A few years ago, an employee wishing to eat in the company had several options: home-made or buying outside via meal tickets or the canteen. No wonder the latter, with their varied and extensive offers, were the queens of the market.
Since then, the arrival of foodtech, the evolution of telecommuting, and the Covid-19 crisis have created a lot of upheaval in this sector. To survive, overcome these crises and remain relevant to its diners, the contract catering market must reinvent itself. Innovation, diversification of its ranges, flexibility... the solutions to generate excitement are fortunately numerous, and the different actors of the market did not hesitate to seize the opportunities offered by these new challenges!
Changing consumer habits, a first challenge
1. Competition from foodtech
The arrival of new players has presented a first major threat to the sector. Deliveroo, Ubereats, Frichti... these new competitors allow employees, attracted by the diversity of the offer, to order new types of meals at any time of the day. Diners appreciate their more flexible schedules, attractive prices and more varied menus than in a traditional canteen. The only drawback? The need to wait for food for at least several minutes, and the incompatibility of certain services with meal tickets.
2. The COVID-19 crisis
The Covid-19 crisis, and the modernization of corporate practices in general, has also fostered many changes in employee consumption habits. Telecommuting has become much more common, schedules are more flexible, and the type of catering desired echoes these changes.
3. Organic, organic, organic!
The latest change in consumption habits is directly on the plate. As in all food sectors, consumers are turning more and more to responsible consumption. Organic, short circuit, angling, vegetarian or vegan menus. The requirements on the quality and the origin of the food consumed are increasing. To remain relevant, the catering industry must follow this movement and adapt their offers and menus to these new habits. In addition, it's good for the planet!
Adapting its offer, an essential issue
To maintain a competitive edge, the catering industry must adapt to these many changes in consumer habits and become more versatile. On the plate, by offering more eco-responsible menus adapted to all the dietary restrictions of the guests, in the room, by allowing a flow adapted to the new sanitary measures and a sorting of waste and also outside the place, by offering solutions adapted to the flexibility of the employees.
The key word? Flexibility. Flexibility in the schedules, the menus, the place where the guests can taste... Adapting to the new consumption habits is essential to the survival of the collective catering.
New technologies to increase flexibility
Numerous solutions are available for catering companies wishing to adapt their offer to the current situation of companies. They can notably:
- Have meals delivered to guests at home while telecommuting
- Allow employees to pick up their lunch to go
- Allow employees to pay remotely
- Allow employees to eat at any time of the day
For home delivery, businesses can look into the various fast delivery services that exist around them, or decide to expand with the help of "dark kitchens". Dark kitchens are concepts of kitchen workshops, either little used by hotels or other businesses, or created from scratch, to allow you to relocate your kitchen anywhere in your city. An ideal but expensive solution to be able to deliver hot and on time all your guests directly to their homes.
Collecting their lunch without necessarily sitting at the table is also a growing demand from most employees who prefer to have lunch at home or directly at their office to save time. Cardboard containers, deposits, glass jars... there are many eco-responsible solutions that allow guests to enjoy your service even from a distance.
Connected fridges are an increasingly popular option within companies, and allow you to offer innovative flexibility. All you have to do is load the fridge with recyclable containers, then the guests open it with a badge, choose their dish, pay directly on the fridge and then return their container after the meal to be cleaned and reused. An eco-responsible, practical and fast solution that corresponds in every way to new consumer habits.
Finally, remote payment terminals are a valuable technological aid for catering services. At Innovorder, we offer one of the most advanced e-commerce solutions on the market. Our online ordering kiosks allow you to:
- Develop take-away sales via click&collect
- Develop delivery with remote payment
- Create a Drive option, where your guests can pay and then pick up their meal
- Build up a customer file and promote customer loyalty
- Automate orders, for even more flexibility
A turnkey solution that allows you to gain flexibility and loyalty among your guests, and thus to easily overcome the many challenges facing the catering industry today.
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