Commentary

Speaking of a great food experience, I was reminded the other day how much I enjoyed the distinctive salty and flowery taste of month old Play-Doh during my formative years. What jogged my memory was reading how Hasbro had successfully trademarked the smell of their popular brand.

Working in an industry where the customer is pivotal to your success, it’s important to acknowledge and understand their needs and requests. We used to roll our eyes at the ‘difficult’ customer with an allergy or demand. But in 2019, it’s time to embrace their needs and preferences – and if you don’t, they’ll simply go next door to the store that will. Working as a consultant in product development and nutritional communications, I’ve always got my finger on the pulse of dietary trends – here are the top five requests we’ve seen so far in 2019:

Make no mistake, one of the main reasons people invest in a franchise system is to follow a track record of success.

You might think that PC stands for Personal Computer, maybe Politically Correct or even Police Constable. In foodservice, it refers to Portion Control.

Just Eat and Dutch rival Takeaway.com in Europe have agreed to proceed with consolidation, creating one of the largest delivery companies in the world outside China.

Fiona Southam, Sales Director of Food & Beverage ANZ at Oracle, advocates for a data-driven approach in fostering customer relationships.

Just because technology makes it possible doesn’t mean we must use it, especially if it reduces and not enhance the customer experience.

CHEP offers a solution that would reduce eliminate bulk waste from the restaurant.

Learn how reusable packaging can play a much larger role.

If you’re a franchisee, then you have one of the toughest jobs there is.

Accredited retail specialist valuer Simon Fonteyn explains the changes to leasing requirements.

According to ER Strategies' general manager David Price, there has been no real test case as yet to provide clarity on how the new Vulnerable Worker laws will be applied by the courts - but this will only be a matter of time.

“No restaurant segment or brand is immune to focus on enhancing the customer experience,” McDonald’s CFO Kevin Ozan said late last year. He went on saying the brand would invest two-thirds of its capital in accelerating guest experience.

The economic tsunami that hit retailers with a mighty force was unavoidable. It caused the closure of thousands of stores from across the world - from well-known brands to unknown stores - the waves did not discriminate.

…or just not feeling all that well?

Did you know that mobile food ordering has now eclipsed ordering via the telephone in most markets? Additionally, the reach of restaurant categories that weren’t typical delivery options has been extended; historically Pizza, Chinese and perhaps Italian sandwiches were common, but much of what you will find in the mobile sphere nowadays wasn’t available for delivery. In the mid-90s, McDonald’s offered bike delivery in China, but that was certainly an early move in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) space to explore the field. But the playing field has changed and every food outlet, ranging from a well operated QSR, fast casual to a luxury, Michelin-starred restaurant has the potential to see growth “in the bag” as bags leave to cater to those who ordered to go/takeaway for delivery.