Spring is in the air, and with it, a sense of hope. Although this current lockdown has been exceptionally challenging for many businesses, garden and farm centres have been in the fortunate position of being allowed to stay open.
With limited destination retail experiences for people to enjoy, no doubt this has reaped the benefits of a wider demographic and increased footfall. But it’s important to maintain this when mainstream retail opens up again.
Specialist designers, Catering Design Group (CDG), walk us through some fresh ideas to maintain and nurture growth ahead.
Hue got me at hello
Colour can be a form of non-verbal messaging, subliminally affecting how we feel when we walk into a space.
Having the right colour palette not only reflects your ethos and values but can enhance the customer experience. Visiting a garden or farm centre is one of life’s pleasures so it’s important that you meet expectations in every area of your centre, including your catering operation. Naturally, this space should complement your retail and outdoor spaces.
One way of doing that is by using colour creatively and using the psychology of colour for maximum input. A change of colour is a quick, cost-effective and impactful way of refreshing your eating spaces.
A story of sustainability
Over the last 12 months, there has been a shift in how we view the world and what is important to us as humans, such as kindness, interest in community, health, wellbeing and the environment. There’s an opportunity for garden centres to embrace this and reflect these values in your food offer and surroundings.
Everything from natural textures and organic shapes to the use of patterns inspired by nature tell a story about your ethos.
Even the tiniest finishing touches like your choice of serving bowls, your menu design or light fittings can spark an association with sustainability in a customer’s mind, speaking volumes about your quality standards, values and sustainability.
These design elements let visitors know that you care about the environment, energy efficiency and the community in which you operate.
Think about placing story boards with pictures and details about some of your local food growers and artisan producers to share the provenance of your ingredients.
Think technology
There is no doubt that the garden centre visitor demographic is changing, with younger people now waking up to the joys of gardening and outdoor spaces.
Unfortunately, there is also no doubt that social distancing will be with us for another while so anything you can do to make the customer experience safer and more convenient is a plus.
A well-designed App for ordering food will reduce queues, waiting times and transaction handling for this techno-savvy customer-base. Special offers and loyalty bonuses can be easily added, with the potential to increase sales and repeat business.
With the growth virtual platforms and on-line purchasing, all generations have become far more tech savvy so tap into that as there is a big opportunity for garden and farm centres to use technology to drive business growth.
The use of technology is relevant to the way that we design the restaurant/remote food areas. For example, if customers pre-order via an App, we will be thinking about collection points or table delivery from a design perspective.
Embrace the great outdoors
Even when lockdown restrictions lift, many of us won’t feel entirely comfortable eating together in an indoor restaurant or café.
Giving visitors a choice of interesting eating spaces throughout the centre will add to their overall experience.
For example, you could consider introducing moveable pods to broaden your food offer such as a takeaway juice bar, hot beverage station or a quirky place to sell street food or pizzas for increased revenue.
The advantage of smaller, moveable pods is that these can tailored to suit your food offer, style and branding.
Attractive outside seating areas also offer more flexible options for anything from takeaway picnics to al fresco working lunches or meetings.
Nurturing Potential
Ideas & inspiration to grow your catering operation
To request a copy of CDG’s free booklet on how to make the most of your garden or farm centre catering space, please contact Steve Hutchings
Catering Design Group (CDG) is one of UK’s leading restaurant and commercial kitchen design companies, offering a full design service to clients throughout the retail, leisure, hospitality and education sectors. http://www.cateringdesign.co.uk If you would like to know more about how CDG can support your vision, contact Steve Hutchings, director of CDG on 07736 479342 or email steve.hutchings@cateringdesign.co.uk
