{B2B content for Restaurant Brands Collective to be published on their business blog and their LinkedIn page.}
In 2019, the collapse of the High Street and the resulting impact on pubs, bars, and restaurants was a familiar topic of conversation. Fast forward to 2020, and the narrative has stayed much the same, albeit exacerbated and accelerated by the impact of COVID-19. For those operators who survived the first national lockdown, the prospect of a second wave and the constant threat of increasing restrictions and closures to public spaces leaves little hope on the horizon. To remain open in this new normal, it is more important than ever for food businesses to diversify and find alternative ways to increase their sales.
In some cases, quick-thinking breweries, distilleries, and bars have done this by switching to the production of hand-sanitizer, while other cafes, pubs, and small restaurants transformed themselves into grocery outlets which allowed them to stay open when other hospitality vendors were forced to close. These strategic changes enabled these food businesses to make the most of their redundant space and to support their customers in a different way through the pandemic, all the while providing them with a much-needed source of income.
But despite the successful transformations of some food-vendors, it is crucial to recognise that for many restaurants, pubs, and kitchens whose core profits arise from the provision of food, it is simply not possible to restructure in these ways. Faced with lower footfall as a result of the changes in consumer behaviour, and threatened with imminent further restrictions, the pressure remains on for the majority of businesses to find a way to provide food to the public without compromising the safety of their patrons or staff members.
To some, the answer may seem simple – switch to a business model that focuses on food takeaway and delivery – but for many small and medium-sized operators this shift is a little more complex than merely placing their existing dishes into takeaway containers. Menu redevelopment, digital presence, and integration with leading delivery platforms are all time consuming and costly processes that can be difficult to handle in-house, unless, that is, food operators start to make use of virtual brands.
The concept of a virtual brand, in itself, is nothing new. Many dark kitchens and smaller venues have been making use of established virtual brands to provide both delivery and dine-in options to their customers for years. But with COVID-19 changing the way that people eat and the use of food delivery services increasing across all age demographics, virtual brands have never seemed more relevant.
By using a virtual brand, restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes, and any business with redundant kitchen space can start to earn an income through the provision of carefully curated takeaway food menus that have been crafted to attract new customers, all the while only using their existing resources. By choosing to launch a virtual brand as a franchise partner of Restaurant Brands Collective, businesses can also benefit from ongoing support and menu development, an established social media presence, and both a quick and low-cost setup process so that they can start bringing in revenue in as little as three weeks.
Although virtual brands may not be able to cure all of the afflictions cast down on the hospitality industry by COVID-19, they can certainly help to assist food vendors with the diversification of their businesses so that they can make the most of the evolving and growing food-delivery market.
To find out more about launching a virtual brand with Restaurant Brands Collective, get in touch with us today and you could be bringing in a new source of income in as little as three weeks.