The pandemic brought about a rise in demand for online food delivery services. For operators, this presents a unique challenge in trying to make up at least partially for losses in dine-in sales with innovative food delivery ideas.
One of the key adaptations that operators can make is to enhance their delivery menu. They can focus on meals that travel well and excite diners in the comfort of their homes. Want to increase demand for your food delivery business? Follow these useful tips.
1. Showcase Dishes Through Crave-Worthy Food Photography
Adding stellar food photos to your menu page can increase sales by 30%. Access a free photography course at UFS Academy to sharpen your skills in lighting, composition, styling, and editing.
You’ll meet food photographer Remjo Kraaijeveld and Chef Justin Niessen for a masterclass on perfecting food pictures, so take the course and get snapping!
2. Ensure Your Food Delivery Ideas Exceed Expectations
Your online food menu shouldn’t simply be a digital version of your restaurant’s dine-in or takeaway catalogs. When it comes to winning the food delivery game, everything counts. Here are some things to consider when drafting your lineup.
- Keep it simple: Your full dine-in menu doesn’t have to be available for delivery. A more compact selection allows for easier operations and better delivery times.
- Don’t forget add-ons: Offer additional sides or extra protein, sauce, and anything else that could improve the dining experience at home.
- Complete the meal: Suggest beverage pairings for your meals to boost check prices.
- Offer food and drink specials: Blast specials on your social media pages to drum up extra business and excitement about your offerings. Make sure to post with photos!
- Consider family-style meals: Think beverage, appetizer, salad, main course, and dessert. Meals for the whole family make it easier to serve, and they also mean less packaging waste for you.
3. Focus on Simple Yet Flavorful Food Menu Ideas That Travel Well
Some of your best dine-in dishes may not withstand the rigors of the road. If this is the case, you can supplement your menu with alternate options suitable for delivery. Here are two recipes you can consider offering.
Beef tapa banh mi
Vietnam meets the Philippines in this banh mi with cured beef strips. Already boasting a balance of sweet and savory, this sandwich also takes hints of sourness from Knorr Sinigang sa Sampalok Mix and meatiness from Knorr Liquid Seasoning. Serve it with pickled vegetables and a Lady's Choice Real Mayonnaise-based dressing.
Beef caldereta pasta
Explore two culinary cultures at once with this beef caldereta pasta recipe. It's bursting with Filipino flavors and Italian elements! The combination of juicy olives, fragrant bell peppers, and sweet carrots makes it a bright addition to any menu.
4. Highlight the Wholesomeness of Your Dishes
Increase sales by appealing to the health-conscious side of diners who’d usually prefer having their meals at home. Start with these steps:
- Identify a selection of dishes featuring wholesome ingredients, then group these dishes and place them at the top of your menu. You can place them under a “Better for You” section to draw attention.
- Highlight the aspects of these dishes that make them great for the immune system. You can do this by including some benefits in the descriptions. For example, if a menu item features turmeric as an ingredient, you can highlight its anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Work with food delivery operators to promote your section of healthy dishes.
Are you looking for a wholesome online food menu to create? These dishes use ingredients that will leave your customers feeling better than ever.
A recipe that hails from Vietnam, this refreshing appetizer wrapped in rice paper comes in different versions. Although this recipe has seafood in it, you may opt for an all-vegetable filling for vegetarian diners.
Here’s a delightful dish that adds an exciting Filipino twist to the familiar creamy bouillabaisse. It’s a terrific complement to grilled dishes or a light salad!
5. Provide Great Value With Family-Style Meals
Family sizes represent fantastic value for money while making purchase decisions easy. They can order food, drinks, and even side dishes in one set rather than purchasing them separately and incurring additional charges.
Be sure to include set meal options for groups of all sizes. A good selection of choices includes individual meals, meals for two, and bundled sets or feasts for a family of four to six.
Salads and soups are a great way of creating family-style meals while taking advantage of batch processing in the kitchen. Try out these shareable options.
Crispy pata
Knorr Pork Broth Base and Knorr Rostip Chicken Seasoning Powder enhance the simmering liquid for this dish. Make it more exciting by offering various dipping sauce options.
Salted egg prawns
Take your guests on a Singaporean culinary adventure with these crispy fried prawns, coated in an umami-packed salted egg sauce.
Make your restaurant stand out in a competitive space by strategically implementing these food delivery ideas. Food photography, new menu items, and enticing specials might require extra costs upfront, but they're worthy investments. These will enable you to regularly serve patrons who prefer to eat at home while attracting new customers to your business.
