Tips for Food Delivery and Take-Out Options

Take a
look at your menu and identify the high profit menu items that travel well.

• No need to
  offer your entire menu for food delivery.
• Feature
  some unique comfort food meals for families during this time.
• Make it
  fun and let them know who you are and why you enjoy serving them.

Invest in
good packaging and transport supplies to make sure the food arrives in good
form and at the right temperature.

• When
  utilizing a third party delivery service, always seal your bags, consider
  tamper-proof stickers.
• It is an
  added step that will resonate with customers that you care.

Make sure
the food presentation looks good.

Include
brand identification or creative ambiance generators. Could be a business card,
coupon, a logo cup, be creative.

Add a
thank you note….or a trivia question, or photo request that includes
interaction on social media and repeat business.

Communication
with Your Current and Potential Customers.

• Identify
  the method of ordering and pickup experience customers will receive when they
  connect with your business.
• Present
  your story with video testimonials.
• Engage
  through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and more.
• Connect
  with emails, blogs, online ads, local food bloggers and influencers.
• Make
  content fun, personal to your customers, and or employees and events.
• Partner
  with food apps and make sure your restaurant is listed. Keep your Yelp and
  google listing updated.

Have a
good online management program in place.

• Respond to
  customer reviews in a timely manner.
• Post
  regularly to your social media channels. Remember- pictures and videos are the
  most viewed posts.

Frequently Asked Questions Foodservice Guidelines During COVID-19 Are there any additional requirements I need to follow to prepare for delivery? No. Follow general food safety practices when preparing food. Exercise frequent hand washing procedures. Limit interactions with customers and remind them to wash their hands before eating. The goal should be “contact-less delivery” to protect employees and customers. What are acceptable takeout and grab-and-go methods? You can take customer orders by phone or in-person. All beverages must be filled by employees. No self-service beverages or customer refills. Give single-use items like napkins and condiments directly to the customer instead of putting them in a self-service area. Can customers walk through the dining room to get a to-go order? Customers can come into the facility but may not consume food on site. Such establishments may continue to offer food for take-out or delivery provided the social distancing protocols including maintaining a consistent six-foot distance between persons are followed, and provided measures are taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on containers of food and other items transferred between food servers and customers. Such establishments are strongly encouraged to offer online ordering and curbside pick-up of food. Does the prohibition of eating food inside the facility apply to outdoor seating areas as well? Yes. Customers cannot order takeout food and sit in outdoor seating areas and eat the food. It must be consumed off the premises. Be sure to check with local and state guidelines for updates. Monitor news and developments coming out of the state and federal governments. Resources from the National Restaurant Association: www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/business/ Assoc-State-Covid19-Resources.pdf https://www.restaurant.org/COVID19 Source: National Restaurant Association, www.restaurant.org