Efficiency has been a longstanding issue within the hospitality sector – particularly within restaurants.
The most obvious issue is waste; recent figures suggest that the hospitality sector generates 2 million tonnes of food waste each year. Of course, a degree of food waste is unavoidable; for example, bones, shells and some peels cannot be used in recipes. However, experts believe that up to 80% of UK restaurant food waste is still edible. Evidently, change is needed to be more efficient with the ingredients used within restaurants.
That said, waste is not the only inefficiency within restaurants; idle resource is also an issue.
Peckwater Brands’ recent survey amongst 250 decision-makers within the UK hospitality revealed that two thirds (66%) of hospitality businesses had the capacity – in terms of human resource and/or space – to increase their output if they had the demand. This figure suggests that the majority of restaurants are being inefficient in their use of staff and equipment, which could result in financial repercussions later down the line.
In an industry defined by narrow margins, hospitality owners cannot afford to be cavalier with their resources and should strive at every turn to ensure their business is as streamlined and efficient as possible. As such, it is important to understand how sector-wide efficiency can be achieved.
And at Peckwater Brands, we believe data could offer a solution.
All-revealing data
Positively, Point of Sale (PoS) systems are becoming increasingly commonplace within hospitality businesses, and with good reason.
Indeed, such systems can track the average ticket size (i.e. order size) per customer, popular dishes, as well as daily footfall. Such data can help restaurants to make more informed decisions when it comes to ordering ingredients, as well as staff scheduling and pricing. All this will mean that restaurants can reduce the amount of waste they emit, as well as reducing idle resource, creating a more efficient kitchen as a result.
That said, data can impact much more than just orders. At Peckwater Brands, we use data to track the overriding consumer trends within the hospitality sector, which can help organisations to make better use of their existing resources, whilst helping them to increase their revenue. And this can be used to incorporate a virtual brand into existing kitchen operations.
Data and virtual brands
For those unfamiliar with the concept, a virtual brand operates solely on a third-party food delivery platform, like Just Eat or Deliveroo, without the need for a physical venue. The brand is integrated into an operational kitchen, so the original brand needn’t compromise its existing offering.
At Peckwater Brands, we use data to ensure that the virtual brand can be seamlessly incorporated into existing operations. Indeed, we use data tools to analyse order volume and demand in a client’s local area through delivery platforms to determine the best brand(s) for their facilities, helping to build a menu that is individually optimised, making the best possible use of their existing ingredients, equipment and human resource to eliminate waste.
Further, once our partner has been successfully onboarded, we use performance dashboards to monitor key performance metrics that ensure our clients are receiving the maximum available benefit. As such, their offering can be adjusted in accordance with customer preferences and dish performance.
And this data certainly offers financial benefits. Indeed, Peckwater Brands’ partners enjoy a monthly revenue increase of between £12,103 to £45,823.
Data can be invaluable to hospitality businesses; however, it can offer so much more than simply monitoring customer behaviour. When utilised correctly, it can transform the efficiency of a kitchen, whilst bolstering monthly revenue.
Book a call with a member of the Peckwater Brands team, to find out how our data analytics can enhance the efficiency of your business, today!