Eventually the safety stigma from COVID-19 will fade into restaurant lore. Restaurant owners who survive the pandemic will create a business platform upon which they can again make their enterprises thrive. They’ll fashion a model that capitalizes on new dining conditions. The real question: What strategies can be employed to effectively ensure the longevity of your business?
Whether a major restaurant chain or an independent eatery, businesses that endure this precarious profession seem to follow one key mantra: give customers an experience that earns their trust and makes them disciples of an establishment. Of course, operators must start with food that satisfies their cravings. The secret is to enhance each and every customer contact in a way that defines what makes a restaurant special to them—the brand. Certain, subtle but personal experiences say a restaurant cares about their pleasure, their encounter and their patronage.
Making hygienic choices
In this uncertain environment, diners are more skeptical of the safety of public access condiment bottles and dispensers. The appeal of single serve packets is growing. Those little packets that have been traditionally associated with fast food meals are being recognized by brands for their personal presentation and perceived value. Winpak, a major manufacturer of machines and packaging materials that produce single serve food packets, has seen a huge increase in demand for custom-printed and special-sized packets. Restaurants now focus on providing a cleaner, more personal means of delivering condiments, dressings, toppings and even information to their patrons.
Serving small wonders
Winpak’s manager of sales, Mark Griffin, is the company’s go-to guy for determining the right machine for a very wide variety of product volumes and viscosities for packet presentation. “One of the first challenges we had in 2020 was from a customer who needed to reduce the cost of packaging cream cheese spread so their customers could still offer a premium brand to their patrons,” Griffin said. The condiment brand was important to the restaurant’s image, but they required printing on front and back. Registering front and back is especially difficult with a typical packet made from two sheets of film. “We configured a machine that allows cream cheese to be sealed in a packet made from a single sheet of folded film, sealed by just three sides. The producer can now fill more packets per minute while using 25% less packaging film.”
In another case, a customer needed to pack relish in three-quarter ounce portions. Winpak machines have the ability to vary the viscosity and volume specifications to fulfill the needs of almost any food presentation preference. What’s more, their perfect registration ability allows for custom graphics on both sides of the package so restaurants can add QR codes or other proprietary messages to in-house or take-out packets.
“The smallest detail of food preparation and presentation can be made special. It’s a simple but very effective way to build and strengthen brands,” Griffin said. “You don’t need to be a major chain to take advantage of this technology.”
This post is sponsored by Winpak