Food on the go continues to grow! According to the ACCS 2023 State of the Industry report, food sales generated a whopping $1.34 billion for the year. That’s a 12% increase in sales growth!
This presents opportunities for retailers to build a highly profitable and sustainable revenue stream for their business. Listening to Brett Barclay’s presentation at this year’s UCB conference, he stated, “If you aren’t playing in food now, you are five years behind. Food is bringing along a range of other categories with”.
Building your own food-to-go offer can feel like a giant leap, particularly if your bread and butter is not food.
To succeed and build a loyal customer base, food needs to be fresh and high quality. A variety of menu items need to be on offer that appeal to the customer base. All backed by fast service.
To achieve this, retailers need to do things differently, including the equipment they use and the processes and staff skills they call on. You need to think and act like a food operator, and this is a gap for many retailers.
At Meris, we specialise in cooking outside of the kitchen. The majority of our customers are not from the foodservice industry and don’t have traditional kitchens. Foodservice is not their bread and butter or at the core of what they do. However, it’s a highly profitable revenue stream for their business.
This includes supermarkets, petrol stations, convenience stores, bars, leisure venues and gaming rooms. Without a Chef or skilled kitchen staff, we work with these businesses to help them create highly profitable and sustainable food offers.
How To Start A Food-to-Go Offer
Meris Partner and General Manager Michael Brick gives his top 5 tips on how to get started:
- Decide on a menu before you purchase equipment
Often businesses will purchase more equipment than they need, or the technology doesn’t support future growth. Creating your menu first will set you up for success. - Choose a size to suit you
The leap into food doesn’t need to be a huge. A small but targeted food offer can be just as profitable as a large one. A simple program can start from under $20K investment and have paybacks within months, all with existing staff and minimal interruption to business as usual. Discover how Shell Colac has offered a successful and long standing food to go offer with no commercial kitchen. - Offer the food your customers want
It can be tempting to design a menu around what you like to eat. But the easiest way to see a return is to offer what your customers want to buy. Consider the types of customers coming in and at what times. Discover how supermarket Country Grocers grew sales by 41% in just 6 months appealing to local tradies and booming construction in the local area. - Evaluate your layout and resources
One of the common pitfalls when running a food-to-go offer is underestimating what you need, or over investing. It’s a finite balance. To avoid this, start with evaluation the layout of your premises, both front and back of house. Take note of your staff, what skills do they have to employ a successful food-to-go offer. - Ask for advice
You don’t need to do it alone. There are many moving parts to creating a successful food-to-go offer, and Meris can assist with bringing together all these elements to help you create your desired offer, including menu development, process development, staff training, equipment solutions, POS, packaging, and merchandising.
How Meris Can Assist You With Your Food To Go Offer
Creating a successful food offer takes more than quality equipment.
For anyone looking to start or expand their food offer, we recommend giving us a call or booking in a complimentary consultation.
To help you create a successful food offer, we consider:
- Your business goals – what do you want to achieve? What does a successful food offer look to you?
- Your target customers – are your customers tradies, out-of-towners, busy professionals or families? What foods do they want to eat? How can you attract more of the customers you want through the right menu options.
- Your layout – The layout of your premises will affect how you prepare and display food. We assist with working out the most ergonomic and efficient layout. Guided by our in-house Chef who has the experience of cooking day in and out.
- Your team – what skills do your staff have? How can we support them with training and process development to ensure a new food offer is embraced and keeps productivity high.
- Supplier availability – We work closely with food suppliers and can assist you with developing a menu based around what is readily available in your local area. This ensures consistency of supply.
From here, our team will put together a proposal that suits your unique business operation, clientele and budget.
This can also include recommended equipment, menus, packaging and merchandising suggestions, staff training and process development.
Ready To Get Started?
We are here to help. Whether it’s an informal chat about your current offering or if you would like to book a complimentary consultation, get in touch today by contacting 1800 265 771 or via our contact form.
Food to Go Introductory Offer
For a limited time only, purchase a Flexeserve or Unis hot display cabinet, and receive a complimentary introductory package with everything you need to start your food-to-go offer.
- Hot display cabinet of your choice.
- Complimentary 1hr consultation with our Development Chef, to assist you with putting together a highly profitable menu and packaging advice.
- Complimentary product training session for you and your staff.
But hurry, offer ends 19 July 2024!
To obtain a quote or for more information on Perfect Fry , contact Meris today on 1800 265 771 or email [email protected]
Ask us about payment options through Silverchef.
Comments are closed.