With takeout and pick-up orders continuing to grow at restaurants across the country, operators are looking for new tools to help make their business more efficient and profitable.
“We have been seeing a big push on the part of operators to reduce front-of-the-house operations and add dedicated to-go locations to reduce staff and real-estate costs,” says Ryan Catarozoli, Director of Key Accounts for Hatco Corporation.
He cites studies that have shown online and mobile ordering for some stores can generate 50 to 60 per cent of revenues, depending on their location. “It isn’t just COVID, but also the spike in third-party apps making takeout and pick-up more available to customers.”
DoorDash’s 2023 Online Ordering Trends Report indicated that 78 per cent of consumers reported picking up takeout, and 58 per cent of consumers reported ordering food delivery.
This is a continuation of trends in the 2022 report, which showed 27 per cent year-over-year growth for same-store pickup and delivery orders in Canada. During that year, 43 per cent of full-service operators had added takeout and/or delivery after previously shutting down operations.
With that trend comes a growing need for solutions to reduce congestion in lobbies and ensure consistent quality. “Certain locations simply use standard shelves with no heat or protection,” says Catarozoli. “Not only does the food quality deteriorate, but it increases the risk of theft, pick-up errors, and shrinkage.”
He reports that the industry is experiencing an unprecedented demand for heated shelving and locker systems to improve both the operator and consumer experience.
Hatco’s Glo-Ray 2-Go® Heated Shelves, for example, are designed to hold large quantities of food items at optimum serving temperatures, maintaining freshness and food safety.
The Flav-R 2-Go® Locker System, Flav-R 2-Go® Pizza Locker System, and Pickup Pod™, propelled by Minnow™, are other popular choices for operators. These versatile, secure, temperature-controlled lockers can be installed facing inside or outside the facility. Each locker can be individually programmed to hold hot and ambient dishes. Users simply enter a code to retrieve their food, eliminating lineups and bottlenecks.
Lockers are available in a variety of configurations and three versions: countertop, floor-standing, and space-saving built-in units that can easily be accessed by kitchen staff. Units can be ordered in a variety of colours to match a restaurant’s brand standards or design aesthetic.
