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QSR revenue source with many happy returns: Tapping into office-based networks

Reliable revenue is the name of the game in creating stability in the highly competitive QSR sector. Fortunately, one of the best sources of regular business is actually right outside your restaurant door.

August 20, 2018

By Ray Reddy/Ritual CEO

Reliable revenue is the name of the game in creating stability in the highly competitive QSR sector. Fortunately, one of the best sources of regular business is actually right outside your restaurant door in the surrounding community, office complexes and other large employers who regularly need a source of quick, delicious food. 

But how to get a foot in the office building occupant's door? Below are strategies for restaurants to get on the radar of all those office administrators ordering lunch for all sizes of workplaces, while building word-of-mouth in your local community as a preferred eatery. 

Getting the ball rolling with office-based outreach 

 Education and awareness is the first step to creating a solid customer base and buy-in for your lunch or breakfast offerings at office-based functions. With that in mind, ask your regulars where they work, then educate them on the ease of your ordering process for team lunches and keep collateral print materials in-store for office workers to take back brochures on catering, delivery, your orodering process and anything that helps make the path to your door clearer and more accessible.

Likewise, if you're a tenant in a large building, get to know your property manager. They can also help you create customized offerings for building tenants.

Offer discounts or other bonuses for those groups that hold a high potential to become regulars, which also builds paths to closer relationships with customers who work nearby. This gives you a positive voice in-office, since these satisfied customers are all the more likely to refer your restaurant to their administrators for the next team lunch or client event. 

Nailing down the details of a solid office-based network program

Once you've got a solid path to customers, make sure you also understand what office administrators looking for when it comes to ordering for their workplaces and that your brand is also equipped to handle those needs. As online food delivery has overtaken phone ordering, administrators are seeking "safe" QSR options that offer healthful items and brands that can become their reliable go-to source for sustenance at office-based events. 

Even though it might seem like ordering lunch isn't a very high-stakes game, administrators can't afford mistakes in their orders. A bad lunch experience that they organized can look bad on them, because the mistake doesn't just affect one person, it affects an entire team.

Likewise, most office administrators are immensely busy, so simplifying their ordering process and making it foolproof is essential. It pays to know what these individuals are typically looking for when they place breakfast or lunch orders with QSRs, including: 

• Reliability
• Promptness
• Competitive pricing
• Differentiated menu offerings 
• Customizable menu options for special diets and allergies
• Ease of ordering via mobile or online channels.

Investing in the quality of your restaurant's ingredients and offerings improves your brand's reputation. Office administrators invariably need to stay within fairly fixed budgetary constraints, so truly competitive pricing puts you ahead of the QSR across the street. 

Overall ease of ordering is also one of the top reasons administrators keep coming back to a particular QSR. In order to keep your hat in the ring, ensure that your digital ordering platform or website is easy and intuitive for clients to use and re-use, with a record of previous orders accessible for repeat office events. Rewards programs and even subscription services enhance the attractiveness of your brand in the office admin's eyes.  

QSRs are firmly planted in the restaurant landscape worldwide, but staying that way means using every avenue at the brand's disposal to build business for years to come. By making office-based ordering super easy, with reliable service and differentiated menu offerings, your brand can stand out  even in a very crowded quick-service field.  

Photo: iStock