What makes you try a new takeaway?
Discussion
Plotloss said:
Am loyal to a takeaway until they start squeezing the margins too much.
Which has happened recently with our usual choice of curry delivery.
I usually sample a new takeaway if I move house (So in 1989, 1994, and 1998) or they close for 3 weeks to travel to India to a family wedding (or a death) or if they close completely. Apart from that I'd only ever use the one nearest me. Which has happened recently with our usual choice of curry delivery.
Reason I ask is a friend is an owner of a takeaway. They recently stopped the delivery for a 2 week period for a renovation and have been struggling to get orders since then. Previously it was busy.
They did try to put out the message on an answerphone and leaflets in their deliveries prior to closure, but it seems perhaps that people didn't get the message and have abandoned it.
Was just looking for some ideas of how to advertise it again. He has done the usual leafletting (done by myself) but the orders have yet to pickup in the 2 weeks since then. Its in Manchester city centre, so should be busy.
They did try to put out the message on an answerphone and leaflets in their deliveries prior to closure, but it seems perhaps that people didn't get the message and have abandoned it.
Was just looking for some ideas of how to advertise it again. He has done the usual leafletting (done by myself) but the orders have yet to pickup in the 2 weeks since then. Its in Manchester city centre, so should be busy.
3sixty said:
Reason I ask is a friend is an owner of a takeaway. They recently stopped the delivery for a 2 week period for a renovation and have been struggling to get orders since then. Previously it was busy.
Mr POD said:
I usually sample a new takeaway if they close for 3 weeks to travel to India to a family wedding.
Yes indeed. That's enough to loose half your custom, particularly if the food is better as the competition. How far to nearest competitor. Our local Indian takeway is 3/4 mile from another decent Indian, but the local chinese is only 1/4 mile from it's nearest competitor. How to get customers back? Leaflets in every home, with a discount or offer, 3 for the price of 2, Free Popadoms and Chutney with every order over £5. Or a cafe nero style loyalty card. 10 visits and you get a free Balti.
The only real way to get the custom back is to either offer something for nothing (BOGOF etc) or be recognised to be better than his competition (awards etc).
The former is the easier and quicker of the two. I'd go with a promotion of some sort "celebrating their refurb". If needs be, make it an aggressive promotion (loss-leading even). If he's confident of his product then this will help overcome the customer's lethargy and ensure their repeat custom. Delivery options (larger delivery area? Free, if previously charged-for. etc.)
Or do one stand out dish. We use a particular Chinese restaurant because their S&S Chicken "balls" are more like S&S Chicken mini-fillets! They're huge and taste great.
What is the take-away and what are his target market?
(Location would be the other biggest issue but you say city centre so that's probably not an issue).
The former is the easier and quicker of the two. I'd go with a promotion of some sort "celebrating their refurb". If needs be, make it an aggressive promotion (loss-leading even). If he's confident of his product then this will help overcome the customer's lethargy and ensure their repeat custom. Delivery options (larger delivery area? Free, if previously charged-for. etc.)
Or do one stand out dish. We use a particular Chinese restaurant because their S&S Chicken "balls" are more like S&S Chicken mini-fillets! They're huge and taste great.
What is the take-away and what are his target market?
(Location would be the other biggest issue but you say city centre so that's probably not an issue).
I tend to keep trying new places until I find one that does good food. I'll stick with that one then until I have any reason to go somewhere else - be it bad food, closure, slow delivery, whatever.
Your friend's in a bit of a sticky situation - any 'regulars' he had previously will have no doubt used another establishment for the last 3 weeks, and IME that's probably enough to break any loyalty.
Dicounts and special offers would seem a sensible way to go - maybe even a couple of different offers, with the better deals targetted at previous customers?
Your friend's in a bit of a sticky situation - any 'regulars' he had previously will have no doubt used another establishment for the last 3 weeks, and IME that's probably enough to break any loyalty.
Dicounts and special offers would seem a sensible way to go - maybe even a couple of different offers, with the better deals targetted at previous customers?
parapaul said:
with the better deals targetted at previous customers?
Not saying it's a bad idea at all but I, personally, don't think take-aways are the kind of area where you need worry about rewarding returning ex. customers. Mainly because it only took a 2 week hiatus for them to f
k off elsewhere - there's nothing to say they won't do it again if a competitor offered a better product even after you'd "won them back".I'd just concentrate on getting ANY custom.
Landlord said:
parapaul said:
with the better deals targetted at previous customers?
Not saying it's a bad idea at all but I, personally, don't think take-aways are the kind of area where you need worry about rewarding returning ex. customers. Mainly because it only took a 2 week hiatus for them to fk off elsewhere - there's nothing to say they won't do it again if a competitor offered a better product even after you'd "won them back".I'd just concentrate on getting ANY custom.
Currently, he is getting perhaps 1 or 2 a day, with slightly more at weekend. Like I say, I did the leafletting for him as a favour, posted around most of the city centre apartments 2 weeks ago with little impact yet, so was looking at some alternative methods.
3sixty said:
he is not necessarily looking to get the ex-customers back, just to get any customers at all. Previously he was doing around 5 a night on weekdays, with 15-20 at Friday/Saturday.
5 customers/night? in mcr city centre? i's start by looking at the food and/or location as thats just pitiful. which takeaway is it? what street? re: leafletting apartments, you wouldn't believe how many you get, most people don't even take them up to their flat. the only one i ever kept was for one of those places who bring you food from any restaurant in town, which kinda negated the need for any more.
