GUIDE TO INCORPORATING TAKEAWAY AND DELIVERY TO DRIVE SALES: Q&A

Tess Posthumus and Vijay Mudaliar answer some of the top questions asked during this masterclass.

1. Do you have any tips on how you would offer cocktails using fruit flavours, that will not go off quickly? Do pre-made fruit purees help?

Use dried fruits! And use as an infusion in a sous-vide! Apricots, pineapples, and most fruit do really well dried and also add a nice colour! You can also pasteurize your cocktail mixes after at 75degrees to prevent and slowdown fermentation.

2. Is Supasawa a good replacement for lemon/lime for delivery?

I've not personally used it before but it a pretty good replacement! You can also make your own acid solutions using citric, latic, tartaric etc. to replace the perishable fruit juices.

3. Would offering cocktails in sealed bags and / or glass bottles with a pairing raise costs a lot?

It will raise the cost but you can pass this on to the consumer and create bottle return policies that rebate them when they return bottles

4. What do you do with bottles before filling and after using to refill?

We sanitize the bottles with heat and coffee cleaner before we reuse them.

5. The cocktails at TFD seem to all be single serve, are the takeaway cocktails at Native larger format? How do you construct larger format, what are things to consider there?

At Native we do a range of 100ml, 250ml and 500ml. For larger format you should consider spending range and also make your drinks in each category special and interesting

6. How are you balancing “sustainability” with the new to go model? Single use plastics have risen from this and there are not great options for truly compostable items yet.

We try to educate customers by also selling them our compost + microgreen kit to get them interested in sustainability from the outset.

7. What is the recommended packaging for delivery is it plastic, glass or other?

It depends on the delivery distance and means of delivery. Regardless though you should always use food safe materials and also make sure you sanitize your packaging, especially glass.

8. Vijay your customers leave bottles in cafes and restaurants but how do you convince these places to take them? Exchange, payment, advertising, or goodwill?

We create discount codes for customers who return bottles and treat them to little goodies/ one off treats such as shots when they return their cocktails

9. Apart from the bottles, how can the issue of waste and the pollution produced by the use of plastic be managed?

Try using bioplastics! These can be melted in hot water or in your compost!

10. How we win at getting customers to buy at the bar and order online?

You can cross promote your offering across both touchpoints – so at the bar, let customers know they can purchase drinks to enjoy at home or buy a subscription for new and exciting drinks delivered every week or month. For online orders you can offer a discount code for use in the bar. Offering great customer service across the board will also help.

11. Do you use any acid such as citric to give the cocktails more shelf life or stabilise the ingredients?

Yes, we use citric acid instead of fresh juices for both these reasons.

12. Should you send ice with delivery cocktails? Do you have any tips for delivering ice?

We send ice with our local delivery service as these items are delivered immediately and we then wrap the cocktail package in aluminium foil to keep it cool.

13. How do you promote your cocktail delivery service?

Use your social media channels and your network. Reach out to local and national media too and get your team on board with sharing too. Think outside the box, e.g. our weekly cocktail package is themed so each week it’s a surprise for our subscribers and tie it in with cultural moments.

14. What advice can you give for selecting a delivery partner?

Price will be a key influence in the selection process but when making your choice it’s important that you also select a partner who is 1 - Reliable whom you trust to safety transport your drinks and 2 - Covers the areas you wish to serve.

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