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Take Out Foods

Grab n Go Food Program
Catering Menus for pick-up / delivery

       You can't be in the food business today and not have prepared, easily combined meal portions "to go." Foodservice is now about more than seated fast or casual dining.  It is about ready-to-eat meal solutions, delivery and more. 

      If you don't have a takeout counter, an ordering system, and a dedicated menu for quick meal service you won't stay in the game.  You can also put in place a catering menu for groups.  Serving sandwich platters, appetizers,  or a simple buffet set up service could be in the mix if you have the staffing to take on this task.

     As your dining room sits half-full on a Friday night, you wonder what you can do to increase sales.  Reduce pricing, do more advertising, host a wine tasting?   All good questions that avoid the real issue. 

    People are looking for convenience, and that often doesn't involve going out for dinner.  You need to address the new trend of accessibility.  It's not just a trend; it is the way of the future. You need a system for either delivery of prepared foods or a full 'grab-n-go' merchandising system for pick up.

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​       IN HOME MEAL PROGRAM- TAKE OUT FOODS

 

Items to consider in developing a new food to go market.

  • ANALYSIS of what you have now- (pastry case 2x2 foot no shelves, some elevated display), One five shelf cold drink cooler/merchandiser, rack of bagged chips, and a popcorn maker)

  • CURRENT SALES FIGURES FROM ALL THESE ITEMS- setting a baseline

  • GOAL OF INCREASE FOOD SALES- want to accomplish $3000 per month total non-coffee sales

  • CONCEPT OVERVIEW- TYPES OF FOOD TO FIT with added equipment/prep work/staffing for production of items

  • DEVELOP PRELIMINARY MENU

  • OUTLINE ITEMS AND PROJECTED FOOD COSTS-

  • ANALYSIS OF PACKAGING - for each item- detail food styling and how to display/ sell - cold-hot- made to order?

  •  Includes pre-Pak, bagging, condiments included, utensils, napkin- complete meal set up if that is the intent.

  • FOOD SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS- how to keep food warm, or cold if using delivery or other time factors

  • DETAIL OF HOW TO DISPLAY/MERCHANDISE with existing and purchase of new equipment

  • BUDGETING FOR NEW EQUIPMENT- small wares, coolers, initial ingredient stocking

  • POS considerations- how to ring up (and expedite if hot items are part of the planned menu)

  • PRODUCTION SCHEDULE- who and how many of each item per day/week- delivery of some items

  • TIME FRAME TO IMPLEMENT

  • PURCHASE EQUIPMENT/FOOD STOCK

  • PRINT MENU

  • PURCHASE PACKAGING

  • TEST - ROLL OUT A DOZEN ITEMS

  • TAKE PHOTOS OF ITEMS- highlight on social media- daily specials

  • CHANGES - ingredients, packaging, price, quantity to prep all depending on the feedback of guests and workers involved in the process

  • MONITOR SALES INCREASES, food costs, and overall impact on NET PROFIT.

After more than three decades in hospitality management, including fine-dining, casual and fast food, Townsend has implementing new catering menus and services by adding off-site catering at a small town market, developed corporate catering menus for off-site delivery, and improved sales at several restaurants through new 'to-go' foods marketing programs.

 

In the past few years, he has assisted in more than 100 weddings/special events at one of California's 'premier event sites.' 

 

Contact  David Townsend for an honest appraisal of your potetial to increase sales by adding a viable 'to-go' foods program to your business. 

 

 

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