Restaurants Fresh Fast Take-Out Done Right Drives Sales

 

If you want to garner incremental sales for takeout and delivery your meals need to be packaged and labeled professionally for customer relevance, according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Consumer have come to expect restaurant to be as professional as grocery store service delis and convenience stores. Transparency in packaging includes labels on takeout meals and meal components according to Johnson.  Today there is the ability for restaurants to offer on-demand labeling elevating your takeout quality in the minds-eye of the consumer.

According to Dan Lydigsen, competitive food retailers, are leveraging digital tools like POS, ERP, and EDI software systems are integral for automation, real-time visibility, and an improved customer experience. However, the technology needed to execute these systems—like labeling and printing tools—are just as necessary when it comes to improving ROI and operational efficiency.

If you have not discovered what to look for when finding a labeling solution, and how the right labeling technology can help your restaurant or food retail outlet gain a competitive edge you will find the information below helpful.

Selecting the right label printing technology for your retail operation

Selecting a label printer that isn’t optimal for the fast-paced nature of a convenience store can create costly obstacles:

·         What if you have a printer that drops Bluetooth^®and Wi-Fi^® connectivity?

·         What if your printers can’t be easily connected to the software you use now or are planning to upgrade to in the future?

·         What if a stand-alone label printer is all you need?

At best, choosing the wrong inventory management solution means added time and frustration for your associates—which must be avoided at all costs when considering worker shortages and high turnover. At worst, it can result in lost sales and affects customer loyalty. For one such convenience store, keeping up with customers meant upgrading to more reliable labeling technology.

A fresh approach: see how a fast-paced convenience store improved its labeling process

Locally known as the “Hinsdeli,” the Shell Food Mart in Hinsdale, Illinois is a highly successful fuel, retail, and food service operation. In addition to traditional food staples, the store offers a milkshake bar, fresh pastries, and a full range of custom-made sandwiches and hot meals – all of which customers have embraced enthusiastically.

However, in a fast-paced, 24-hour operation, keeping products and shelves labeled with the correct price while maintaining the desired merchandising image was proving to be a challenge. To solve for this, the busy store adopted an intuitive system that improved inventory management and empowered all associates with an easy-to-use system.

Getting the label printing process right the first time

Even if your convenience store operation has the top-of-the-line retail POS, ERP or EDI systems, labeling is a crucial aspect of retail. Everything will eventually get a label. To keep inventory moving and associates and customers satisfied, keep the following considerations in mind:

·         Seamless integration. Look for quick-deploy printers that integrate seamlessly with your existing convenience store software and can connect easily with any mobile device your associate might already be using.

·         Rugged dependability. Mobile and stationary printers must be able to quickly and easily print barcode packaging, shipping, shelf, rack and other identifying label. And, they need to withstand continual use by multiple associates in busy store and warehouse environments.

·         Easy to learn. Look for retail printing solutions that are intuitive, so you can avoid a major training investment for associates and onboard new associates with ease.

·         Extended support. Make sure your label printing technology comes with premier two-year warranties.

·         Make sure your printing solution can scale to meet your evolving food service needs.

If your competitive strategy is evolving to include new fresh and prepared foods, faster and more fluid price changes and markdowns, or even expanding your warehouse – you need the right printers and labelers that help your associates work productively, compete effectively and meet changing demands.  To help meet these needs, Brother offers a number of seamless options that work with convenience store systems or can stand alone.

·         The RuggedJet mobile label printer series is engineered to help your associates label on the fly, virtually anywhere – with effortless connectivity, all day battery power, speed and rugged performance that stands up to your environment.

·         QuickDeploy Labeling Kits are a quick, easy, affordable way to create customized labels on demand. With these tools, associates can quickly print shelf-edge tags, markdown labels, fresh food labels and receipts for items – in the aisle or virtually anywhere across the store.

·         Available in both two-inch and three-inch models, the RuggedJet Go mobile POS solution is a pocket-sized, easy-to-pair mobile receipt printers let your staff comfortably carry them around for a complete shift. That means they get their work done faster with a single printer. It’s never been easier to serve your customers when, where and how they demand to be served.

·         The PocketJet 8 allows your associates to print full-page documents like invoices, sales histories, inventory lists, and product promotions on-demand from computers and mobile devices.

 

Give your store a competitive advantage with Brother support

From the front-of-store to the back office, warehouse and delivery, Brother’s print solutions help retailers secure data, print from mobile devices, accelerate workflows, better serve customers, and increase the bottom line. Brother Mobile Solutions offers an array of flexible, dependable and advanced labeling solutions uniquely suited to give retailers the agility to compete in today’s fast-paced marketplace. With our extensive retail industry experience, proven track record and commitment to innovation, retailers can trust and rely on us to deliver the right labeling solutions, service, and support to keep you agile, stay competitive and improve operational efficiency. Whether you have questions about our products, are interested in a free demo, or want to build a custom solution, we want to hear from you.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday than tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.