A Covid-Christmas: How Takeaway can help your Business this Year

It’s a Christmas miracle! On the 2nd of December it was revealed that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had been clinically approved for supply in the UK. Though this comes as a triumph for humanity, it is important to remember that the demand is very high. It will take up to a year for the vaccine to be rolled out and used to help people across the world. Until then, the hospitality sector will have to adapt to the coronavirus restrictions by utilising takeaway to reach customers. In this blog we discuss ways in which you can implement successful takeaway options, be it through a third party company or independently. But before that, read on to get a better understanding of the most recent Covid-19 information and what it means for the future of your business.

The November lockdown also finished on the 2nd of December and the UK was once again split into tier groups. For many cities across the country, not much has changed with the move from a lockdown to a tier three status. For those people and businesses affected by the tier three restrictions, life is a little more difficult. However, there is a positive! Many businesses have been able to reopen just in time for the Christmas holidays. Typically this would be the busiest sales period for shops and restaurants, but restrictions continue to prevent some businesses from opening back up. In all tiers, the following businesses can remain open:

• Essential and non-essential retail, including indoor and outdoor markets and car boot sales.

• Certain leisure and sporting facilities such as gyms, sports courts, leisure centres, fitness and dance studios, golf courses, swimming pools, riding centres, outdoor playgrounds – subject to relevant social contact rules in each tier. Indoor group activities and classes should not take place in tier 3 cities.

• Personal care and close contact services such as hairdressers and barbers, beauty salons, tattoo parlours, nail salons, spas and beauty services, massage parlours and tanning salons.

• Public buildings, such as libraries, community centres and halls. They should not host private events, such as birthday parties or most other social activities in tier 3.

• Allotments, recycling and waste centres, public toilets and car parks.

• Essential public services, such as the NHS, and medical services, courts, and jobcentre plus centres.

• Places of worship – subject to relevant social contact rules in each tier.

The government has also announced some more good news for everyone this Christmas. It has been confirmed that families and friends can form a ‘Christmas bubble’ from the 23rd December to 27th December, giving everyone some hope and a little bit of joy this holiday season.

Santa is wearing his mask, make sure you wear yours!

We’re not at the end of the tunnel yet. Normality still seems a while off, so here’s some guidance to help you stay safe during the pandemic...

Across all tiers, everyone:

• Must wear a face covering in most indoor public settings, unless they have an exemption.

• Should follow the rules on meeting others safely - keep a social distance and keep within the gathering number restrictions.

• Should attend school or college as normal, unless they are self-isolating. Schools, universities, colleges and early years settings remain open in all tiers.

• Avoid busy times and routes if you must travel on public transport.

• Should continue to work from home if you can, with the exception of essential workers. 

To find out more about the tier restrictions and what they mean for your area, read this helpful blog. 

What to consider before setting up as a takeaway:

So, you’re hoping to reopen your business before christmas? If you work in the hospitality industry, we have some advice for you. Covid-19 is preventing people from eating at their favourite restaurants, but you can bring the food to them! Open your business and offer customers takeaway to increase sales this winter.

Starting a takeaway does take time and effort, but is a viable option for the pandemic. With people cooped up in their houses, offering takeaway is the perfect business opportunity to help increase profits for your restaurant. Before you sign up to a food delivery company, research what would be best for you and your shop. We have some insight to help you on your way:

The three main delivery companies – Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats – all have different fees, commission rates, and regulations. Delivery companies usually charge businesses sign up fees, and while this isn’t typically payable until you start earning money, it is certainly something to check before you join!

Fees & Rates of Third Party Delivery Companies:

(Table: startups.co.uk)

Yes, it may seem simple to get deliveries taken care of through a third party company, but there are some drawbacks to take into account when partnering with them. Alongside the various fees, customer service will be out of your hands. If a meal is delivered late, to the wrong property, or in bad condition, it is harder to rectify as it is the responsibility of the delivery service. You will be associated with a brand name that isn’t yours, so if you want to make a name for yourself, it isn’t worth shielding behind a third party.

There is another way to get your takeaway business up and running! You could use a takeaway self ordering system provider to make a custom service for your business and customers. They can create customisable branded websites with integrated ordering systems that sync to your company. It’s worth bearing in mind that these options require you to have your own delivery or pick up service. If you have the means to deliver food, this is a great option, but regardless you can still offer and encourage customer collection. 

Customer's bills increase by 30% when using self ordering.

If you want to give customers the means to order food directly through you whilst saving money for your company, consider taking a moment to look into SPARK's Self Ordering web application to see how we could help you. Not only will you get a free, custom-made, business self ordering profile, but also the tools to offer collection and delivery, as well as a self ordering table service for customers that dine in with you in the future. It's a fantastic way for businesses to reduce their labour costs and become more efficient.

Where do you start?

Creating your own takeaway comes with its challenges. Get active on social media, establish a following and interact with your target audience. This way you have a place to advertise your takeaway with the chance to market to lots of potential customers. Do your research and find out what works best for you - whether you want to go through a third party or offer your own takeaway services. 

Make sure your kitchen is prepared for orders - to streamline kitchen management, consider upgrading to a KDS. The SPARK KDS helps chefs to track and process orders with ease, and can also be used as a customer collection display screen. Display your customer’s order reference numbers on screen and let them know when it's ready for collection. SPARK Terminals have built-in takeaway functionality that allow you to manage all aspects of the process, so if you want to stay on top of your game it is definitely worth upgrading your EPoS system. 

Above: Left - Terminal with Takeaway function, Right - KDS (aka Kitchen Display System) with Kitchen Check View (left) and Calling Screen View (right)

Want to take your business to the next level? SPARK provides you with CRM capabilities that allow you to store and access customer data whenever you need, such as their allergen requirements. You can remove any chance of human error by utilising the postcode search function to quickly autofill addresses or the customer database to auto-generate details for an order. 

Above: SPARK CRM

Learn more about how SPARK can help you set up as a takeaway this Christmas by getting in touch with us or booking a demo using the button below.