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Takeout and delivery are here to stay, and restaurants are adapting to consumers’ changing expectations. Meanwhile, labor pressures are making hiring and retention difficult, so foodservice leaders are focusing on improving the team experience.

Operational efficiency plays a role in both these issues. Innovations such as adding automation, streamlining kitchen workflow, and even using less storage space can help improve the worker experience. That results in a better customer experience, especially now that takeout and delivery have become important components of an operation's business model.

For many foodservice leaders, the solution is to update equipment. According to a survey by Capterra, 76% of restaurant owners say they currently use three or more automated tools, and 56% say their restaurant’s revenue has increased since implementing the tools.

Next phase of takeout and delivery

In the early days of the pandemic, restaurants that began offering their menu items to-go had to figure out how to package their beverages, too. Many found that the snap-on lids did not stay secure during travel, so they tried adding tape to the lids. That added to the time it took to complete the order, slowing the speed of service. More importantly, it reflected negatively on the operator.

“You think of the user experience and how it represents the brand,” says Christian Soult, category director, Food Packaging and the Automated Sealing Machine for GP PRO. “Is that representative of the same experience you may have had at the location?”

If the beverage arrived spilled, tampered with, or simply not delivered because the lid came off during the drive, the customer would likely ask the restaurant for a credit, or, worse, not frequent the establishment again. Some operators switched to delivering bottles and cans, but fountain drinks are more profitable. “So there was a lost revenue opportunity there,” Soult says. “Or they were not ordering beverages at all, so there was a lost opportunity to sell more profitable items.”

Better team experience

In the midst of this explosion in takeout and delivery, operators are struggling with labor pressures. It is more difficult than ever to employ and retain workers, so the experience of team members is vital for foodservice leaders to consider.

According to Datassential in its 2023 forecast, one of the trends that will be important this year is that operators will rethink industry jobs. That means reconsidering factors related to human resources such as pay, mental health and wellbeing, and other aspects, such as redesigning the back-of-the-house.

Redesigning the back-of-the-house often means streamlining kitchen workflow, reducing repetitive tasks, and speeding up certain operations. Automation can help, and one example is the GP PRO Automated Sealing Machine. Instead of snapping a plastic lid on beverage cups, the Automated Sealing Machine applies a secure, heat-activated plastic film in two to three seconds. The sealing process is hygienic, as the worker does not have to touch the plastic lid. The seal fits most sizes of paper or plastic cups with a brim, and is spill-resistant and tamper-evident.

“It can help improve the team-member experience by allowing the operator and team member to focus more time on providing a great customer experience,” Soult says.

The film is located in a roll inside the machine and supplies 2,500 lids. There is no need for boxes and sleeves of different size lids taking up counter and storage space. The worker doesn’t have to search for the right lid, and there is considerable space savings, as the roll takes up 90% less storage space than traditional lids.

“There is less time spent restocking and ordering lids, less time moving boxes around,” Soult says. “Tidiness has an impact there.” He adds that the roll contributes to less waste, too. With lids, sometimes a worker grabs a stack and some of them fall to the floor and must be thrown away. That doesn’t happen with a large roll of plastic film.

Check averages are higher when consumers order beverages, so it is crucial that the operator implement a complete to-go beverage program that satisfies consumer demand and is simple for the team to execute.

“Automation can improve speed of service, and it also can give operators more confidence in believing the order they send out the door can represent their brand,” Soult says. “It can give them confidence that the beverage arrives intact and wasn’t tampered with on the way.”