Beyond the Door: Extending Restaurant Hospitality to Delivery Diners

Delivery has become the go-to dining experience for many customers thanks to growing consumer demand for convenience. This opens the door for restaurants to provide a positive experience to off-premise guests that extends your brand’s superior service beyond your doors.

Challenges of Extending Hospitality to Off-Premise Guests 

When customers are in your restaurant, it’s all about creating the complete experience through good food, ambiance, and service. When guests are in your restaurant, your staff can easily detect and address issues in real-time.

Comfortable seating,  appropriate music, sparkling clean utensils, and staff available to answer questions and offer recommendations can set the mood for either a romantic night out or sunny patio brunch.

With delivery, however, restaurants lose some of these environmental controls which makes elements that can be controlled, (i.e., thoughtful packaging, personal touches, order accuracy, and delivery timelines) just that much more important. By extending your brand’s positive offerings to your off-premise diners, the delivery experience is elevated, whether the customer plans to enjoy their meal in front of the tv, in bed, or at their home office desk. 

So what motivates people to order in rather than eat out? A recent survey by Food on Demand found this compelling data.

Stats to Consider

• 76% of participants enjoy eating at home. 

• 75% of participants say it’s the convenience factor that drives them to order. 

• 50%of participants  like to eat while they watch TV. 

• 49% of participants prefer not having to cook. 

• 32% of participants choose delivery so that they can wear comfortable clothes

• Consumers dine out 3x/month, while ordering delivery 4.5x/month.

• 54% are willing to wait over 30 minutes for off-premises orders 

What’s important to note is that wait times, food quality, atmosphere and socialization are among main indicators for choosing to dine out rather than ordering in. With 63% percent diners reporting experience as the main driver for heading to the restaurant, enhancing hospitality to off-premise guests is essential.  

11+ Ways to Extend Hospitality to Delivery Customers

Bringing a positive experience to delivery customers is all about extending the same personalized, warm, and thoughtful hospitality that you'd offer your in-person guests to your off-premise customers. We’ve put together this guide to get you started and offer inspiration.

Here are some effective ways to enhance hospitality for delivery customers:

1. Thoughtful Packaging

It's also important that your food’s packaging travels well  and is a good reflection of your brand.  

• Branding: Ensure your packaging is branded and aesthetically pleasing. A well-designed bag or box is a great way to elevate the experience.

• Quality Materials: Use packaging that keeps food at the right temperature and preserves freshness. Insulated containers, spill-proof lids, and breathable materials can help.

• Sustainability: Many customers appreciate eco-friendly packaging, which can add to a positive experience.

• Smart Packaging:  Aiming  to improve the overall delivery experience by ensuring food arrives in the best possible condition while also providing added convenience and value, smart packaging for restaurant delivery is designed to enhance the customer experience by addressing a few key issues  such as temperature regulation, tamper-proof evidence, separation, and more. 

  
  

2. Brand Experience

• Prioritize Presentation: Thoughtful packaging and food "traveling well" are just the bare minimum. For delivery customers,  presentation of your orders may be the only way to convey your brand. Packaging should look and feel high-quality and reflect your restaurant's personality.  

• Consistent Presentation: Ensure that the food arrives looking and tasting as close as possible to how it would in the restaurant.

• Menus and Promotions: Add a printed copy of your latest menu or an insert promoting upcoming events or specials to keep customers connected to your brand.

3. Accuracy and Attention to Detail

• Accuracy & Care: Double-check orders before they leave the premises to ensure accuracy and avoid missing items. Pack condiments, utensils, and napkins neatly.

• Customization Requests: If the customer makes special requests, make sure to acknowledge them by labeling the modifications on the containers, showing you took their preferences seriously.

• Add a kitchen expeditor: A kitchen expeditor is a highly effective staff member that acts as a liaison between the kitchen crew, waitstaff, and delivery drivers, ensuring a steady workflow. 

4. Personal Touches

• Leverage Bags as Marketing Tools: Leveraging delivery bags as marketing tools can be a powerful way to boost customer loyalty and increase revenue. 

• Thank Customers: Including a short thank-you note or a personalized message in the delivery bag goes a long way. You can also add a message about the day’s special or an invitation to visit the restaurant in person.

• Complimentary Items: Offering small freebies like a sample-sized dessert, fridge magnets, or a colorful coupon for their next order can create a memorable experience.

5. Clear Communication

• Real-Time Updates: Use delivery tracking to give real-time updates on the order status. When partnering with Sauce, both you and your customers can track deliveries and see accurate ETAs to manage expectations.

• Follow-up: After delivery, consider sending a text or email to thank the customer and ask for feedback.

6. Ease of Ordering

• User-Friendly Website: Make ordering directly from your website a breeze with an intuitive interface, smooth payment process, and loyalty rewards to incentivize repeat business. 

• Order Customization: Offer flexible options for customers to modify their meals as they would in the restaurant, with clear instructions for any changes.

7. Customer Support

• Dedicated Line for Issues: Provide a clear and easy way for customers to contact your restaurant if something goes wrong with their order.

• Premium Delivery Support: With Sauce, customers no longer have to wait 25 minutes or more on the phone as the platform handles your calls and supports delivery.

8. Leverage Feedback 

• Encourage Reviews: Ask customers to leave reviews on Yelp, directly on your website, or social media. This feedback helps you gauge customer satisfaction and provides an opportunity to respond to issues.

  
  

9. Do a Test Drive 

• Taste Test: After analyzing customer reviews and trends, try the off-premise experience out for yourself.  Box up your top-ordered items and either take them home with you, or let them sit for a half hour before opening them up and. 

• Ask for Feedback: Discuss findings with your team and don't be afraid of a little trial and error.

• Ask Yourself: 

  • How do different meals hold up? 

  • Is the food arriving at the right temperature and with the right texture? 

  • Could packaging be improved? 

10. Stand Out with Photos and Promotions

• Engaging Menu Photos: Use high-quality images on your online menu that captures the essence of your restaurant’s food. Great photos make your listing more attractive and professional.

• Promotions: Consider running special promotions on your websites like free delivery or a limited-time discount  to increase visibility and draw in new customers.  

11. Offer Incentives

• Loyalty Programs: Add flyers or cards promoting your loyalty program or any perks that customers can enjoy by ordering directly from you next time.

  
  

Take Away

By bringing these elements of care, personalization, and communication to the delivery experience, you can create a more hospitable environment that mirrors the service customers would expect if they were dining in your restaurant.

By Eileen Strauss