Can I Get That to Go?

The other day I was driving past a McDonald’s that they had knocked down and are rebuilding. It took me a minute, but I figured out what was different. They had reduced their seating area substantially. That is weird. I thought that the object was to get people in to their restaurant. I mean, isn’t that what it is all about? A couple of days later, I read an article in the NRA’s newsletter about the industry trending towards to go service at all levels of restaurants. I drove by that same McDonald’s and saw that instead of additional seating, they had constructed a 2nd drive thru lane. Interesting.

According to the article “Well over half of the meals purchased at the nation's estimated 935,000 restaurants are gobbled up at home, back at the office or in the car. Twenty-five years ago, far more people ate restaurant food in eateries than took it out. By 2006, the typical American ate 81 meals inside restaurants but ordered 127 to go, reports researcher NPD Group.” Those are some statistics that can’t be ignored. It appears to be a trend that would be foolish to ignore. Aside from all of the “normal” drive thru venues such as McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King and the like, other national chains are attempting to get out in front of this trend by offering curbside pickup and the like. Chili’s, Outback, and Applebee’s are already doing it. I read somewhere that Outback dedicates at least 3 employees per shift just to address the pick up and to go customers’ needs. At the risk of beating a dead horse, those companies employ lots of people and spend even more money on marketing research to find out what we, the consumer, likes. Take advantage of their efforts and put those ideas to work for you.

How does this affect you? Well, the studies show that if you are not currently doing a to-go menu, you might be missing out on some sales. I am guessing that some of you are shaking your heads saying “it would never work here.” You might be right. And I guarantee you that if you don’t ever offer it, it will NEVER work there! I would recommend trying it out for a little while to see if you are in fact missing some opportunities. The start up costs is minimal, and it truly is an extension of your existing operation. Who knows what it will bring to your bottom line.

I do recommend that you consider a couple of things, however.

1) This is a service. This is something special. It is okay to charge a premium for it. Don’t be afraid to be profitable.
2) Assess your commitment level to this and make your decisions accordingly. When a customer dines in your restaurant, you will go to great lengths to assure that everything is as it should be for them. This might even be more important for your to-go customers. I don’t know if you have ever had the experience of arriving at home only to find out that they left the onions on your wife’s sandwich (OUCH). I think I have invented about 20 new expletives on my way back to pick up a new sandwich.
3) To go containers matter. In my mind they are the equivalent to a clean bathroom. In my mind DIRTY BATHROOM = I AM NOT IMPORTANT. Likewise CHEAP TO GO CONTAINERS = I AM NOT IMPORTANT. For a few cents more per serving you can upgrade your to-go-ware and insure that your customers remember this experience for the right reasons.
4) Have competent people answer the phone for the order. It has happened to me a whole lot, and it drives me nuts. I call to place my order, and the person on the other end isn’t paying attention, doesn’t understand me, or isn’t really invested in our conversation, and my order gets messed up. Again, not the memory that you want to create for your patrons.

For the generations that preceded us, dining was an event. For some of us it still is. However, in the US, eating is becoming more and more something we do while we are doing something else. Don’t miss out on that market segment by ignoring the trend or your customers will be eating as they are doing something else – driving by your restaurant.