In this interview, AVTES’ Sarah Fitzgibbon interviews David White from Simplot Australia about how to design a profitable takeaway menu. You can watch the video version of this interview at – https://youtu.be/Zbq5hDqMUFg
Sarah: Hello there, hospitality heroes. Welcome to another week of our weekly coaching. Today I’m very lucky and very excited to have David White with me from Simplot. David is a professional chef with over 19 years experience in product development and 35 years as a qualified chef. He studied cookery in the UK and holds a diploma in professional cookery and he’s qualified as a master chef. David has a strong background in team leadership and managing costs and budgets at an executive level and has extensive experience in working with corporate brands and acting as their ambassador. So thanks for joining us today. David, you are joining as lovely group of proactive and positive hospitality business owners here as we try to, I guess, survive and thrive through this time.
Sarah: And so today I’m really excited to have David from Simplot. So a month or six weeks ago, I received this flyer in the mail. Which was about converting to take-away or delivery during Corona virus, which was very apt because obviously that’s the concern of a lot of people at the moment and there was some great information through there. And I thought this is a topic that I know a lot of people are struggling with. I’m sure you see David, especially at the start, and I think there’s still some people struggling. When moving from dining to take away, they’re just using this existing menu with the same process. Have you seen a bit of that? And I see some people are still doing it.
David: Sure have. I mean I think you know that the beautiful thing about takeaway, and this is probably a bit different to even 10 years ago, is that obviously the delivery services are there for us to get that done today. Cause I think things would have been dramatically worse if that hadn’t been there for people. But you’re right, I mean, you know I think I saw a stat the other day that takeaway was up by nearly 200%. So that’s just a huge gain. And, it’s just enabled these businesses to get going, but yet the prospect of being able to take your existing menu and just flip it into takeaways…
David: Probably not a great idea on a couple of fronts. I mean, obviously you’ve got to think about your cost factor. Not all dishes are going to work in a takeaway level that you might be using in house. So you probably got to think about maybe them being a little bit more cost effective for people in the takeaway market. Then secondly, you know, what the product’s actually going to do. So are they going to survive that robust delivery process that we all know is kind of out there. So smart businesses that I’ve seen definitely have and this is pre COVID, would definitely run two menus and I think that made all the sense of the world. And you know making sure that the dishes were suitable for that process. So just a little bit of thought around that and costing differently because obviously we know the costs that are attached with paying the delivery services, to get that done.
Sarah: Yeah. Cool. And do you think, I guess, so people are doing this, I think with a degree of success. Have you seen anything like how do you think people are generally coping and adapting to take away? Do you think there’s like people who are doing well?
David: Well, I mean, I was looking at some stats the other day, I mean, home delivery was on a pretty good trajectory before COVID. The millennials have really embraced this anyway. It’s kind of the way they do it, right? When I say millennials, it’s not even millennials anymore. It’s X’s now, that’s just the way they do it. I mean, my daughter bought a coffee to be delivered. It’s like, are you serious? But I think some of us older generations have gone, well we’ve got no choice now but to give this a go. So obviously that is then enabled these businesses to grow and with technology and we found that technology is actually helping us to keep going with business.
David: I think hospitality has kind of worked out that deliveries actually can work for everybody. And a few things that I’ve seen that have been quite clever is, you know, I always think of QSR advertising is a good litmus as to what’s kind of happening out there in the trade. If you kind of see what’s kind of happened with the QSRs is you can see they’re talking about family. So it’s about providing meals for lots of people. And I think now with restrictions kind of easing and groups of people being able to get to other people’s homes still can’t meet in restaurants just yet. But so it’s how do I cater for people within the home. So family boxes of family meals, yes. That larger, that larger sort of, I’m going to cater for that larger group has been successful. And, and as I say, that litmus test is when you see the QSRs advertising that then it’s generally kind of happening.
Sarah: I went to McDonald’s the other day as I do, because I’ve got a young family, nearly everyone was walking out with one of those, the big family boxes, big red boxes. Cause it’s only like 25 bucks, and you get 4 burgers. That’s what the kids wanted. So that’s what we got.
