Maureen Gahan, Foodservice Specialist, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board
Probably an understatement to say that our world has been rocked over the past 7 days. Flights grounded, events cancelled, panic-buying in supermarkets and unfortunately we are witnessing a decimation in out of home, foodservice sales.
Pubs in Ireland are closed under Government order and the majority of restaurants, hotels and cafes have followed suit. With many employees now working from home and all citizens being urged to play their part and follow Government advice in relation to ‘social distancing’, eating out, for now, has been put on “pause”.
But amidst the demolition, there have been examples of innovation in the face of adversity. A number of restaurants have closed their seating areas, but are facilitating ‘click and collect’ and home delivery models. Bread 41 in Dublin is selling fresh bread each morning via a ‘hatch’ that opens onto the street and they also have plans to offer a range of fresh vegetables sourced from their local organic vegetable grower, McNally Family Farm who are in turn having to cope with lost sales to other restaurant customers. In the UK, the ‘Naturally Fast Food’ chain LEON has recognised that supermarkets are under pressure, yet restaurants are empty. From next week they plan to transform their 70+ sites and launch a new e-commerce platform. Both the restaurant and website will sell restaurant-quality ready meals, meats and other food items that customers can eat at home. The new online platform will work in partnership with food suppliers, offering them the opportunity to sell directly to customers.
And in the US, Domino’s is looking to hire 10,000 additional employees to meet a home-delivery demand surge as a result of the Corona virus crises.
People still need to eat, but they have been forced to change their behaviours. As the industry grapples to adapt in these extra-ordinary times, food producers need to stay close to their consumers and adopt an innovative, flexible and positive mindset.