In this time of crisis where we all feel like nothing is in our control, one of the most important things any business owner can do is to maintain a direct relationship with their customers even though they can't dine in right now.
When the crisis ends, and it will end one day, the customers who remember your brand's name and the quality it stands for will be the first ones to walk back in through your doors.
Our online and text ordering services help you take orders from your customers directly under your brand and under your control. We're by your side during this crisis and we'll help lay the groundwork for the recovery.
The food truck business is split in half right now. There are some out there who will claim that there has never been a better time to be in business. The other side will tell you that they don’t know how they’re going to survive. Half of the market is choosing to look at the positives of food trucks: mobility, not having to worry about their dine in business, and literally offering curbside takeout. The other half is wondering what they’ll do as 100% of their revenue previously relied on walk up traffic.
This post is for food trucks around the country looking to persevere through a national pandemic and continue to build great businesses. By learning from other food trucks who are weathering the crisis, you can absolutely thrive in today’s world.
As soon as the coronavirus crisis hit, major third-party delivery apps announced they would reduce the slice of each order that they take in order to help restaurants weather the crisis. Several of those initiatives were later revealed to be misleading or not as helpful to restaurants as they initially sounded, and in fact there are now lawsuits and government actions being taken to help reduce the commissions paid by restaurants.
To help clear up the confusion, we’ve put together this guide to the promotions each of the big 4 delivery apps are running, based on the latest available public information.
“Great opportunities can be and have been created during tough economic times.” - Howard Schultz
The restaurant business is tough and it just got a whole lot tougher. As someone who used to own restaurants and now works with restaurant owners every day, I have the greatest respect and admiration for those who are pushing through during these unpredictable times. There are countless stories of restaurant owners stepping up by donating meals to front line workers and making every attempt to put employees first.
COVID-19 represents a seismic shift in how business is done and how consumers interact with your brand. Those who are able to push through and adapt have the potential to thrive. I wrote this post for those of you who are looking to thrive amidst all the chaos. Nobody knows how long this will last or what kind of damage will ultimately be done. What we can do is adapt and continue to build a great business in this new norm.
There was a time when opening a restaurant meant finding a good location, working with a good chef, picking out the decor, printing some menus, and then opening your doors to the public.
Today, that’s just the beginning of the struggle for attention and business that determines whether a restaurant thrives or fails. Picky diners use their phones and computers to analyze every single photo, rating, and review before deciding where they’ll eat, and it’s up to owners to make sure their restaurant stands out from the crowd online.
Most business owners, ourselves included, started their business for a variety of reasons: to be independent, to work for ourselves, and of course to make a decent living.
Unfortunately, restaurants today are facing a revolution that makes these goals more and more difficult to achieve. The exploding popularity of ordering and delivery through mobile apps has led to diminishing margins and reduced independence at local restaurants across the country. These apps have become unavoidable middlemen, cutting restaurants off from their customers and extracting high commissions.
