As supply chain management issues persist, disruptions, delays, and rising costs continue to make it difficult for many restaurants to manage. Many operators have made changes to their businesses to address these issues, from menu adjustments to a larger supplier list to automation, and more. But some have found that delivery is helping them save manpower and better allocate labour, as their road to recovery continues.
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In an effort to cut costs and combat supply chain disruption, some restaurants are getting creative with ingredient sourcing and delivery. Often when the kitchen runs out of something during service, an employee runs out to the nearest grocery store to pick up the missing item. These days, some restaurants have found it more convenient and cost-effective to have items delivered to their door instead.
New technology has emerged to help address supply chain issues, with the creation of food delivery apps offering affordable options to restaurants and small businesses for daily delivery. These options are growing in popularity as tech-enabled platforms that offer price and sourcing transparency to restaurants.
Along with streamlining their operations, some restaurants have started to use delivery services like Instacart, prompting the company to create a new division called Instacart Business to address the needs of small businesses and restaurants. The service is designed to help businesses out with small orders, rather than getting into a supplier model. “I think of Instacart as being more complimentary to [restaurants’] current supply chain,” said Andrew Nodes, Instacart’s VP of sales and supply chain. While the service can be costly, some foodservice businesses have estimated that it has saved them up to 2,000 hours since using the service to order supplies.
As restaurants continue to struggle with supply chain delays, more options are becoming available as alternative sources of supplies. Operators may find that adopting a hybrid system with more than one source of supply may just be the secret to getting ahead to mitigate the effects of on-going industry disruption.