David: And I think, you know, a lot of the smart businesses that they’ve picked up on that too. And the other thing I like, what they’re doing is going well, you know, I’m doing okay with takeaway. But what’s the add on to that and how do I step that up? So what I’ve seen now is it’s how you’re doing take home packs. So you two forms; either look here is everything that we would normally do as an ingredient. You can take this home and cook it yourself and we’ll give you the recipe to do it. Or this is a catering pack, which will, you know, maybe have the quiche made and that sort of stuff, but you can make the salad. So they’re giving people those options as well as additional add on. So the classic hot delivery, there’s the option of building yourself the thing.
Sarah: I think you can really increase that average order value. I was talking to someone, a really good way to do that is to have a free delivery ceiling that is just like not far above, you know, like a family meal. And then well you can pay $10 for delivery or you could buy another meal and get it free.
David: I mean, that makes sense. Right? And that’s something that you can do tomorrow. And just another couple of things I’ve seen is where people start to add on a few you know staples like milk and bread and that sort of things that can be delivered at the same time, which, you know, potentially you can almost see continuing because if it makes it easy for people and the drivers are coming anyway, why wouldn’t you?
Sarah: Yeah. Well, like you said, when McDonald’s is doing it, then you know, that’s a good indicator there’s obviously some sort of value in it at the business level because they have the money to analyze all that stuff.
Sarah: And how long do you reckon take away will continue to be as things change? It seems to be a very likely to be a very slow return back to whatever the new version of normal is. How long do you think take away and delivery models are going to be for hospitality businesses?
David: I think, I think it’s here to stay, right? Like I said, you know, it was already on a pretty good trajectory anyway. I think it’s going to continue. I think what’s probably going to come into play, especially in the short term is probably I’m not sure this is the right word, but I think with takeaway, I feel it’s going to be who’s going to be the most hygienic. And I know, that that sounds a little strange, but I think there’s going to be a lot of nervousness still around food and that sort of stuff coming out of this sort of stuff. So packaging, having the bag sealed the right way, making people feel confident that the product’s been, you know, not too handled by the time it’s kind of got to you. And those sorts of things will probably be some of the stuff that’s going to set businesses apart in this delivery space. If I receive a delivery and it’s a bit sloppy and you know, I can see it’s not been packed with care that kind of has a knock on effect of what else has kind of happened to this and I think just people are going to be overly cautious in this sort of space. I feel that that’s going to happen.
Sarah: Yeah, and I think that’s like getting your marketing and your messaging right around all the extra precautions. That you’re doing that extra communication as well as like even, you know, what your staff are looking like or the delivery drivers. If people are sloppy or not well-groomed, then unfortunately it comes across, you know, unhygienic.
David: I actually wrote it down this morning as the ‘Hygiene Wars’. I know that sounds a little crazy, but I feel like exactly that. I mean, if I was in business right now, those are the messages I’d be sending out, they’d be, I’m doing this smarter, better, safer than my competitor and I want to prove that so you buy from me. And I think that smart businesses will certainly be doing that.
Sarah: And I think people, they do it once and then think, Oh, I’ve already done that. And I think it’s important to remember with marketing that just because you think about it all the time doesn’t mean that that’s being reinforced to your customers so you should continue, keep telling people over and over again.
David: This is why we do it. Yeah.
Sarah: So we’ve talked a bit really about why dine-in doesn’t really work for takeaway I guess. And that’s really, looking at the cost and the price point and also the type of dish it is, right, that it won’t travel well. So what does work for a takeaway and a delivery menu. And is takeaway and delivery the same thing, do you think or not?
David: Yeah, I think so. Cause I think the parameters are kind of the same, whether it’s your car or whether it’s someone else’s. But I mean, look, it sounds logical, right? I mean, you know, crispy things are just not going to do well. You know, deep fried stuff is going to struggle. You know, I was lucky enough to do a whole lot of research again, pre COVID, around delivery. And you know, again, the delivery services took about 20 minutes, but it’s not 20 minutes. It’s 40 minutes kind of getting around. So you know, you’ve really gotta be just thinking about what is going to, what is going to survive that and get to the customer in good shape. You know, I always use the analogy of if I say to you, ‘French fries’ already, you’ve got a, you’ve got a perception in your head around what French fries are.
