food delivery advertising ideas to help you adapt your restaurant for takeout and delivery.
Online food ordering business model
Before we dive in to the various ideas, it’s important to understand the different online food ordering business models there are to decide which one suits your business the best.
1. Platform to Consumer model
One of the most common models in Singapore, the Platform to Consumer model refers to third-party apps that list restaurants available to the consumer, likely via an app.
After consumers order on the app, the platform is in charge of the delivery — platforms that we’re most familiar with include FoodPanda and Deliveroo.
Often, these platforms take a 20% to 30% cut from the order value on top of delivery costs.
2. Full stack model
While less common in Singapore at the moment, this online food ordering business model is growing steadily. The full stack model refers to food delivery business that does everything in-house. This includes cooking, and the most common form would be via ghost or cloud kitchens.
3. Restaurant to consumer model
For the Restaurant to Consumer model, we see this often with the bigger franchises such as McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, where the restaurant has their own delivery fleet to deliver food to their consumers directly. However, more individual restaurants are slowly finding ways to develop their own restaurant to consumer model as well.
Different online food ordering business models have their own pros and cons, so it’s important to understand what are your needs in order to develop the right business model for your restaurant. This could be considering factors such as high operating cost, supply prioritisation and more.
Food delivery advertising ideas
Once you’ve settled on your business model, the next thing to think about is how you’re planning to market your food delivery. Many restaurants have switched to a takeout and delivery model. So how can you stand out from the competition?
Succeeding in the takeout and delivery business means offering your customers a fun and unique experience. It’s about more than just bringing them great food at home. You’ll need to find a way to give them a really memorable evening – even if they’re at home.
1. Give your customers the restaurant experience
Why do people go to restaurants? Hint: it’s not just the food.
Yes, great food is a big part of what keeps people coming back to your restaurant. However, your customers also come for the atmosphere. They love the sense of relaxation and the festive atmosphere that comes from going to a restaurant. They love feeling special, like they’re getting pampered.
In other words, people go to restaurants for the experience, not just for the food.
What does this mean for you? It means that you have to find a way to recreate the restaurant experience for your takeout and delivery customers. Sounds challenging, but in fact, there are lots of little things you can do to make your customers feel special at home.
Think of what makes your restaurant experience unique and try to provide that for your customers! It could mean providing a music playlist that they can listen to while enjoying their meal, or a brief note explaining the inspiration behind the different dishes. Small things can go a long way!
2. Add little luxuries
Everyone likes to get a little something extra. Tossing a freebie into your customers’ takeout bags is a quick and easy way to put a smile on their faces. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A simple dessert to round out their meal – maybe your house special brownies, or a few cookies?
Think about the kinds of perks you might offer customers in your restaurant. Do you offer them complimentary dessert? You can do the same at home. Do you offer them a glass of wine while they wait for a table? Consider doing the same with to-go orders (make sure that you’re complying with your state’s liquor laws, of course.)
If someone is ordering from the kids’ menu, why not throw in a mini box of crayons and a colouring page for the children? That’s the kind of perk you’d probably offer at the restaurant anyway. Bonus points if the colouring page mentions your restaurant or highlights your menu, since that works as free advertising for you!
An extra mini bottle of your signature sauce, or any other condiment, is also a nice touch. These little freebies don’t have to cost you much. This is an area where it’s really the thought that counts.
3. Brand everything
Packaging is also a great way to get your name out! Make sure that you’re branding your packaging with the name of your restaurant, and your logo.
You can print napkins with the name of your restaurant, or even with menu ideas. The same goes for drink cups and paper plates. If you’re using any reusable supplies, it’s especially important to brand them.
It’s also a great idea to include fun extras – maybe a frisbee printed with your name and website, or a little note pad. Just make sure that whatever you give your customers is high enough quality to last and to be enjoyable! You want your name to be associated with value and with quality.
More Food Delivery Marketing Ideas
There are countless tips and tricks on how to increase customer orders in addition to those above. We’ll throw in a couple more game-changing pointers that you can easily look up online for more in-depth information.
1. Build Your Presence on Social Media
By having a social media marketing plan for your restaurant, you can attract new customers and build a stronger brand presence. Start with a page on popular platforms such as FB and IG so customers can at least tag you when they post food reviews on their stories.
2. Partner with Food Bloggers & Influencers
People take their food recommendations very seriously. And if they have a large fan base of followers, why not send them a free delivery to give your dish an honest review? However, whether it’s good or bad, the whole world will know about it. So prep well and give it your best shot!
3. Take Customer Reviews Very, Very Seriously
Never ignore feedback, especially the negative ones. What they say has a direct and instantaneous impact on your sales. Address them quickly, and address them well. Look into the issue and respond appropriately. Admit mistakes and mishaps with an honest apology – offering a discount on their next order would also help rectify things and retain your pool of existing customers. If you are not getting any reviews, running a promotion that rewards feedback will help boost traffic.
Final thoughts on developing a food delivery marketing plan
COVID-19 has changed our world in countless ways. Many countries are looking to head back to a new normal and the increased preference for food delivery seems like it’s here to stay.
While it may challenging for restaurants to figure out a new normal in these circumstances, we hope that these tips will help to make the transition will be smoother for you.
