As another year begins it’s time to start thinking about your catering business goals for 2020.
Whether you’re a catering contract business looking for larger contracts, a restaurant looking to improve your Tripadvisor rating or a hospitality organisation looking to double your turnover, now is time to start planning ahead, so that this time next year your catering business goals will be ticked off, and you can get to work making even bigger plans.
Whatever your catering business goals are for this year, here are some of my top strategies that will help you as a business owner achieve growth, streamline your processes and most important of all – add to your bottom line in 2020.
Introducing Technology
Foodservice businesses have been described as an ‘analogue industry’ with the opinion being that because it is a people-centric sector, that it does not need to adopt technology to survive, but this is not the case.
The use of technology in the way people research and order their food is growing, and the introduction of delivery apps like Deliveroo, UberEats and Eat has revolutionised the way customers now think about food.
The introduction of these apps has meant that it is easier than ever for customers to deliver their favourite foods, it has reduced the barrier between customer and kitchen to a minimum – and it has created a sense of impatience in customer’s needs.
If your organisation plans to introduce, or re-vamp the way it uses technology, now is the time to start planning.
Upgrading your website is a great place to start, with 81% of respondents in one study stating that they had researched a restaurant or eatery online before visiting. More importantly, 70% of customers said that being able to read a menu from a mobile device quickly was an important factor in helping them decide – is your website mobile friendly?
If you are a restaurant or foodservice business that wants to be integrated onto a food delivery app, don’t delay – restaurants who register with foodservice apps see an increase in sales by around 30%.
Additionally, it is becoming more common for restaurants to build their own apps to showcase their menus, accept payments and even attract nearby customers with the help of app-building tools such as Appypie.
A Focus on Health and Wellness
This issue is relevant across the board in catering – for both customers and employees. 2019 saw a massive increase in the trend towards ‘conscious’ food – with consumers demanding more plant-based and ethically sourced dishes.
If you want to increase your revenue in 2020, catering for ‘alternative’ diners should be on your to-do list. Even bona fide meat-eaters are exploring vegetarian and vegan dishes more, with vegan food the fastest-growing takeaway option in the UK.
The new year is a great time to reassess your menus, to look at what worked in 2019 and what didn’t, to introduce new and exciting dishes and ingredients. Foodservice market analyst and author of ‘The Future of Foodservice 2025-2030’ Simon Stenning revealed his predictions for the future of UK dining habits at the Foodservice Forum 2019 recently. He predicted-
- Less meat
- Personalised meals
- Sustainable meats (such as chicken)
- More authenticity in menus
Incorporating some of these into your menu will help to attract the increasingly conscious public to your establishment.
In addition to healthy choices for diners, there will a big push for wellbeing in the workplace in 2020, and employers who focus on this are far more likely to attract and retain the best staff, which will be the decider of your success.
Catering Contracts
I just want to mention this, as I was recently looking over the list of the fastest-growing UK catering companies, and the 2019 winner, ‘The Proper Food and Drink Company’ (formerly One Event Management) had achieved such considerable growth by outbidding their rivals to win some prestigious contracts such as Formula E and the Ryder Cup.
The success of your catering business will ultimately come down to the contracts you win, and to do this; you need to have the best possible team underneath you – which brings me onto my last point.
Your Catering Team
Finally, to be successful in 2020, there is one thing that you cannot ignore – and that’s your catering team.
With foodservice jobs expanding at a tremendous rate – the worth of the industry is set to hit £100 billion by 2026 and a staggering £160 billion by 2030 – it is no secret that you are going to need staff not just in volume but in skill to stand up against your competitors.
I have covered in more detail the main points that you need to consider when assembling a contract catering team which you can find in this blog post here.
Additionally, if you need help locating staff for your team for 2020 and onwards, get in contact with us at KSB Recruitment. We can help identify your catering and hospitality staffing needs and put you in touch with only the very best candidates; use our online contact form or call us on 0121 702 1428.
Thanks,
Dawn
About KSB
We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry with over 28 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with obsessive attention to detail.
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We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire.
