Opportunities and challenges in the transformation of the catering industry

The number of catering companies in my country exceeded 140,000 for the first time in 2018. In the highly competitive catering market, catering operators not only make consumers feel The taste of delicious food on the tip of the tongue, internal business management and customer experience are also increasingly important. Judging from international cases, the United States has launched virtual restaurants and fast casual dining services, subverting the traditional catering business model; Japan*** In response to the aging population and declining birthrate and labor shortage, the catering market is actively developing smart technology solutions to solve the pressing issue of manpower. With the economic development and increasing demand of people eating out in Mainland China, operators have integrated takeout services with the Internet. Delivery services have become one of the regular dining methods. The introduction of unmanned smart restaurants has reduced personnel costs for restaurant operators and improved consumer awareness. Service experience.

It can be seen that in the face of the rapidly changing catering market environment, in order to occupy a place in the market, catering operators must maintain the spirit of innovation and change at all times, and for those who want to enter the market or want to transform There are also considerable development opportunities for the catering industry. For example, multinational companies adopt joint venture strategies, actively expand overseas markets, or introduce international catering brands to Taiwan to expand their operations. Secondly, providing new service models through technological applications is also one of the ways to transform, including introducing a tablet ordering system to shorten ordering and delivery time, or using a customer relationship management system to effectively understand target customers. Groups, etc., and in the future, catering technology can learn from foreign operators' investment in unmanned smart restaurants to create marketing gimmicks and reduce labor costs. Or by adjusting the business operation model to extend value from existing customer needs, such as expanding and adding delivery services, to capture market share. Suggestions for enterprises

Looking at the current market environment faced by catering companies, in addition to price competition, there are also threats such as changes in consumption patterns with technological advancement and the continuous introduction of foreign catering brands, making consumers choose more Diversification has caused major changes in the development of the catering industry. The following suggestions are listed here for enterprises to consider in terms of development:

(1) Strengthen the competitiveness of enterprises

An excellent dining environment will be one of the decisive factors for the long-term operation of the catering industry , and customers’ good impression during the consumption process is crucial. How to optimize the operating environment and the in-store consumption process and improve the smoothness of the consumption experience should be one of the main considerations for catering operators when formulating operational strategies.

When operators solve the above problems, they can optimize the overall operating environment by strengthening the professional knowledge and technical capabilities of catering employees and introducing software and hardware technology applications. For example: Hedian Sushi applies a smart tablet ordering system to provide consumers with convenient ordering services and optimize the consumer service process experience.

(2) Mastering the stay-at-home economy and food delivery

As the pie in the food delivery service market becomes larger and larger, competition becomes relatively more intense. For example, Google has recently joined In a new battle, it was announced that new online food ordering functions will be added to three services including Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Voice Assistant. In the future, you will not need to specifically use a food delivery app to enjoy "Google Eats"-like food delivery services. Therefore, for these food delivery platforms, it is no longer just about service quality, regionality, and food diversity; if they want to break through and grow their performance, adjusting their business models and transforming their services may be issues they must face in the future. It is recommended to expand beyond the six cities in the future, expand to second- and third-tier cities, and expand small and medium-sized catering companies to join in cooperation with food delivery platforms, so as to jointly grasp new business opportunities in the stay-at-home economy.

In addition, it is also an option to seize idle resources during off-peak hours and develop postpartum care meals, pet meals, health foods, etc. It is recommended that small and medium-sized catering businesses can use delivery platforms to expand their markets. The benefits that can be achieved include:

1. Accurate matching: In the past, when restaurants promoted, they often used flyers or media advertisements. Advertising

costs money, but the effect is not good. Through the delivery platform, marketing and services can be more accurately targeted at target customer groups, allowing restaurants to connect with users at the right time.

2. Increase revenue: It can help restaurants increase delivery revenue without providing any discounts to diners, and evacuate crowded restaurants, so there is no need to hire more service staff. .

3. Improve delivery efficiency: Delivery platforms allow restaurants to efficiently handle large volumes of delivery orders.

4. Expand the customer base of restaurants without delivery: Some delivery platform operators even provide delivery services for restaurants without delivery services. This allows the restaurant to focus on providing diners with more delicious food without having to manage complicated delivery and service tasks.

5. Data analysis: The diners’ ordering information collected on the delivery platform can help restaurants make the best decisions on delivery services, menus, and prices. Platform operators can help diners store ordering information, and can also increase the frequency of diners visiting the restaurant.