See Why QSRs are Catering Heavily to Order Customisation
Brands are going to lengths to accommodate each customer’s order preferences.
From bakeries to coffee shops to trendy restaurants, it seems like all Australian QSRs are compelled to offer some semblance of order customisation in order to stay competitive.
Many are allowing diners to mix and match existing selections to create their favorite food order, while others are letting consumers pick every aspect of their custom cakes, coffee and pastries.
Never mind the hassle and complication this brings to the business, say QSR owners and managers. Order customisation more than pays for itself in terms of high customer satisfaction and fierce brand loyalty.
At Muzz Buzz, coffee preference is treated with extreme reverence, to the point that employees are encouraged to remember the favorite orders of frequent customers.
“An individual’s coffee preference is very personal and very important to get right. With so many regular and loyal customers, it’s not uncommon to have your order memorised by Team Members in the store,” said Warren Reynolds, Executive Chairman at Muzz Buzz.
Meanwhile at Healthy Habits, order customisation is an integral pillar of their successful franchise growth.
“Our whole business has been built off the back of customisation so the basic answer for us is that of course that has been a competitive advantage for us,” said Mark Buckland, Managing Director at Healthy Habits.
But Buckland noted that offering customers absolute freedom to dictate their food orders may become the downfall of some QSRs. He argues that brands still need to decide and curate for the customer the best picks available.
“I think that there is a mistaken conflation of a consumer’s desire for variety with a view that customisation is the solution. In my view it’s not – curation of outstanding food really is the hallmark of a good food provider and something that will lead to a competitive advantage for businesses like ours that continue to invest in curation of good quality, fresh products,” said Buckland.
Such a strategy is at play in Burger Urge, where “if we have it we will make it.” Diners are offered a large leeway for choice and customisation, but this is tempered with optimal suggestions from Burger Urge staff.
“While we might recommend against mixing cranberry with pesto, if you really want it we will do it. We will always give our opinions on what we thing will work well, but who are we to say what you will like,” said Pete Kilroy, Marketing Manager at Burger Urge.
At the end of the day, there is no strict formula for successfully offering order customisation. Each restaurant, led by their chefs, will decide on how extensively they will allow the diner to tweak the existing menu to their preferences.
“Quality restaurants have been divided for years, with some strict chefs sticking by their guns and saying ‘I’m a professional, and I know best,’ while other more modern day chefs have been willing to bend to every whim or the customer and have had their venues become loved establishments for it,” said Kilroy.
While order customisation for restaurant dining may not always result in a spectacular meal, cake and pastry shops feel obliged to give customers absolute creative control.
Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse has been offering the Designacake service since 2006 where people could design their own celebration cake online, including uploading a photo to the top of their cake, said Steve Plarre, Chief Executive Officer at Plarre Foods Pty Ltd, which operates the chain.
In late 2013, a brand new version of Designacake which accommodates custom designs up to a 3-tier celebration cake. It also allows them to upload a photo to the top of their cake, choose from a huge range of side cake designs as well as choose the filling of each cake layer, and even view the cake in 3D on screen to ensure it adheres to their meticulous specifications, said Plarre.
Croissant Express is planning to implement iPad ordering kiosks which will allow our customers to make their own products, all while being quicker and more labour efficient, said Neil Soares, CEO at Croissant Express.
“Made to order has always been a central part of our business and we will be expanding that part of our business in the future in conjunction with our new, more premium product offering. In general, we plan to make our whole experience more interactive with the customer. This will be highlighted as we move to a ‘grab and go’ concept where our customers can choose what they want from open air cabinets,” said Soares.
QSRs can also learn a lot about the shifting customer eating habits through order customisation, as patterns of preferences rise and fall. This has led to valuable consumer insights at Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue, where customers can customise their coffee extensively – from size, type, milk variety, sweetener to dine in or take away.
“Increasingly over the last 10 years, we have witnessed customers tailoring their coffee order, whilst cappuccinos used to hold the top place,” observed Serge Infanti, Managing Director at Foodco Group, operators of Jamaica Blue and Muffin Break.
But now “customers today are more likely to request a flat white, latte or even a piccolo,” he said.With order customisation becoming part of the status quo for QSR service, not offering such a variety of options is tantamount to giving your rivals a definite edge. For this fact alone, it is becoming clear for QSRs that some form of order customisation is a must instead of a nice-to-have.
“We believe this flexibility is critical in the current marketplace,” said Infanti, citing efforts to also factor in dietary restrictions and other such lifestyle considerations when offering Jamaica Blue and Muffin Break customers the ability to customise and tailor their order.
