4 . What's the point in dining out when we can have whatever meal we want delivered to our homes as we watch movies on our giant flat-screen TVs? According to statistics from Technomic, 86% of consumers are using off-premise (非经营场所的) channels at least once a month, and a third of consumers are using it more than they did a year ago.
Most restaurants companies are chasing these trends simply to keep up with quickly changing consumer demands. Fazoli's has spent the past two years investing in its drive-through, carryout, catering and delivery businesses, and has launched a new loyalty app aimed at making carryout orders easier. These efforts have paid off so far- off-premise sales are up 18.5% over last year for the company, said Jennifer Crawford, director of off-premise sales at Fazoli's.
But, she notes that sales aren't the only benefit to giving priority to these channels.“The off-premise channel is a great opportunity to communicate and connect with a new consumer group," Crawford said.“Many of our off-premise guests have not dined in a Fazoli's or experienced our menu. With options like third-party delivery and online ordering, we have the capability to tap into potential new guests.
Sales lifts and new customer potential are great rewards, to be sure. But that doesn't mean carrying out off-premise channels comes without challenges. Crawford said a big one is the lack of control and maintaining the guest relationship.“When a guest dines in, we can provide a level of service that improves the consumer dining experience," she said, The lack of control extends into the digital experience, as third-party apps can also be an issue. “Orders are not often processed properly due to the drop-down menus and default (默认) orders in third-party software," Crawford said. She adds that staffing issues can also arise when heavy delivery periods overlap strong in-restaurant traffic and maintaining food quality and integrity (完整) during drive time is tricky with certain dishes.
Nevertheless, Crawford believes the juice is very much worth the squeeze.“Across the industry, dine-in traffic continues to decline or remain flat. If brands are not driving sales through catering, carryout and delivery, they are missing out on income," she said.
1. Why does Fazoli's invest in off-premise channels?
| A．Because it wants to see the potential of its consumers. |
| B．Because it wants to keep up with the latest changes. |
| C．Because it wants to survive in the changing consumer landscape. |
| D．Because it wants to communicate and connect with its new consumers. |
2. We can know from Paragraph 4 that____________.
| A．it is challenging to maintain quality and integrity of dishes during delivery |
| B．third-party apps cannot offer as good an experience of ordering as restaurants |
| C．third-party apps may get out of control when consumers experience online ordering |
| D．during heavy delivery periods, more staff is always needed to deal with busy dine -in traffic |
3. What is Crawford' s attitude towards off premise channels?
| A．Cautious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Favorable. |
4. What is the text mainly about?
| A．What challenges off-premise channels create. |
| B．How restaurants are adapting to the rise of takeout. |
| C．Why restaurants are prioritizing off-premise channels. |
| D．How important off- premise channels are for restaurants. |
