Increase Your Profits In Lockdown: 4-Step Guide

At the start of this year, many Australians assumed that Covid was a thing of the past. After an initial lockdown in mid-2020 that saw the hospitality industry close its doors to dine-in customers, the community soon bounced back as restrictions eased.

Fast forward to mid-2021, and much of Australia is yo-yo-ing in and out of lockdown, and our beloved hospo community in NSW has been hit the hardest. With an extended lockdown forcing venues to close their doors to dine-in customers, hospitality businesses in the state are now restricted to offering takeaway and delivery services only.

With covid restrictions limiting sources of income for hospo venues, it’s more important than ever to pivot your business and its offerings. To help, we've nailed down 4 tips on how to maximise your profits during lockdown.

1. Optimise your takeaway and delivery services

Pivoting to delivery and takeaway services is the natural next step for businesses that have been forced to close their doors. The NSW Government has even extended its Dine and Discover scheme to include takeaways, as long as the vouchers are spent directly with your business and not through a third-party app like Uber Eats.

While the Dine and Discover initiative is a great incentive for customers to spend money at your business during lockdown, you’ll also need to focus on optimising your takeaway and delivery services to maximise your profits.

But how?

Take the hassle out of organising in-house delivery by partnering with a third-party delivery app that’ll take care of the logistics for you.

If you’d prefer to organise your own delivery and your wait staff have access to a bike or vehicle, employ them as delivery drivers while you’re closed for dine-in service.

Tweak your menu, so it’s optimal for takeaway and delivery and only includes dishes that you know will travel well to ensure the best experience for your customers.

2. Add a personal touch

In a time where human interaction is limited, it’s nice to remain connected (albeit from afar) through thoughtful, personal actions.

Consider adding in a short thank you note with each order. It might seem like a small gesture, but it’ll show your appreciation and might put a smile on your customers face.

You could also add a small discount voucher for customers to use at your venue when dine-in service can resume. If you can impress customers with your takeaway offerings, a small discount or complimentary glass of wine voucher will go a long way in tempting people to try you out in person.

3. Expand your offerings

You don’t just have to offer the dishes on your menu for takeaway - thanks to your access to wholesale ingredients, you can create grocery boxes or cook at home packs with recipes for your most loved dishes so that customers can get creative at home.

The same goes for your drinks.

Your customers are sure to be missing their favourite tipple, so why not offer takeaway versions of your cocktails? You can easily make up a couple of your best selling cocktails in batches and sell them in takeaway bottles or jars. During lockdown, demand for takeaway alcohol has soared, so it’s an excellent opportunity to inject more sales into your bottom line.

4. Ramp up your marketing

It’s essential to remain connected with your customers, not just to stay top of mind, but to keep that much-loved hospo community vibe alive - and there are lots of ways to do it.

Video yourself or your chefs cooking a selection of best selling dishes and post on social media. People love feeling included in behind the scenes action, and it’s a great way to showcase your dishes to a potential new audience.

If you’re not camera-shy, host cooking classes or guided wine tastings. This is a great way to generate a bit of extra revenue for your business and keeps you connected to your customers - albeit through a computer screen.

If you’re not confident in front of the camera, you could try writing a blog with your favourite recipes or detail your experiences in hospo to drive traffic to your website.

Spruce up your website. Take the time to optimise your website, so it’s easy to find online. After all, your website is often the first interaction customers will have with your business, and you want to make a good first impression. Don’t forget online ordering - include links to your digital menu so customers can easily place online orders.

Future-proof your business

We’re all hoping this is the lockdown to end all lockdowns. But if there’s one thing that Covid has taught us, it’s that times are unpredictable, and it’s always best to be prepared.

Fortunately, the hospitality industry is a tough and resilient one, and we know that businesses will be able to weather the storm and re-open stronger than ever. But for now, it’s crucial to embrace delivery, spruce up your takeaway dishes and stay connected with your customers to maximise your lockdown profits.