Expanding Delivery Options for a Café
I am a small business owner running a local café. I’ve been approached by a local food delivery service that wants to partner with us to expand our delivery options. My current staff is already stretched thin, and I’m concerned about how we can handle the increased demand without affecting our in-house customer experience.
What should I do? Please advise using 7SFS
Here’s how you can approach this opportunity using the 7 Steps Fulfilment System (7SFS):
1. Celebrate & Be Grateful
Acknowledge the Opportunity:
Celebrate that a local food delivery service has approached your café for a partnership. This is a great sign that your business has a good reputation, and it offers an exciting growth opportunity.
Express Gratitude:
Be grateful for the opportunity to expand into the delivery space. It’s a chance to reach new customers without the need for additional physical space.
2. Align Your Fulfilment Vision
Reaffirm Your Café's Vision:
Align this new opportunity with your long-term business vision. Determine how expanding into delivery complements your existing strategy. Does it align with your goal of increasing revenue while maintaining a personalised, in-house customer experience?
Set Clear Goals for Delivery Expansion:
Establish clear goals for the partnership. For example, you may want to limit delivery orders during peak in-house dining times to prevent staff from becoming overworked.
3. Know Your Win
Define Success:
Success in this situation would mean expanding your revenue through delivery services without compromising the quality of your in-house dining experience. Balance is key.
Monitor Key Metrics:
Track how the delivery service impacts both your revenue and your in-house service. Are customers still satisfied with their experience, and is the additional revenue worth the extra effort?
4. Know Your Client's Win
Understand Customer Expectations:
Your in-house customers expect a high-quality, personalised dining experience, while delivery customers want timely, hot, and well-packaged food. The goal is to deliver both without one affecting the other.
Set Expectations with Delivery Customers:
Ensure that the delivery service advertises realistic delivery times and accurately represents your food. Clear communication will prevent overloading your staff.
5. Sign Win-Win Agreement or No Deal
Negotiate a Balanced Partnership:
When partnering with the food delivery service, ensure that the agreement works for both parties. You may want to limit the number of delivery orders per hour or offer delivery during off-peak hours to avoid straining your staff.
Adjust Workflows:
Collaborate with your team to create a system that allows them to manage delivery orders without interrupting the flow of in-house service. This may involve delegating specific staff to handle delivery-only tasks during busy periods.
6. Deliver with Excellence
Maintain Quality Control:
Ensure that the quality of the food remains high, whether it’s being served in-house or delivered. Train your staff to package food properly for delivery and make sure the delivery service understands your quality standards.
Improve Efficiency:
Look for ways to improve kitchen efficiency to handle both in-house and delivery orders. Streamlining the process will help prevent delays and maintain a smooth operation.
7. Achieve with Joy
Celebrate the New Revenue Stream:
Celebrate the success of the delivery partnership with your team. Acknowledge their hard work and how they’ve adapted to the increased demand without sacrificing quality.
Reflect and Adjust:
After a few months, review the impact of the delivery service. Did it increase revenue without hurting in-house service? Make adjustments as needed and consider whether further expansion is feasible, such as hiring additional staff to focus solely on delivery.