Article highlights:

  • Increase your foot traffic during load shedding.
  • Tell your customers you’re open.
  • Time your marketing initiatives with load shedding.

Picture the scene: Sindi, a working mother and wife, arrives home just before 6pm after a long day at the office. She rushes into the kitchen to start dinner for her family. However, as she begins cooking, the power goes out. Despite her best efforts to plan ahead, she finds herself standing in a dusk kitchen with a spatula in hand and two hungry children looking at her. As frustration overwhelms her, Sindi gets a notification from her favourite quick-service restaurant, offering a family meal deal. She feels relieved and places the order immediately for her husband to collect on his way home. By 6:30 pm, the family is sitting down to a delicious meal, enjoying a happy ending to what started as a stressful situation.

This scenario is all too familiar and highlights many people’s frustration during meal times due to load shedding. However, it also demonstrates that quick-service restaurants can provide a solution and comfort during these difficult times. With the right strategies in place, restaurants can turn this challenge into an opportunity to promote their businesses as a reliable meal solution during load shedding.

One of the most important steps restaurants can take is to invest in backup power solutions, like a generator or battery backup system. By ensuring that they have a reliable power source during outages, restaurants can avoid shutting down unexpectedly and provide customers with a consistent level of service, even during load shedding.

If you have a quick-service restaurant (QSR) and backup power, there may be some particular strategies you can adopt during these power outages to turn a negative situation into a positive one:

1.   Increased foot traffic

During load shedding, many people may be searching for somewhere to go for free Wi-Fi. You can attract customers looking for a place to escape the power cuts (and order a meal), providing an opportunity to increase your foot traffic and sales. Make sure foot traffic can see that you’re open and provide backup lighting, mobile charging stations, and other amenities to make the wait more comfortable.

2.   Tell your customers you’re open

You can leverage the power cuts by promoting your ability to remain open during load shedding. Inform your customers on your database that you’re open. If you’re on the  YUMBI platform, you can do this through Engage with SMS or push notifications.

3.   Time your marketing initiatives with load shedding

You can offer promotions and discounts during load shedding to attract customers during this time. For example, you can offer special deals or discounts on meals during power outages, or you can create a limited-time menu specifically designed for power cuts. These promotions can easily be sent to your entire database via Engage on the YUMBI Dashboard.

4.   Create a competitive advantage

By providing customers with access to information and ordering options during load shedding, you can maintain a level of convenience and reliability that sets you apart from your competitors. In addition, with other restaurant options potentially unavailable during power cuts, you may face reduced competition and have a larger share-of-market.

5.   Make food ordering a breeze

The use of 1st party branded food ordering apps and websites can make it easier for customers to place orders online, even when the power is out. 

YUMBI is an online food ordering platform for quick-service restaurants.

Not yet on the YUMBI platform? Contact us at connect@yumbi.com for a free demo.