4 Tips for Running a Food Takeaway Franchise

Lily Sweeney, writer

Published at 08/01/2022, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 6 min

4 Tips for Running a Food Takeaway Franchise — Photo © 4-Tips-for-Running-a-Food-Takeaway-Franchise.jpg

If you’d love to run your own business and you also love food, why not start a food takeaway franchise? It’s a great way to enter a thriving, in-demand industry at a lower level of risk, and you’ll benefit from a brand name, an existing customer base and a comprehensive range of support. Read on, and discover the four tips that’ll enable you to run your food takeaway franchise as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Starting a fast food takeaway business is an excellent decision, as the industry only continues to grow heading into 2022 and demand remains sky high. With a market size of £19 billion and employing just shy of 400,000 people [IBISWorld], you’re sure to thrive in the world of delivery and takeaway if you can find the right niche and run your franchise well.

Why start a food takeaway business?

There are a million different reasons to consider starting a food takeaway business, not least the ability to specialise in whichever area you love the most. Pizza lovers can find their cheese-topped bliss operating a fleet of Mostro Pizza vans, ramen fans can launch their own Shoryu Ramen bar and coffee connoisseurs can make their money on the go with a Really Awesome Coffee van. In short, there’s no limit to the number of niche opportunities available in the world of food delivery. Other advantages include:

The pros of franchising in any industry, briefly mentioned above
The availability of low-cost investment options (that still allow you to make plenty of money down the line)
The huge, ever-growing levels of demand for the customer convenience your franchise will provide
The varied, dynamic and fast-paced working life
The endless room to grow, expand and pivot

The UK takeaway sector is booming as a result of the pandemic and changing consumer habits, which has proven to be attractive to chains looking to drive growth outside their domestic markets. - Verdict Food Service

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4 tips for running a food takeaway franchise

1. Make your marketing matter

Marketing can make the difference between a thriving food takeaway business and a struggling food takeaway business, and an awareness of this will be key once you’re actively running your own delivery franchise. Good marketing positions your franchise as distinct, valuable and interesting to your target audience. Yes, you’ll likely have some franchisor support in terms of the marketing strategies you implement. But generally speaking, you’ll still need to put in plenty of hard work to put your franchise’s best foot forwards and promote your business on a local level.

Franchising is all about consistency, but consistency is a two-way street. While franchisors must create a profitable brand and business model that can be easily replicated, franchisees must help maintain brand reputation in order for it to retain its value. - Sprout Social

2. Stay on top of the latest trends - the delivery industry moves quickly

One of the best ways to remain ahead of the competition is to remain ahead of the curve. The takeaway food sector is vast and fast. It’s extremely competitive. Make sure you get your slice of the pie of consumer demand by doing your research and paying attention to emerging trends, attempting to provide for your customers dynamically and quickly. Never get stuck in your ways, and never put all the focus on what worked “before”, as there’s no guarantee it’ll continue to. Here are some takeaway trends to take note of in 2022:

The growing prominence of delivery platforms and apps like Deliveroo and JustEat
The rising number of ghost kitchens/takeaway-only restaurants
The popularity of meal/recipe/ingredient subscription services and at-home meal kits like My Local Farm Box and Hello Fresh
The increased amount of dietary-requirement-friendly dining options, from gluten-free pizza bases at Pizza Hut to vegan chicken burgers at Nando’s
The rising number of companies adopting eco-friendly practices and using sustainable packaging

In the ever-changing world that we live in, one of the best things your company can do is keep up with industry trends. [...] While it can be tempting to stick with the tried-and-true things your company has done over the years, integrating trending things as they come up will set you apart and keep you in the know about your industry. - AWARD Staffing

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3. Always remember that you’re a franchisee

This might seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget, in the day-to-day grind, that one of the biggest benefits of being a franchisee (rather than starting a business from scratch) is the availability of help, when help is needed. Your support team will come with plenty of experience and expertise, and they’ll be there to help you achieve your goals. After all, the success of a franchise is the success of its franchisor, too.

The specific provisions available to you will differ from franchise to franchise, but any good network should be willing to help if you run into difficulty or have a query. Many will go even further and assist with processes like marketing (as mentioned in tip one) and lead generation, allowing you to focus more fully on the day-to-day operations of your franchise business. In short: Never be afraid to ask for help. The franchise model is built to provide it.

4. Keep eco-friendly choices at the forefront of your mind

This was touched on in tip two but bears repeating: If you’re not thinking eco-friendly already, it’s time to start. From lighting to vehicles to packaging, make the right choices. Even the little ones can have an impact. Dedication to eco-friendly practices will help the environment, and it’ll also bring in more and more loyal green customers.

85% of consumers in the UK have adopted a more sustainable lifestyle in the last year [Sustainable Consumer], and many are looking for the same from the brands they choose to support and buy from. There are many ways to be more eco-conscious and reduce your food takeaway franchise’s carbon footprint. Here are just a few ways to start:

Speak with suppliers and ask them to cut down on packaging

Use recycled paper for menu printing
Use recyclable food packaging, biodegradable napkins and bin bags, etc.
Cut down your energy usage where possible
Ensure you’re using energy-efficient devices right down to your location’s lightbulbs
Maintain your equipment (well-maintained equipment uses less energy)
Add more veggie and vegan options to your menu (to lower the environmental impact of the food you’re serving)

Become a franchisee in the fast food takeaway industry today, and enjoy all the benefits of running your own business

If there’s one thing you take away (get it?) from this article, it should be that you’re now equipped with more knowledge about the ins and outs of running a food takeaway franchise than you were previously. And that makes you one step closer to ready to invest. Continue your research on Point Franchise, discovering the latest tech trends innovating the food takeaway sector and figuring out, once and for all, how to choose the food takeaway franchise that’s right for you.