David: You’re thinking long, crispy, golden, that sort of stuff. Right? And it’s 40 minutes in a delivery pack. They’re just not going to do it. So I’m already, you know, I’ve already not met your expectations, by the time that I’ve got there. However though, if I said to you ‘wedges’ or ‘gems’ or something like that, your expectation of those is kind of different and you’re probably going to be more forgiving of a product like that. So even in that sort of simple analogy of choosing something that’s probably going to do a better job than another, is a smart thing to do. And then obviously you’re going to talk about casseroles and wet dishes instead of fries and things like that. That was always just going to work, they’re going to be fine.
David: They’re going to hold the heat, they’re going to, you know, it doesn’t matter how long they cook for that, they’re going to get there in fine shape. So you gotta think about that. I think things like hamburgers you know, the buns are always going to go soggy, right? So what can I do around that space? Could I have the bun separately and ask people to put that together when it kind of gets to you or what else can I do? Is there clever packaging I can use? That’s gonna just a little bit of thought I think in kind of getting that.
Sarah: Yeah. That’s really thinking about the customer and the customer’s experience, isn’t it? Taking it back to that.
David: Not dressing the salad, just simple stuff. Right?
Sarah: So keeping those separate, and letting people do that part themselves, same as sauce on the chips.
David: I personally would rather do that myself than have someone do it. But in a restaurant environment you’re going to, obviously, you know, if you were loading your fries, for example, as an example we were talking about, you’re going to do that and send it out like that. But maybe that’s not the right option for delivery, but is an option to put the sauces in the bag. Right?
Sarah: So.. Chips. Obviously you think they’re the easiest to get right, but they’re the easiest to get wrong.
David: It’s tough.
Sarah: What should you do about chips?
David: Well look, again, I mean, back to what I just said before, so chips and potato, so we can talk about potato. So there’s a couple of things I talk about. Again, back to that, that fry analogy. You can talk to people about French fries or you could choose a different offering because you know, like I said to you, if I’m going to send you some gems or some wedges, you’re gonna probably be happier with the result of those coming in to me.
David: So that’s one way. Yeah. Chunky chips do better. We’ve got the ‘beer battered bad boys’. You know, they’re Whoppers. You know, the expectation on those is going to be different, you know. But I mean, we’re lucky enough that obviously we’re a chip business. We knew that this was pain point for the industry out there. We knew how important that was. So we’ve got a product called delivery chip, which is actually designed for that. These guys were already a problem before, it was already a problem. And again, I talked about hygiene wars before, there’s chip wars out there too, right? I mean it sounds, it sounds crazy.
Sarah: I couldn’t believe it when I went to a food fair, and people saying how long it will last, how long they will stay crispy, and coatings…
David: I’ve researched it a fair bit. It’s the second, the second most important decision point is how good the chips are going to be. I mean that’s how, that’s how important that is to customers out there.
David: If I’m after a burger then there’s, well who’s got the best chips? And you know, if you’ve got two burger joints and one’s got ordinary chips and one’s got great chips, well I’m going to spring over that way. So that’s, that’s the kind of, chip wars and when I was talking to a lot of guys out there in the trade pre COVID that was definitely, it was definitely understood. Because Uber has a rating for chips, right?
David: So people will actually search a business by chip rating right? So getting it right is really important. So when, when we thought about that, we came up with delivery chip, which has a 40 minute hold time and it comes as a different package. So it has a, we call it a delivery system because it comes to the packaging. Put those chips in this box, and our guarantee to get you there. Crunchy. And the other beautiful thing about it is, again, thinking about that if they get there cold, you can microwave. It sounds a little freaky, but because the batter is so, so crispy, it will actually take a 20 seconds zap in the microwave. Put the heat back in the chip, but they’ll still be crunchy. Because that’s the other thing about delivery and also using delivery services is, and I found this out myself when I went through research, is the consumer, the customer doesn’t understand that it’s the delivery service that’s causing the issue, they blame the restaurant.
Sarah: And so many times you see that one on comments and feedback where the response is just like, we can’t control that.
