Food Profits Formula Day 5

Food Profits Formula Day 5

An industry experts view on the top 5 things you need to be thinking about, when looking to re-start your food sales in your pub.

You may recall my top 5 recommended actions that you can do now, to ensure you give yourself and your pub the best possible re-start to your pub food business. If not, click here to have a read and refresh your memory.

In yesterday’s blog post, Food Profits Formula Day 4, we covered check point number 4 – Review and tweak your menu content to avoid wastage if trade is slow at the start and ensure you can cope with demand if you have trade peaks.

As promised, here is the checklist for point 5.

Get all your customer communications published and printed, so customers are 100% clear about your plans and tactics to serve great food in a safe way.

• Work out what your key messages are that you wish to communicate:
  • New Covid 19 compliant processes in the pub such as; 2m distancing, hand washing, hand sanitising etc.
  • When you are serving food, what the opening menu looks like. Promote your top signiture selling dishes. Why customers have chosen you over your competitors in the past.
  • How to order and pay for food.
  • Any initial promotions or incentives.
• Agree the best way to communicate the various key messages: How often you will re-issue? Update the messages via your marketing channels such as; Facebook, website, leaflet drop, external and internal posters and chalkboards etc.
• Think about how best you can convey your message: How to set the correct tone to let your customers know that you care greatly about their individual safety. Let them know all you are doing to minimise risk, thereby creating confidence and trust for them to choose to return, knowing that you will look after them in your pub.
• Set up some form of customer feedback suggestion box:  To capture positive customer comments that will help to reassure other customers. But, also to capture customer concerns so you can take appropriate action if needed.

As previously mentioned, I would strongly recommend you view the re-start of your food offer as an opportunity to relaunch your food offer to both previous regular customers and potential new customers. We know big brands will have well thought out strategies in place to get customers into their pubs. Make sure you give yourself a fair chance to get your best share of the market! CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL. You have one chance to get this right.

Tony Aram (Pub Food Consultant).

For more on independent help and training from food specialists, click here.