Prepare for Summer

Prepare for Summer

The summer months are notoriously busy in the hospitality industry.  With the right preparation in place, restaurant operators can use the summer surge to their advantage to attract new customers and drive repeat business to their storefront.

Here are 3 tips to help you make the most of the months ahead:

1. Spruce up your menu offerings

If you work with a third-party delivery service like Uber Eats, you can customize an on-the-go menu that lends itself well to a summer spent outdoors. For example, a happy hour section could offer small bites like hard cheeses, dried fruit, and fresh bread. Whether your customers are using pickup or delivery, it’s important to build your third-party menu with an eye toward items that travel well on hotter days.

  • Tip: When it comes to your online menu, incorporating detailed descriptions and photography is key. In fact, our data shows that menu items with photos are ordered about 15% more frequently than those without photos.

2. Streamline your operations

Although storefront foot traffic will likely increase in the summer months, delivery and pickup orders will not disappear altogether. These are both important revenue streams for restaurants, so it will be critical to prepare your operations.

Takeaway areas

Clearly delineate waiting zones and pickup flows for customers and delivery partners. On days with a particularly high volume of takeaway orders, a central food bag table can help prevent congestion while freeing up more of your staff to manage on-premises needs.

Clear signage

An efficient takeaway area benefits from clear messaging. Use bold signage to guide customers and couriers while establishing rules of the road—like where to stand to prevent crowding or door blockage. Arrows, taped-off zones, and other floor markings can help manage the ebb and flow of people and minimize the hands-on role your staff needs to play.

3. Evaluate your insights and analytics 

Revisit seasonal data to understand where you can double down on strengths or create efficiencies. Reviewing your performance can remove the guesswork from your summer playbook and guide you toward more-informed decisions around inventory, menu making, staffing, and operations. See if you can identify popular high-margin menu items. From a staffing standpoint, pinpoint days of the week or even hours of the day where you might anticipate needing more—or fewer—hands on deck to manage demand.

With Uber Eats, you can access time-based comparisons on sales, order volume, and ticket size. Perhaps you learn that you can scale back your delivery menu to focus on a few best performers, or you see that certain days of the week might benefit from having dedicated members of your staff focus on off-premises volume only. Whatever picture your data paints for you, use it to your advantage to start your summer off on the most strategic foot.

Make this summer sizzle for your business

Whether your goal is to attract new customers, streamline your operations, or encourage repeat business this summer, we’re here to help you grow your way.

If you’re new to delivery, get started

If you’re already partnering with Uber Eats, access tips and best practices for running your delivery business by visiting our Resource Hub