David: And it’s the restaurant that will take the complaint. And it’s probably been in the back of some guy’s car for too long and it, that’s nothing to do with the restaurant, but it’s still the restaurant that kind of cops there. So something like that delivery chip was designed to give that restaurant the buffer to sort of say, well, if I want to deliver in confidence, that’s what I can do.
Sarah: And I mean, like that’s a whole different conversation, isn’t it, about delivery and how implementing that, whether you’re outsourcing or when you know, you do it yourself.
David: Oh, well that’s starting to change too. I think, you know I’m starting to see a lot more people do it themselves.
Sarah: Yeah. And you know, you can control it a lot better if you do it yourself.
David: Well, it’s almost, it’s almost become when you push people into a corner they’ll find an alternative. And I think some of the, some of the costs have just been so prohibitive in this space.
Sarah: And like what a fantastic aspect, especially if you, it’s going to be a huge part of your business model for, to control the customer experience more by doing it yourself. I’ve heard of so many recently, even like big chefs and stuff, doing the delivery themselves and that like having that interaction to be able to, and the customer to see and to thank them personally cause other, you know, if a delivery driver, they’re not going to thank them. It doesn’t matter to them.
David: So someone turning up with your, your business’s shirt on in your car, presenting your business. Yeah. Has lots of upsides. I was looking at the other day, there’s some really slick payment systems out there now, which are around. And I think that’s, you know, those delivery services offered the payment system as well. Now you can get the payment system organized. You can do it yourself cause that was the hard part. So that’s being taken care of. So that opens it up now. So yeah, I think that will change.
Sarah: Yeah, it will change everything. So we talked about chips. The other thing I was asking you was talking about fried stuff, and I know from experience that the biggest selling item on all the menus is fried chicken, right? Whether it’s a fried chicken burger, all the pubs are still selling huge amounts of parmas. Like, it’s mental, is there a way or you know, what sort of stuff is there out there for people to be able to try and do that a bit better?
David: Packaging is huge. Right? you know, I sort of say to someone, Oh, let’s take our delivery chip we’re just talking about before, like super crunchy, but it doesn’t matter, if I took those chips and wrapped, wrapped them up in glad wrap, right. It doesn’t matter. Like they’re not going to get there. So you’ve gotta think about how you’re going to, what’s transport method with that, you know, paper and cardboard are always going to be better than plastic.
Sarah: Is that because like the crispy stuff cause it won’t sweat?
David: There’s just a little bit of breathing that can go on on there. But then, there’s all different scales on that. So if I took a paper clamshell container as it is, right, I put my chips in there or my deep fried product in there and I don’t put a hole in it, right? It’s going to be better if I put a hole in it. And then you can keep going up that scale. And then you can go and talk to packaging companies that have a lot of stuff that is just specifically designed for that to let air flow and that sort of stuff come through. But just thinking a little bit, something you can do in that space is always better than if you don’t, you know? So if I, if I chose, you know, a paper clamshell over a plastic one, that’s better if I choose a paper, which get better, and then the packaging that you put it in, so is paper going to be better for you, sealing that bag down.
David: So that people can see that it’s not been tampered with and those sorts of things. Even the way you load the bag. Right? So if you’re packing your bag, you know it’s really good idea to put your heavy hot stuff on the bottom as an insulator. You know, you’re always thinking about, Tony’s takeaway as a good analogy. So I would put my wet dishes on the bottom, my spring rolls go in the middle and my prawn crackers go on the top. Cause I don’t want them to get broken but they don’t need to stay hot. And then I can use napkins and paper towels or whatever. To kind of packing around it. And anything like that is going to help with heat retention is going to be, it’s going to be really helpful.
Sarah: Yeah. So they’re really great tips because you know like, I guess if you speak to maybe a packaging supplier, they might be able to tell you that, but other things are just sort of knowing it or someone telling you.
David: But, like everyone would know this. It’s just some people, some people sometimes, because you’re busy, you know, they don’t think of it.
Sarah: And so having that, I guess this as a system for people who are doing the packaging is really important too. So to have that maybe even written down for people so that whoever’s doing it packs it the same way, you know, you’re producing the same way.
