We have kicked off a campaign aiming to get to the bottom of restaurant chain struggles in the early part of 2018, with a survey aimed at food and drink businesses.
With chains from Prezzo to Jamie’s Italian facing hardship in recent months, and with government data saying that at least four restaurants are closing every day, we have decided to investigate further; is Brexit really to blame or are there other factors at play? Is there a single solution that could act as a buoy for the rest of the market?
We are asking members of the industry to participate in the survey to provide an inside view of the market’s struggles. The anonymous survey also asks what challenges, if any, their own brand is facing. With the collective responses, we hope to build a clear profile of the sector, identifying pain points and potential solutions to commonly-felt problems.
A question we are looking to answer is this: do third party ordering aggregators help the market, or are they inhibiting restaurants and bars from building their own digital brand? Is the service they provide seen as a wonderful route to revenue, or a necessary evil?
Nick Hucker, CEO of Preoday comments: “It seems many of the restaurants facing struggles offer delivery through companies like Deliveroo, which charge hefty commission fees, but few of them own and market their own ordering platform. We are wondering whether such technology aids these brands in engaging direct with their customers. Does it do enough to differentiate them from their competitors and build a more loyal customer following? And indeed, is such differentiation what is needed in these challenging times? We aim to find out.”
The results of our research, alongside consumer insights, will form the basis of a report offering guidance for businesses on navigating the identified industry challenges.
If you work in the restaurant / bar / pub industry and want to take part in our research, follow this link. Professional participants will be eligible for entry into a prize draw to win a £150 Amazon voucher and will be sent a copy of the report once complete (terms & conditions apply).
It’s not as catchy as: ‘When is a door not a door?’ (answer, when it’s a jar) but it speaks to the idea that in-car collection, and the technologies that support it, are flexible enough to bend to the needs of a business and its guests.
Delivery can be daunting to the uninitiated, and it might be tempting to sign up with a third-party ordering aggregator that offers the service, such as UberEats, but other options could suit your business and brand better. Here we present three different ‘levels’ of delivery, starting with the most basic – and cheapest method: doing it yourself.
