The announcement fell: in the French zones the most tended on the sanitary level, a curfew is established from 21 hours to 6 am. As much to say that for the restaurant owners, already very badly treated by the crisis of Covid-19, the period which arrives announces itself again animated.
While many may be tempted to simply close their establishment in the coming weeks, there are options and actions to maintain business.
1st reflex: activate your online order
We now know: delivery can continue during this curfew period. Offering an online ordering service is a good way to maintain the link with your customers, to reach new prospects and above all to keep a profitable activity despite an early evening closing.
By "activate" we mean 2 things:
- Implement an online ordering solution if not already done;
- Promote it as much as possible during this period, in order to increase its adoption, the frequency of purchase and the average basket;
These actions will be all the more interesting in the long run as they will allow you to create a consumption habit with the customers who already frequent your restaurant, or those who will come back to your place later!
If you don't have a solution yet, contact us now. We will do our best to get you up and running as quickly as possible, and support your business with the most advanced online ordering system on the market.
Why offer live ordering when Deliveroo or even Uber Eats can handle it for you?
Simply because you will avoid paying heavy commissions on each order, and will be able to take advantage of this period to enrich your customer file and the community that follows you. What is better than a relationship without intermediaries?
That said, depending on your market, it may be worthwhile to combine these different channels to reach a particularly large target audience.
Then, don't forget to :
- Promote this service on your social accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
- Send an email to your subscribers and customers
- Propose a special offer (e.g. free drink or dessert on the first live order)
- Put up posters and flyers in your restaurant to let your customers know that they can also find your flavors at home, after 9pm
We have gathered all the tips to boost the online ordering : download our white paper on this subject now !
2nd reflex: diversify your schedules and your culinary offer
Not everyone will be able to have dinner at 6pm, that's true.
But in the coming weeks, it will be important to offer evening menus available earlier than usual, namely in the early evening... and with a timing announced at the time of reservation!
Several retailers and restaurants have already started to offer curfew-friendly products.
Evok Hotels, for example, have announced an announced an "all day dining & early dinner" concept very soon after the government announcements:
Beyond the question of hours, this is also the time to think about an offer more adapted to daytime consumption:
- Expand the breakfast offer;
- Diversify the possibilities of snacking in the morning, in the afternoon... ;
- Create offers specifically designed for off-peak hours, in order to work on a maximum of slots;
- And why not develop a "grocery" or "cellar" part according to the identity of your restaurant. The latter could also be considered for home delivery.
And to reinforce the presence of consumers who want to go out, but not necessarily to dine, tapas, small dishes and live music offerings can make a difference!
Finally - and we will have the opportunity to talk about it again during a meet-up dedicated to this subject (registration here), rethinking one's business model by making it evolve towards a dark kitchen canmake sense in the current context.