Chinese, and in China Town.
The restauraunt is always busy, but the takeaway deliveries are down compared to before the renovation.
I understand that leafletting wouldn't work, I did say this at the time, but he got the printing for free so was worth a try. Hence why I am looking for alternative ways for him to advertise.
The restauraunt is always busy, but the takeaway deliveries are down compared to before the renovation.
I understand that leafletting wouldn't work, I did say this at the time, but he got the printing for free so was worth a try. Hence why I am looking for alternative ways for him to advertise.
Edited by 3sixty on Thursday 28th May 16:54
Nothing more than a learning curve IMO and usually learning the hard way by using your current emporium as the benchmark.
Once I find one I am happy with, I very rarely change or try elsewhere. Why risk a bad meal when you know that what you will get from your usual place will be good?
The fact is that there are far too many ropey takeaways out there, from rubbish food to joke portions and blatently reheated food, covering every genre of food.
The problem is getting the public to give you a go in the first place. This is without even trying to retain their business. Personally, I always discard all the menus that come through the door, usually because their bold offers of very cheap offers ring alarm bells that it won't be that good, which invariably it never is from experience.
Word of mouth from happy customers is a far more important means of advertising IMO, even if it takes a while to build up repeat customers. Consistantly good food keeps customers, who in turn will tell their friends. A good recommendation is the the only time I may give another place a go, but they will only get one change to seal my business.
Incidentally my local curry house never advertise and don't deliver, yet I'm perfectly happy to drive 5 miles to collect my order, and wait patiently behind a queue of fellow people collecting their takeaway. No gimmicks. No offers. No neon lights. They are rammed any day of the week on the merits of their food. That is a good enough sign to me and worth the inconvenience when I know the meal will be spot on, especially when most of the other ones local to me are that shockingly bad.
All I can suggest is that your mate concentrates of regaining the business from those who used to be regulars first of all. Surely he must have a database of previous customers? It would even be worth special flyers and drops just for them offering free stuff to get them back on board. Do you think they are even aware that he is open for business again??
Once I find one I am happy with, I very rarely change or try elsewhere. Why risk a bad meal when you know that what you will get from your usual place will be good?
The fact is that there are far too many ropey takeaways out there, from rubbish food to joke portions and blatently reheated food, covering every genre of food.
The problem is getting the public to give you a go in the first place. This is without even trying to retain their business. Personally, I always discard all the menus that come through the door, usually because their bold offers of very cheap offers ring alarm bells that it won't be that good, which invariably it never is from experience.
Word of mouth from happy customers is a far more important means of advertising IMO, even if it takes a while to build up repeat customers. Consistantly good food keeps customers, who in turn will tell their friends. A good recommendation is the the only time I may give another place a go, but they will only get one change to seal my business.
Incidentally my local curry house never advertise and don't deliver, yet I'm perfectly happy to drive 5 miles to collect my order, and wait patiently behind a queue of fellow people collecting their takeaway. No gimmicks. No offers. No neon lights. They are rammed any day of the week on the merits of their food. That is a good enough sign to me and worth the inconvenience when I know the meal will be spot on, especially when most of the other ones local to me are that shockingly bad.
All I can suggest is that your mate concentrates of regaining the business from those who used to be regulars first of all. Surely he must have a database of previous customers? It would even be worth special flyers and drops just for them offering free stuff to get them back on board. Do you think they are even aware that he is open for business again??
Edited by bazking69 on Thursday 28th May 16:55
ah, that changes things. quite problematic in that there is simply too much competition, a refurbed chinese in china town isn't exactly big news. i'd either go with the promotion suggestion, or try getting in with one of the home delivery places such as:
http://www.thebuzzingbutler.com/mainmenu.htm
http://www.thebuzzingbutler.com/mainmenu.htm
Get it on just-eat, as mentioned above - I only ever order takeaways online as it's so much easier in terms of clarity of communication, ordering, giving delivery address etc, particularly if there's likely to be a language gap between staff and customers.
If they deliver to M15 I'll give them a shot.
Edit to add: get a community thing going. Have an OAPs eat half-price deal. Send a driver round to a local old-folks home with a couple of dozen portions of something cheap and cheerful. Do the same with local hospitals (you'll get immense loyalty from hungry night staff if you're their only hot meal of the working week), copshop... whatever. It'll a) put you in the local papers and b) just generally get you known.
If they deliver to M15 I'll give them a shot.
Edit to add: get a community thing going. Have an OAPs eat half-price deal. Send a driver round to a local old-folks home with a couple of dozen portions of something cheap and cheerful. Do the same with local hospitals (you'll get immense loyalty from hungry night staff if you're their only hot meal of the working week), copshop... whatever. It'll a) put you in the local papers and b) just generally get you known.
Edited by BlackVanGirl on Friday 29th May 00:59
I'll usually hunt around until I find one I like, then stick with it for as long as possible. I'm not really an Indian takeaway fan (prefer to eat out) but I love my Chinese. Unfortunately the one I have been using for the last 4 years has just changed hands, and it's now absolutely rubbish.
I'm working my way through the leaflets, but a website would be nice so I could order online.
I'm working my way through the leaflets, but a website would be nice so I could order online.
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