BUSINESS TODAY
8 Ways To Stay Resilient In 2021 By Jarrod Kinchington, Infor ANZ Managing Director
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he food and beverage industry has experienced unprecedented disruption and change in the past few years. From constantly changing customer preferences and trends and growing dependability on mobile technologies, to the global COVID pandemic, many F&B organisations have to entirely redefine the structures of their businesses. The 2020s will be driven by the impact of emerging cultural expectations, shaped by current times and by the impulse to innovate, rather than settling for what’s already in place. So what should restaurant and food services organisations do to continue to be resilient in this fast-changing landscape? Here are eight areas that will be the basis for long-term resilience in the 2020s and beyond.
1. Meet customer expectations with mobile ordering The need for social distancing during the 2020 global pandemic has accelerated the mobile ordering trend. To meet this evolving priority, restaurant and food services organisations need to create and develop the groundwork for a platform that’s designed to serve mobile devices. The goal is to grant greater guest control during the ordering process via integrated technology platforms that support guest engagement on personal devices. 2. Offer mobile-based payments Using mobile technology also means supporting different payment options for guests. Mobile-based payment apps (such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, Alipay, and others) satisfy
the need for convenience and for minimal contact during an era when social distancing is an important consideration. During the pandemic, contactless mobile-payment methods allowed businesses to remain resilient and keep staff and custome rs safer when cash, credit, and debit transactions took on entirely new implications. 3. Use kiosks to give guests more control Restaurant point-of-sale (POS) integrated self-service kiosks are another emerging solution to enable more guestdriven process around the ordering process. They give in-store customers a wider range of options to easily customise an order without fear of being misunderstood or even refused. 4. Invest in staff by providing better tools The cost of staff turnover can be significant, costing an average of USD$2,000 to replace an hourly employee, according to the US National Restaurant Association. By providing staff with better tools and technology, such as tablet-based POS devices, order accuracy and service speed increase, while stress on staff reduces. This creates a better customer experience and increases employee satisfaction and retention. >> HOSPITALITY BUSINESS - MARCH 2021 25