David: And diagrams are really good. Right? If you can sketch it out and stick it on the wall and say we pack like this because people are visual, it’s gonna make it just so much easier. Yeah.
Sarah: Yeah. Cool. And so in terms of pre-prepared products, I guess that can help. I was talking to some people about maybe, we said too about reducing the cost and maybe, I know at the moment and probably moving into the future, maybe reducing labor by using convenience type products to a degree as well. Have you guys found that you’ve been producing, you probably have anyway cause delivery, but some really good items for people to use in that space?
David: So I mean, yeah, Simplot is a world of convenience. It’s kind of, it’s kind of our starting point. But I think, you know, managing costs in a kitchen, I mean it’s kind of a different world. I’ve thought a little bit about this. You know, things like frozen vegetables where appropriate are gonna really be helpful because you know, you’re not going to, you’re not going to be sure what your business is, is going to fluctuate, right? Yeah. Anything that’s got an extended shelf life could potentially save you some bucks. Right? So if you, you know and with frozen vegetables, I mean, I know all the cons of using frozen, but there’s also a lot of pros. You’ve got consistent pricing. You can take what you need, you can put the rest back. So if you’re doing cauliflower cheese, it doesn’t really matter whether that cauliflower cheese is from fresh cauliflower or frozen because ultimately, you know, you’re going to put a white sauce on it and things like that.
David: It’s just an example. So what I’m saying is use convenient products where it makes sense and where it can save you money and, and maybe, maybe chefs out there should be thinking a little bit harder about that because maybe they don’t have the labor right now because they’re, they’re doing it tight. And also they might have things kicking around in the fridge or freezer longer than what they like and they’re waste is just going up. So using convenience products where it makes sense. Depending on the dish, where you can get away with it. Where, where you can actually, you know save some bucks. I mean, that’s what I would be doing. I’d be breaking that down. So what do I need to, I need to manage my costs, right? So what do I have to, what do I have to do and where can I tweak and where can I kind of, you know, make a difference and find these products that are gonna help me out.
David: So sure. Anything like frozen vegetables are going to do really, really well. And then, you know, there’s the whole lot of pre-made stuff. I mean we’ve got some great, something like our flathead fillets. I mean I would challenge most people to know whether that was made in house or whether, they’re hand-dipped anyway. Right? So again, finding a product that, that you’re comfortable with at your standard to sort of say I’m kind of okay with that, but then it still can be mine cause it might be the way that I seasoned it or it might be the way that I top it or the way that I serve it, it’s still my dish. But I’ve saved myself that time of doing that base product and I’m still comfortable to call it my own.
David: So it’s finding those sort of products that you want to be comfortable with. But ultimately at the end of the day…
Sarah: There’s also like those pre-cooked, like those 24 hour bbq things that you can get as well as.
David: Lots of sous vide products out there. And again, with, with all of those sorts of things, is how you finish something. So if you buy a convenience product that’s premade, how are you finishing it? So let’s take an example of a casserole. For example, you’re buying the casserole, you reheat it and then you top it with, you know bacon and, and grilled mushrooms and whatever, and croutons across the top and you finish it and garnish it your way. You know, it still becomes your dish, but you’ve saved yourself that labor as long as you’re comfortable with what you’re kind of starting on. The way you finish something, your finishing touch still makes it yours, but what you’ve got to then really think about is your labor costs because they’re huge, right? So most businesses are around what, 20, 25, 30% of their costs are massive, right? So any of that sort of space you’re going to save or, or the other way to look at it is if you save labor, then what else can I do with it? Could I put them onto something that’s gonna make me more money.
Sarah: Yeah. And I think you’re right that hopefully people are costing to that sort of degree. If you’re doing your menu costing properly and you’ve got those spreadsheets worked out. I know a lot of them work on the POS now too, then you can see how tiny changes in labor and ingredients costs can have a really big impact on that percentage. And when most people are working from, you know, 2% profit, you know, that’s the average. And you know, tweaking that like a couple of percent is huge, you know?
David: And that’s money straight in your pocket, right? Um the other thing I’d probably mention this space as well is, is the length of your menu or the length of your offer. You’re better off to do one or two things really, really well. And they’re, and they’re shifting out of the door as opposed to a dozen things and, and half of them aren’t moving.
