QUALITALY_135

July/August 2023 X MAGAZINE CUSTOMERS UNDER CONTROL But that’s not all. The apps also prove their worth in limiting a particularly annoying phenomenon in the eyes, and, ultimately, in the accounts of restaurateurs: the no-show, or the unpleasant habit adopted by some customers of not turning up at the restaurant after making a table reservation. A habit which, unfortunately, is not limited to a few isolated cases: according to estimates compiled by SimilarWeb in September 2022, the global average of no-shows can be as high as 20%. If, on the other hand, we move into the digital universe, the figure is the protagonist of a decisive and evident collapse: in this case, in fact, the average no- show rate in Italy is at 6%. A result that is not surprising, because it is precisely the digital world that represents the ecosystem best suited to combating the phenomenon: here, in fact, it is easier to build and update those customer files that restaurateurs themselves, according to a survey conducted by Format Research and TheFork in March 2023, prove to be the most useful tool for building a reliability customer index, on the basis of which to request additional confirmation from those who have historically most often failed to turn up for bookings. This, in fact, seems to be the way to tackle the problem. Other systems, too, help - think, for example, of confirmation by e-mail - but do not present the same rate of effectiveness. Neither does it work to reduce everything to just asking for a guarantee through a credit card. “It is not a panacea,’ explains Carlo Carollo , Country Manager of TheFork in Italy. ‘Fines for customers who incur no-shows are certainly an effective solution, but only for those restaurants that struggle to find new patrons at the last minute. In other cases, they can prove to be a boomerang, because they discourage bookings’. FOOD DELIVERY, AN OPEN FLANK Not all that glitters is gold, however. If we move, in fact, to consider food delivery, the scenario becomes less serene. A recent survey presented by Inapp (National Institute for Public Policy Analysis) reveals that the average commission that catering companies pay to digital platforms to sell their products has reached 18%, with values of over 20% for one in three companies. Only 1 in 10 pays a fixed commission. And again, 68% of the contracts concluded by operators with platforms include dependency clauses for the collection of payments. Seven times out of ten, then, the contractual conditions result from the imposition of unilateral clauses. Just as unilateral, in 20% of cases, are the requests for contractual modifications by platforms. Not to mention that in 92% of cases, the receipts averaged by the platform are delayed over time. And the delay in collection time represents a cost and a financial risk factor. But the sensitive issue of reputational damage must also be added to the list, since 32% of catering companies have lost customers at least once due to inefficiencies caused by the platforms they work with. The point is, however, that digital platforms are now an often indispensable channel: in the two-year period 2020-2021, the turnover intermediated by these e-commerce realities represents almost one fifth of the revenues in the catering industry. A rich haul, therefore, from which almost 19,000 companies, or 13% of the sector, benefit. And it must be said that thanks to these players, an otherwise unknown market space has often opened up. However, it is also true that, according to the data listed above, restaurateurs seem to be the weak party in the relationship. And this is where action is needed. ‘It would be appropriate,’ is the conclusion of Sebastiano Fadda , president of Inapp, ‘to rebalance the relationship between platforms and companies in order not to impose excessive burdens on the latter and on consumers’. __________________________________ BOX The five levels of restaurant digitisation The most basic level corresponds to restaurants that do not currently wish to attract more customers and do not have a long-term business vision. The advice for them is still to offer a wifi connection and activate a Facebook page. The next step, there are those establishments that wish to attract more customers and understand the opportunities associated with the Internet. These restaurants rely on specialised portals, have a website, receive online bookings and are present on social networks. These are establishments that are moving from paper to digital, whose staff are becoming familiar with online booking management software. Moving up the ranking, one encounters restaurants whose customers mostly book online and are retained through personalised service. These establishments have many means to increase sales and save time, use management software, use social media, have a website with a booking button and respond to reviews. The next level is then occupied by venues that use technology to provide multi- sensory experiences, such as augmented reality glasses or interactive tables. These establishments are fully digitally managed, use statistics and data provided by management, make investments in marketing and email marketing campaigns. They manage online opinions and are attentive to their online reputation. Finally, the top of the digitisation pyramid is represented by restaurants where food is prepared exclusively for home delivery. Here, the relationship with the customer is always mediated by a mobile application. Source: Ristomanager.com __________________________________ AT PAGE 40 DID YOU KNOW? Quality pasta DIGESTIBLE, MEATY, TASTING OF GRAIN. CONSISTENT AND PLEASANT TEXTURE. LONG OR SHORT. SMOOTH OR RIDGED. WELL-COOKED OR AL DENTE. AESTHETICALLY BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE IT MUST BE ELEGANT IN ITS SHAPE WHEN BINDING THE SAUCE. WHOLE GRAIN, ORGANIC, ITALIAN AND RESPECTFUL OF THE WHEAT CHAIN. EVERY CHEF HAS A PREFERRED PRODUCER AND IS FOND OF A PARTICULAR PASTA TYPE BECAUSE EVERY PASTA MAKER HAS A SHAPE BY WHICH IT STANDS OUT. THOSE WHO, IN THE PREPARATION OF A DISH, MUST CONVEY THEIR CREATIVITY AND MASTERY IN A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COOK AND INGREDIENT, CANNOT BUT CHOOSE A HIGH-QUALITY PASTA, WHICH DOES NOT OVERCOOK AND ENSURES CONSISTENCY, WHEAT FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE. AND AT HOME, WE ARE NO LESS DEMANDING THAN STARRED CHEFS. PITTI TASTE AND TUTTO FOOD ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD FAIRS THAT BRING TOGETHER THE BEST OF TASTE EXCELLENCE. WE VISITED THEM IN FLORENCE AND MILAN IN SPRING 2023 TO DISCOVER EXCELLENT ITALIAN PASTA. AMONG THE COMPANIES PRESENT, PASTIFICIO AGRICOLO MANCINI AND PASTIFICIO CAVALIER GIUSEPPE COCCO TELL US THEIR STORY. ONE WHICH FASCINATES US ITALIANS WHO, AFTER ALL, AS CATHERINE DENEUVE SAID, ONLY HAVE TWO THINGS ON OUR MINDS: THE OTHER IS SPAGHETTI. by Gianluca Donadini