Why Food Courts are Struggling with Quality Services and What’s the Solution

Posted by Mike Shaw on December 2nd, 2020

Food courts are loved by food lovers and shoppers alike. They provide with a chance to explore excellent restaurants and international cuisines sitting at once place. Whether it’s a cup of coffee or an afternoon meal, they have it all under one roof. The cherry on the top with these international food courts is the number of options there is to pick from.

But if there is one thing that food courts are struggling with and diners complain about is the quality of the service. Keep reading to understand the problems faced by food courts and how to solve them.
Problems faced in food courts:

The overcrowding of the space:

The availability of options and different restaurants and food brands in the food court is sure fun. Still, along with that, it brings with it the sheer nuisance caused by overcrowding, especially during peak hours and weekends. It tends to overwork the food court staff and in turn, result in declining of quality of services.

Long ques to order food.

Another problem of overcrowding is a prolonged waiting period. The waiting line at the food outlet is generally long during business hours. It often causes chaos and breaks the peace of the area. It results in havoc and puts too much pressure on the person taking the order- which leads to confusion and taking in wrong orders.

Difficult to place customise orders.

Another drawback of overcrowding is the difficulty to place customise orders. The token system that is prevalent in food courts creates a gap between the person taking the orders and person placing them. Another problem that arises when someone wants to amend the order- that is add a few things to it or replace it. The said individual must wait in the long queue again.

Difficulty in finding seating space.

Sitting areas in food courts are congested. It is generally challenging to find space that is near to the outlet you wish to order from. One has to walk around the corner to place the order and receive them.

The above problems can sometimes make the otherwise fun and happening food courts a messy experience. How can food courts fight that? And how can they improve the quality of the services? Down below are specific examples.

Phone ordering:

Food courts can go digital- they can create their app or render an app service where customers can order food. It will cut down on long lines near the outlets and make ordering food a hassle-free experience.

Menu digitalisation and customisation.

Digital enabled menus can be personalised for ordering. It also means customers don’t have to wait in long ques only to find out the food they wanted to eat is not available. Customers can look into their phones and can discover the available options and can also add comments about what kind of food they want looking at it.

Facilitate the pre-ordering of food.

Customers can place their order before they arrive- this reduces their waiting time, and they can enjoy their food at peace. They can also add to orders between the meal without getting up and going all the way to the outlet.