Sarah: And I think most people would probably find they have that, that sort of happens organically a little bit to a lot of people so it’s good to be looking at that data and maybe you could double down on that a bit more.
Sarah: Another guy I was talking to the other day he was doing, he’s at a restaurant, they designed the menu and it’s got some chicken ballontine on it and, they don’t do much fried stuff. So they’ve got chicken ballontine and a fish dish and haven’t sold any fish. And I was like, well why is it still on the menu? And he said that they’ve sold heaps of chicken ballontine.
David: Well then what can I do with the chicken ballontine? Is there another way I can say value add to it in a different way?
Sarah: He was a bit like me. I mean I rarely order chicken when I go out, but I will often order fish cause it’s not something I make much myself. But fore many people chicken is their go-to like, yeah you gotta have chicken on your menu. So pricing considerations for takeaway and delivery. People want to pay a bit less don’t they?
David: I think so. Yeah, that’s right. I mean, you know, you can hide some costs in bundle deals, right? So you don’t want to say hide some costs. You can make it a better value proposition.
Sarah: Yeah, exactly. Make it seem more value. If the person thinks that they’re getting more value than the price, then they’ll feel better about the transaction. Marketing 101.
David: Totally. And that can just simply be a clever, clever selection of products that you’ve put together in a sensible way that sort of says, I’m going to bundle this up like that. Could certainly do that as opposed to ordering by individual items. Could be that sort of stuff.
Sarah: Like a value meal. I mean burger and chips and a Coke separately costs you a lot more than together.
David: Or even cost effective add ons, so here’s your base meal and if you add X and add Y, it’ll just cost you two bucks more. People are much more comfortable to kind of do it that way. And they’ll probably have the add-ons if they seem reasonable and they could be really profitable for the business to make sure that they just upscale that their revenue coming in a little bit. So sides are great, add-ons are great. Build it your way is great because you can then sort of, you know, here’s our base burger, but add bacon.
David: I think you’re right. I think you’ve got to really think about, you know, your business, your delivery should be within reason, should be somewhat more cost effective than what’s going to be eating out there. And I think clients want to, customers want to see that because they’ve, you know, when we know you haven’t got to wash the dishes, we know you haven’t got to clean the table after this. We know there isn’t the waiting staff. So I’m not silly. I would expect that a little bit cheaper. Not super much cheaper, but I do expect it to be, cause I’m going to be doing it myself.
Sarah: It’s not many people that’s going to pay for sort of $35, $40 to have a steak, like a main meal at home so, you know. But I said the same thing. I think separating things more. So having the sides separate. The unfortunate thing is when people do take away is a little bit different to dine-in. A lot of the times dining-in people look at the individual prices, but they tap without looking at the end. So the total’s not a big deal. Whereas when you take away, it’s a bit different. It’s less about individual prices, the total is there and they see that before they pay.
David: It’s a really good point. I mean, you’re adding it up as you go aren’t you, when you’re doing a takeaway. So yeah, they are under no illusion of what it’s going to cost.
Sarah: Yeah. But I think you’re right, bundling things up and showing people where they’re like, you saved this much by buying it like this, and you avoided a delivery fee, etc.
David: Add ons, add cheese, add bacon, those sorts of things are great. It also gives another trend that we always talk about, which is personalization, the ability for someone to have it their way. Right? Which is what, especially this, especially the millennials and X’s, that’s what they want. So you can deliver to that. You can deliver to that trend too by building it your way.
Sarah: So what have you seen, what are the most popular sellers that you guys are selling at the moment?
David: So chips, so delivery chip has gone gangbusters, which, who knew, right? We kind of picked up on the fact that this, on the trajectory of home delivery, was on the increase anyway. But because it’s become so important, we had that product in the market, so it’s gone whoosh. Because everybody just wants it.
Sarah: Like that’s so good, all the research and dollars and investment that you guys are putting into that – great timing.
