We don’t have to tell you how important quality goods are as a restaurant professional. After all, it was probably your love of food that drew you to this line of work in the first place. Every day, you work to ensure that the menu items your restaurants sell to customers not only meet but also surpass your own high standards for food safety.
But here’s the thing: today’s customers demand more. Sure, they’re hoping that your brand delivers on its promises. They do, however, want to know where their food comes from. And if they don’t get it from you, they’re going to look for it somewhere.
To help you build an arsenal of information for your customers, consider these top items consumers want to know.
1. Where is my food grown?
Was it delivered from abroad or transported from a nearby farm? Do you choose to purchase from small family orchards or from big factory farms? The answers to these questions can have an effect on how your customers view your brand and how much confidence they have in your product.
As a result, give them a backstory. Share the entire supply chain, from when a crop is cultivated to when it is prepared in your restaurant.
2. How ethical are your practices?
We’re getting more empathetic as a society. Charitable donations are on the rise, shady business practices are drawing public ire, and customers are concerned about how their purchases influence others.
To put it simply, it’s important to appeal to the customers’ conscience. You assuage their fears and affirm their decision to buy your goods by sharing the different ways your operations violate ethical standards—and by using supply chain tracing to back up your arguments.
3. What is in my food?
People have a number of concerns about the products used in food processing and manufacturing, from vegetarianism or veganism to allergies and diseases like lactose intolerance and Celiac disease. But it’s not just people with special dietary needs who are concerned about what’s in their food.
Most people are aware that they should avoid refined sugar, preservatives, and artificial flavours or coloring, whether they learned this from their doctor, the FDA, or another source. Foods branded “organic,” “local,” “non-GMO,” and “all-natural” have undeniable selling power. Buying these foods gives people a sense of moral fulfillment, according to a study undertaken by the Free University of Brussels, Oxford, the University Institute of Lisbon, and the University of Melbourne.
So, if you’ve gone to great lengths to buy your food from small, organic farms, avoid GMOs, and avoid preservative chemicals, tell us about it!