"The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply."*
A common scenario for contract caterers…A firm’s ops manager realises that the process of ordering hospitality at their location is inefficient and time consuming for everyone involved, end to end…you might say the operation is ‘clunky’. The technical term is ‘shambolic’.
So, they speak to their friendly Spoonfed sales team and scoping out the operation, deciding on requirements and being made aware of the range of solutions which can be brought to bear, a pricing proposal is built.
But then the barrier…the caterer has explained the plans to the client but they’re not willing to pay for it. Stick with status quo…back to the shambles.
"The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply."
The Spoonfed team recently met with Catering Directors to update them on innovations etc. However, they were joined by their colleagues from the Finance dept. As we retold the scenario above, one question loomed large, ‘Why is the client being allowed to decide on issues impacting our bottom line?’ “… never seen until someone expresses it simply”
Spoonfed’s developments, esp post Covid, has placed into Caterer’s hands the tools to take up new opportunities, offer clarity and spend control to clients and make compliance and confidence part of the ordering experience no matter the complexity…however, it's clear that the reliable basics of saving staff time, by removing unnecessary manual processes and automating the order experience, is at the core of what Spoonfed offers and at the heart of what catering business need. Let’s, once again ‘express it simply’ - what’s being affected is the bottom line!!
Who’s paying for this?Customers ordering takes time and this affects the bottom line – yes, it’s also a poor experience for all concerned - but it’s an expensive time waster. There are unavoidable steps in any hospitality ordering: confirming what’s possible and when; checking costs; asking about allergens; often numerous edits to hospitality orders etc, etc - these unavoidable steps require to be tacked...and on average a 13 minute ordering time can be reduced to 4 mins using Spoonfed.
(At a time when having enough staff is a worrying concern for managers this solution becomes all the more pertinent!!)
And can the time-saving apply to even complex orders? – absolutely! Menus which have built in availability and lead in times means the customer is confident - not just hopeful - when placing an order. And even catering for events can be taken into the world of automation.
Mistakes can be avoided. Waste can be reduced. Order production streamlined and planning tightened allowing operations to work with smaller teams – so setting up online catering parameters (taking into account customer’s hybrid working practices) can ensure that staffing can be planned more economically too. Meaning that the catering staff can be better focussed on getting the right food, to the right place, on time, every time.
- Kahlil Gibran