David: It was, it was like, who knew? Yeah, it’s great. Well, it’s great for the businesses out there because they’re able to give their customers what they want and obviously is good for us because we were out there with a product that kind of worked really well, but you know, there’s some great stats from Simplot. I mean, somebody in Australia every day will eat a product from Simplot. So that’s kind of the scale of the business, whether it’s food service or retail. And you know, you can eat something from us every day. But we’ve got classics like the Chicko roll you know, our fish products, Lego’s tomato paste, like there is stuff out there, that’s kind of institutional or that just is always going to be huge sellers and people would just kind of go to. I think we sound like something like 18 million Chiko rolls a year. Right. I think there’s about 20 to 25 million Australian. So roughly all having like one Chiko roll a year, if you think about it that way.
David: They’re kind of, it’s just an Aussie icon. But yeah, chips, chips are huge. And those, those sort of products that have been Aussie favorites for years obviously sell well and we’re huge in fish were huge in veg. And yeah, we’ve got, we’ve got plenty of products, but delivery chip is kicking goals.
Sarah: Yeah, it’s huge. And if that was me, I’d want to know where can I get it, like through any supplier?
David: Any of your distributors. Um yeah, absolutely. Edgell Supercrunch Delivery, is what you’re looking for and it comes with it’s own packaging to help you get that done as well. Which is tamper-proof which kind of picks up on the other tip. Someone’s not nicking their chips out of the bag. So yeah, kind of delivers on a lot of fronts.
Sarah: Was there any other advice in terms of like people designing their takeaway menus or that you know, just what’s happening in the industry that you wanted to talk about with people?
David: I think the only other thing I’d probably say is, is now is a good opportunity to connect. So you know, what are you doing around Facebook? You know, the good old fashioned, leaflet drop around the area, right? So we talked a little bit about hygiene wars and, and those sorts of things. But if you’re doing delivery and you’re doing a good service, you’ve gotta tell people about it, right? So you can’t just assume that they’re going to know. So, I mean, even simple things like I’ve seen where people putting chalk boards out the front of their businesses saying, we’re open and we’re doing this. I think, you know, well, it sounds logical, right? But you know, I think you’ve got to tell people, about what you’re doing.
Sarah: Like I said, people do it once and then they’re like, Oh, I don’t want to be too pushy. I’ve already told them. But you’ve got to be, you’ve go to tell people over and over again.
David: Absolutely. I mean, if you’ve got staff that might be looking for something to do, get them, get them on a leaflet drop. Right. Why not? You know, I still respond to stuff coming through the letterbox. Right? So never underestimate it. Talking to your local community, I think, cause they’re the ones that are gonna support you.
Sarah: I’ve heard in marketing it’s this sort of known thing that if you put in a letter box too, like a plain piece of paper, people will pick that up. Cause they’ve got heaps of glossy stuff like that goes straight in the bin. But like a plain, like a, you know, like a little flyer from a local window washer. It’s like, Oh, what’s that? Is it a special deal? And it’s local. I guess you have that feeling that it’s local and everyone’s being so supportive at the moment.
David: And I think that’s what people are like that at the moment. They want to, they want to support local community. They want to support people around them. So it’s a good opportunity to get your message out, let people know what you’re doing. So to summarize all of that, let people know what you’re doing, do it hygienically do it in the right packaging at the right price point and it’s a menu that works for you in regards to it’s costing. And if you get all those things right, you should make some good bucks out of takeaway and people want it. Yeah.
Sarah: Awesome. Sounds good. I think that we can wrap it up here. Thank you so much for joining me, David. I think it’s been really valuable information here for people that they’ll be able to refer back to. Again, some great little tips there. And you know, I think there’s something that everyone can learn.
David: And if they want more information, you can contact us through the Simplot website, so simplotfoodservice.com you can get onto us that way. Or there’s telephone numbers probably on the brochure that’s there. I’m happy to have a chat with anybody who needs some advice, so, yeah. Awesome.
Sarah: Well, thank you very much David. And if you want to join in, if you haven’t registered to get these recordings sent to you, feel free to jump on to our website avtes.com.au and you can register to be invited to these weekly webinars so you can join us, you can submit questions for our experts and you can also receive the recordings for yourself later on. So thanks again and I’ll see you guys later.