FOODSERVICE
Uber Eats at St Kilda Burger Bar
Alcohol can also be delivered through Deliveroo
DELIVER THE GOODS WITH CONSUMER DEMAND FOR FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES SHOWING NO SIGNS OF SLOWING, MADELINE WOOLWAY FINDS OUT WHAT PUBS CAN DO TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BOOM.
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he Australian hospitality industry is continuing to feel the effects of premiumisation across all segments. Pubs have carved out a niche by offering more than just a good feed – while menus have moved beyond a stodgy counter meal, pubs remain an important community space, giving their patrons a warm and comfortable place to come together. However, as the dining market becomes increasingly competitive, many businesses are looking to diversify their revenue streams and offering delivery is one of the most popular ways to do so. Given dining experience and atmosphere are such a central part of pubs’ identities, can the delivery movement offer publicans the same opportunity to generate additional revenue that it provides to neighbourhood diners, cafés and pizza parlours? According to some operators who’ve already taken the leap, the answer is yes.
COMPETING WITH THE COUCH In the past decade pubs have had to reposition themselves in response to changing diner expectations. With more restaurants offering relaxed and affordable, yet high-quality meals, pubs have had to do the same. Once able to rely on patrons loyal to their local watering hole and happy with a $10 steak, pubs are now expected to provide restaurant-quality meals
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without the restaurant-level price tag. Just as they’ve found their footing in the shifting landscape, a new competitor has arrived on the block – the humble couch. For shrewd operators, the best way to adapt to change is to embrace it. “We’re competing with the couch, so embrace the technology, grow your business and move forward,” says Rabih Yanni, owner/operator of The Grosvenor in Melbourne. “The couch customer is still a customer, just with a different dining requirement for that afternoon or evening.” In Yanni’s view, delivery platforms are just another shopfront and they come with extensive exposure, designed to help businesses get in front of stay-at-home diners. But does facilitating the couch diner’s penchant for ordering in mean that delivery will eat in to dine-in business? For The Australian Heritage Hotel, which implemented delivery late in 2017, this has not turned out to be the case. “It’s certainly more a way to generate additional revenue,” says general manager Lincoln Baker. The same is true for another Sydney stalwart, the Rose of Australia. According to owner Scott Leach, dine-in revenue has continued to grow in tandem with the addition of home delivery. Keeping the balance between dine-in and delivery revenue is simple: it comes down to the invenue experience, as Leach explains. “Our belief is that in-venue experience needs to be far superior to what people can get in their homes, otherwise bottleshops and fast food deliveries will kill us in the end. This is not just about the location of the meal and the price, the best operators we watch all reach and
