The home delivery method, where restaurants offer the service of delivering food to customers' homes, is beginning to be seen differently by kitchens that had never before considered this option. The novelty of sending dishes straight to customers' homes is being seen as an effective solution to keep businesses afloat during these uncertain times.

 

The opportunity provided by home delivery services may be crucial when it comes to keeping doors open, but also looking towards the future, allowing restaurants to expand their business, reach new groups of the public and keep its current clientèle despite the circumstances or possible occupancy limits, and becoming a new channel for the generation of supplementary income for restaurants.

 

Until now, the home delivery segment has mainly been associated with more informal restaurants or establishments specialising in fast food.  However, restaurants of all kinds, including those of haute cuisine, are starting to explore this possibility more and more. In Barcelona you can already enjoy the cuisine of Semproniana by Ada Parellada, whilst in Madrid Paco Roncero and Ramon Freixa have joined forces to create Cuatromanos, an exclusive home delivery concept. Chef Dabiz Muñoz' restaurant DiverXO, with three Michelin stars, has launched its delivery service under the brand GoXO. In this case, the menu has been limited to some of his most emblematic dishes and we are assured that it will gradually be expanded. In Italy there are already several Michelin-starred restaurants that have jumped on the bandwagon of this type of service, and in France, Alain Ducasse, amongst other great chefs, is offering his customers the chance to enjoy #Ducassechezmoi. 




Key points of home delivery for your restaurant

 

Although it's true that the defining feature of home delivery, and also take away, is that customers don't eat in the restaurant, we mustn't forget that restaurant customers aren't just looking to eat but also to enjoy the experience that is normally offered in person in the establishment. How can we adapt the home delivery service to transmit some of the values of the restaurant?

 

One of the main differences is that the first contact the customer has with the product is not the food but the packaging used to transport this. It's important for this packaging to follow the restaurant brand's theme and transmit the appropriate feeling of quality.

 

The presentation of the dishes is another important element that sets restaurants apart when it comes to delivering dishes to a customer. The transportation from the restaurant's kitchen to the customer makes the presentation of the dishes difficult, as it could never replicate how these are plated up within the establishment, but is still an essential point to be taken into account to maintain the restaurant brand's image in this new format.

 

It's also important to take into account that, for the purpose of maintaining a similar level of quality for customers who eat in the restaurant and those who use the home delivery service, it's possible that the range of dishes available for delivery will have to be adapted. The gastronomy industry is doubtless in a state of constant evolution. In these uncertain times, the culinary industry is setting an example, facing up to the new challenges with innovation, creativity and a good dose of survival instincts.