SPOONFED ADDS ‘GROUP ORDERING’ UNLOCKING CORPORATE CATERING MARKETS
Catering management software Spoonfed is about to release a new feature that lets individuals select their own food and drink as part of a larger order. ‘Group Ordering’ will offer restaurant chains, contract caterers and independent eateries a new channel within the profitable corporate catering market.
The rise of allergens and dietary needs
At a time when customers are increasingly looking for gluten-free options, or need an intolerance or allergy catered for, Spoonfed’s update lets caterers target health-conscious customers with dietary requirements. With its emphasis on back office efficiency, the system then makes it easy to process those individual requirements without error.
The system will allow one customer to be the point of contact for the order, letting them share a link with colleagues that want to take part in the order. Those that want specific food or drink for themselves can follow the link and select it, while anyone that doesn’t make a choice before the chosen deadline can be added to a generic platter or left out of the order entirely.
Group ordering - providing multiple meals as part of one large order – has historically provided logistical challenges for customers and caterers alike.
For customers, an order might be for 100 people who are budgeted a £10 lunch as part of a group order. It is only after the food has arrived that it is realised that 5 people are sick and another 15 are on holiday or travelling for work.
Avoiding waste
So group ordering is as much about saving on waste as it is about getting the right food to the right people. The company in the example saves £200 a day just by sorting out group ordering. If a caterer can promise great service, they become the go-to company for lunch, and any other catering needed.
On top of this, the convenience of allowing each person to create, edit and cancel their part of the order puts them in control and avoids errors.
An organizational nightmare
For caterers, and restaurant chains trying to maximise their secondary revenue stream, group orders have often meant receiving last minute changes, leaving no time to deliver the quality they aim for. Customers can be put off by a manual process of emailing their order to a colleague and not wanting to risk changing it, knowing that mistakes would be likely.
Getting group orders rightWith Spoonfed it will now be easy to cater for a group, whether customers are happy to receive a chef’s choice platter, or they want control over their own part of the order, choosing items that suit their allergies, diet or preference.
The new Spoonfed function enables caterers to stay confident that deadlines for editing and cancelling group orders will automatically be adhered to. The system allows total control of menus, avoiding the complexity that order notes can create, and it makes production sheets easier to follow.
To find out more about Spoonfed’s ‘Group Ordering’ function:
Jack Faux : +44(0)7494 792 433
