Chef Paul Rifkin is a consultant, kitchen mentoring and fine-tuning specialist, and suggests foodservice operations need to think about customer expectations in the new normal.
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Is the quality of the food you serve important to your venue, or r is it something you just don’t want to bother with?
A question with an obvious answer … or is it?
Are you happy that items, such as fish and chips, can be served anywhere, by anyone?
The reality is: customers are now more selective than ever before.
They have had a hard couple of years and are keen to get back to dining out, but they’ve had time to reflect on what that looks like to them.
Serious question: why do you have chefs when a competent cook could open a box and deep fry, or slit a bag and pop the contents in the oven?
When a customer can buy the same item you serve on your menu from a supermarket and cook it themselves, why are they going to your venue?
There are a number of items where a decision has to be made, regarding whether to make something in-house or buy it in. The problem is, few actually test this; a cut-and-paste approach to the menu from a supplier brochure has become the new normal.
Major chef and staff shortages might even dictate which direction you go.
So, if everyone is doing it, does it matter?
Maybe not. It depends if you want to stand out from your competitors. Perhaps you are only trading at 50 per cent due to the quality of your food. A change in the way you view quality could actually grow your customer base and retain existing customers.
“We don’t have the trained staff”, “It costs too much in labour”, “The food goes out slower”, “Fresh food goes off quickly” … I’ve heard all the retorts.
Yet if you ask the customers, the answers I hear are “We would pay more for better quality”, “The food is boring”, “Nothing changes”, “We wish they had x, y or z on the menu.”
Many venues in states that didn’t have lockdowns like those in New South Wales and Victoria, traded strongly and reduced menu size due to staff shortages. They adjusted quality up and increased prices to support this change. The result was strong trade through challenging times.
Customers have become pickier and expect better.
I encourage you to independently quiz your customers. Get to really know your demographic and establish who your potential customers are. This could be four times larger than your present customer base.
I challenge you to accurately assess the idea of raising your food quality so that customers are happier and the kitchen team is more motivated about cooking, rather than opening boxes and bags.
Seek professional help, if required, to assist in the process.
Paul Rifkin.
