Paris 2024 Olympics: a checklist for restaurateurs
May 27, 2024
The Olympic Games are fast approaching, and the Olympic flame is already criss-crossing France. But are you ready for the event of the year?
With nearly 13 million tickets sold and between 15 and 20 million visitors expected, The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a not-to-be-missed sporting event for the foodservice industry.
While most competitions take place in Paris and the Ile de France region, a number of provincial cities also host events, including Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Lille, Nice, Marseille, Nantes, Châteauroux and even Tahiti!
Accommodation, transport, catering... it's all hands on deck for professionals who want to take advantage of this golden opportunity for their business.
Visit our special catering checklist to get you in the starting-blocks... and break all records!
Digitalize ordering and payment to better manage peak periods
Being close to or on the competition site is a great opportunity to take advantage of mass traffic during events.
Even if your establishment is not located in the direct vicinity of the competition site, be prepared to welcome more customers. Accommodations in towns close to the event will be snapped up. Spectators will have no choice but to stay on the outskirts.
Visit fast food and bakeries will enable visitors to enjoy their meal at low cost and without wasting time. Breweries and traditional restaurants will attract a clientele looking for quality time and good French food.
In any case, to ensure quality of service, you need to be well organized!
Visit quality of customer experience must be at the heart of your restaurant's strategy.
Anticipate supply logistics and stock up on food and beverages to meet demand.
To welcome more customers, think now about how you can redesigning space inside and outside your restaurant.
Terraces equipped with giant screens will be in demand. Make sure they're comfortable and protected from the elements or the sun.
But above all, rely on smartphone-based order-taking and payment solutions to reduce waiting times, free up staff time and guarantee a frictionless customer experience.
Installation of control terminals in your facility also allows you to :
- streamline order taking ;
- avoid frustration linked to waiting times;
- and increase order points for additional revenue.
You also reduce the risk of errors when taking orders or issuing invoices, which could increase if your staff are overworked. Your team will be able to concentrate on other tasks to increase efficiency and table turnover.
Delegate as much as you can!
The Olympics represent a huge challenge for restaurateurs: while there are almost 400,000 unfilled jobs in the catering industry in 2023, at least 60,000 additional jobs will need to be created for this event.
Our recommendation: you must reduce time-consuming, non-value-added tasks to a minimum (order taking - cashing) at very short notice, during breaks, before and after events.
This requires solutions from ORDER FORM and payment by QR Code or order terminals, integrated with your POS software.
Another important point: table reservations.
The combination of the Olympic Games effect and the Summer effect will boost bookings.
So set up an online booking system to simplify your work and that of your team.
Attract foreign customers
To satisfy international customers, it's important to offer a version of the menu translated into several languages. If you don't have the time to do this, or don't know how to go about it, opt for a digital menu with integrated machine translation.
To promote the French terroir, which is much sought-after by tourists, don't hesitate to offer traditional French dishes, with local ingredients and, if possible, vegetarian or vegan options, which are increasingly in demand.
The Games Organizing Committee has even published a special booklet for catering professionals: "2024: bringing France up to date".. As this brochure so aptly sums up, the 2024 Olympics are an opportunity to to welcome the world to its table.
Don't forget that your customers will judge the efficiency of your service just as much as the quality of your cuisine during this key period. If you want the maximum number of positive reviews on Google or Tripadvisor, you'd better be well prepared!
Riding the wave of the Olympic Games to offer additional services
Sports events, especially when held in France, are good business for French catering professionals.
Beers, pizzas, home deliveries: well-prepared restaurateurs will do just fine. the game or rather games! 🙃
The festive atmosphere, the broadcasting of events and the celebration of victories all encourage consumers to flock to the bars and restaurants.
To supplement your income, offer takeaway or the home delivery. Many spectators will prefer to watch the races at home or in the many fan zones. They will be looking for simple, high-quality options to avoid having to cook.
Use a solution of click and collect or click-and-delivery solutions for easier order management and kitchen preparation.
Prepare your marketing actions now
Leverage your digital communication media to attract customers: social networks, emailings and even SMS.
Don't wait until the last minute to collect customer data.
You need to start as soon as possible build a well-qualified customer database.
It's the essential foundation for sending targeted messages.
The most effective solution is to offer a digital loyalty card in your restaurant. By creating their loyalty account with you, your customers will leave their contact details with you: you'll be able to communicate more easily with them by sending them marketing campaigns.
And with the right loyalty program, your customers will keep coming back, even after the Olympics!
Once again, don't forget that this is a golden opportunity to speed up your customer feedback thanks to message automation. This will enable you to strengthen your reputation and capitalize on this outstanding event for the future.
In a nutshell
- Anticipate your supply logistics and plan for + inventory
- Redesign the interior and exterior of your restaurant
- Install an online or kiosk-based order and payment system
- Set up online booking
- Translate your menu into several languages
- Adapt your menu to include local dishes and veggie & vegan options.
- Offer click & collect and/or click & delivery
- Launch your digital loyalty card now
- Connect your customer database
- Prepare your marketing campaigns
With this checklist, you're all set for summer.
And don't forget that there's still time to implement these last tips.
Get in touch with our team to help you digitalize your business.
Are you ready? Fire away!
