Questions and Answers
How to get your business ready for the reality of
COVID-19?
Download the FREE handbook with ideas, recommendations and guidance on how you can adapt your bakery, pastry, restaurant or sweet business to get through the COVID-19 storm. The handbook will be updated regularly – based on new insights and the changing business reality.
Keeping your business up and running, and organizing that in a safe way is not easy. Below we bundle frequently asked questions and a few recommendation and best practices that might help you in organizing it in a safe way!
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ANSWERS
For bakeries, pastry shops, chocolateries and restaurants located in cities, home deliveries through Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat, Takeaway and many more offer good options for fresh delivery in and around the city. They apply social distancing precautions and safe delivery practices to get your creations safely at the homes of your customers.
Especially on the sweet side of life: there is plenty of savory to order through home delivery – yet room for more sweet supply to meet the demand. When doing it right, you can benefit from staying open – as restaurant: behind the scenes of course – and for other outlets to even make some extra business without major adjustments.
In the countryside, bakeries, pastry shops, chocolateries and restaurants often organize home delivery themselves: mostly during a specific moment or timing during the day or week to keep things organized. They often close the shop during those times and delegate the delivery to the shop assistants. Promoting your home delivery offer on social media and/or website is the quickest and easiest
e.g. only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 8-12AM
only on Friday and Saturday from 9AM – 4PM
Lastly, many chocolatiers fulfill online orders with delivery through postal services or express shipment companies. Due to the situation, national and foreign shipments may take longer due to safety checks and the immense amounts of parcels to be processed. This especially may harm your fresh products. We recommend consulting your postal or express delivery services.
With these 8 tips & tricks you get your creations in perfect conditions at the guest's home!
Tip 1: Be smart with your menu offer: avoid too complex or delicate products
Choose the ones that can handle transport per bike or scooter.
Tip 2: Outsource your home delivery to multiple parties
You pay home delivery services a fixed percentage per order, while avoiding extra fixed costs such as a subscription or promoting your own ordering and delivery system online. It is better to make multiple agreements and avoid being dependent on one party.
Tip 3: Be well prepared
Reorganizing staff and communicating clearly is half your win. But also take extra busy moments into account. In terms of home delivery, it is rush hour between 6 pm and 8 pm.
Tip 4: Keep the delivery area restricted
Focusing on a smaller area around your business in city centers opens the door to thousands of potential customers. And even when organizing home delivery yourself, a more limited area allows for better, timely delivery. Once that runs smooth, you can always think bigger.
Tip 5: Choose a good (and appealing) packaging
The first impression counts, also for the receiver of the delivery. Making sure your products arrive in perfect condition (bump-proof and nicely wrapped), makes a big difference. Adding a personal note also works wonders!
Tip 6: Advertise your home delivery service
Home delivery in these times are a plus! Make sure to promote your deliveries on your website, and even more important: through your social media channels.
Tip 7: Keep an open line with your customers
Always let your customers know immediately what and when they will be delivered. Even when working with a delivery service. Pro-active communication prevents possible complaints afterwards and evokes understanding and understanding.
Tip 8: Always ask for feedback
Ask customers for their opinion. Check the reviews. Keep an eye on how you’re performing – maybe to even improve further.
In case you organize delivery yourself, ask your customers to avoid cash payment – at all times. Communicate it clearly to your customers at the time of ordering: on your website, on your social media channels, etc.
Ask your customers to settle with contactless payment. There are plenty of payment apps and affordable, wireless payment-terminals to organize payment safely. In case your customers would touch the device or use the pin-function, cleaning the appliance after contact is not a luxury.
