The Covid pandemic has decimated the restaurant industry and has created an immense demand for food deliveries. With the onslaught of retail stores filing for bankruptcy, restaurants have had to find alternative ways to service their customers through curbside pickup, delivery, and drive-thru.
As the pandemic continues, many businesses are still finding innovative and creative solutions to ensure that their customers continue to receive the best service, while keeping their business afloat. One industry that seems to have revolutionized itself by using the challenges of the pandemic to its advantage is the restaurant industry with the introduction of Ghost Kitchens.
Ghost Kitchens – Growth Area in the Restaurant Industry
Ghost kitchens allow restaurants to prepare food solely for delivery. This approach can be critical for businesses seeing strong demand as consumers’ appetite for food delivery grows. According to Euromonitor, ghost kitchens could create a $1 trillion global market by 2030.
Apps like UberEats, DoorDash, and Skip the Dishes have quickly become the “go-to” apps for food delivery, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. These apps have grown 300% faster than dine-in traffic since 2014 – translating into significant revenue for restaurants trying to keep up with the current climate.
Research shows that working with 3rd party delivery systems has raised restaurant revenue by 10-20% and has allowed restaurants to continue operating amidst the pandemic. However, through the ongoing challenges, restaurants have done one up – food lockers.
During the pandemic, food lockers have grown in popularity as a contactless way for customers to collect food. To use these lockers, customers must order through the restaurant app. The order is then prepared and delivered directly to the locker for pick up. These smart, often temperature-controlled lockers can be placed indoors or outdoors in neighborhoods, apartment buildings, or stores.
As restaurateurs and restaurant chains have tried to keep their business up and running, many have opted to pivot to food lockers as an innovative and differentiated method for delivery and collection over the last year. Food delivery drivers can also use these lockers to pick up and collect orders to deliver directly to the customer.
How are Food Lockers Facilitating Restaurants?
As brick-and-mortar restaurants continue to struggle with limitations on indoor and outdoor dining, restaurant owners have had no choice but to find convenient ways for their customers to enjoy their food while adhering to strict health and safety guidelines. With a food locker in place, the transactions are seamless and offer many benefits, including:
- Contactless transactions: Like a parcel, retrieval of properly packaged food is accomplished by scanning a QR code.
- In-store social distancing: Removing the need for customers to frequent a location to pick up their food and interact with staff.
- Added convenience: This allows the customer to select a convenient time to retrieve their food.
- Store redesign: Cutting costs by reducing staff, space, and dining furniture while calling it the “store of the future”.
- Not limited to restaurants: Food lockers installation is possible in residential buildings, university and college campuses, sports centers, and offices.
Conceptual smart food locker
Research suggests the market for companies digitizing the online ordering and rapid delivery of food ordering worldwide will reach $369 billion by 2030. As the industry continues to make strides in mitigating the effects of the pandemic, food lockers will be an increasing part of the way moving forward.
For more information on Food Lockers, contact us today at 1-800-818-0870 or email sales@theparcelport.com.