The traditional players in foodservices, Sodexo, Elior and Compass, have seen competition intensify, particularly at lunchtime. Multiple offerings now allow employees to have different options at their disposal and therefore to be able to make their choice at breakfast or each lunchtime as they see fit, especially in large cities.
When foodtech comes to companies and schools
Frichti, Dejbox, Nestor
Their names are Frichti, Dejbox, Nestor, La Cantiine and Foodchéri (with which Sodexo has acquired a stake), but also Ubereats and Deliveroo...
These new competitors each have their own model, whether they prepare their own dishes to be delivered or deliver to partner restaurants, or even do both with signature recipes from big names in the restaurant business such as Juan Arbelaez, Pierre Sang or Yann Couvreur.
In all cases, they meet the demands of an increasingly connected clientele, looking for immediate satisfaction, personalized offers and a seamless experience at any time of the day... Including at their workplace or on their campus.
La Cantiine, Popchef, Foodchéri
However, these key players in restaurant consumption, both at home and in the workplace, are not the only ones to compete with the traditional canteen offer.
Other examples include restaurants close to the company that deliver directly to the office or offer a tempting Click and Collect offer, allowing employees to eat without waiting.
Finally, connected fridges such as those proposed by Popchef or Foodles are beginning to make a name for themselves and are gradually taking their place in the world of collective catering.
Adapting your offer to resist the competition
In this context, how can the historical players evolve their offer to avoid being overtaken?
How to review your catering offer?
Several courses of action are possible. Their success depends on various criteria, including :
- The ability to offer truly varied menus, adapted to the desires and profiles of consumers,
- The possibility of eating well at different times of the day (coffee break, breakfast, snacking, etc.),
- Reduction of waiting times during peak hours (especially lunch),
- The implementation of easy and dematerialized payment for those who wish it,
- Identification of individual preferences, for a personalized offer,
- Taking into account the growing number of teleworkers and the increasing need to consider portage solutions in order not to lose part of its market half of the time.
A fluid customer experience, a variety of flavors and the adaptation of the offer to current consumption patterns are therefore at the heart of the challenge.
To achieve this, it is important to be well equipped on the one hand, and toanalyze the available customer data on the other. This is the key to understanding expectations, absorbing flows and proposing an offer that really meets the needs... What third-party delivery platforms have understood!
Innovate with connected solutions: pre-ordering, click and collect, kiosks, etc.
A school canteen or a company restaurant can thus offer pre-ordering and Click and Collect, be equipped with order and self-checkout kiosks, or adopt biometric recognition and smartphones to dematerialize payment.
By analyzing the preferences of each consumer and anticipating demand, not only is waiting time reduced and inventory controlled, but the culinary offer is refined over time, driven by what the data reveals on this subject.
Various initiatives and solutions already exist.
Like Eat: the example of Elior
Elior offers Like Eat, its concept for attracting high school students, with not only an entertainment island, but also a fast food corner adapted to the demands of young students. The concept also makes it possible to stage products and possibly offer a show kitchen, which is more attractive to this generation that is used to being entertained.
Finally, the culinary offer is growing in terms of collective catering, which opens up new perspectives both for customers, whose choice is growing day by day, and for the players in the catering industry, both start-ups and historical companies.
Do you have a collective catering project? Do not hesitate to contact the Innovorder team to help you better meet your expectations.
