With home delivery of ready-to-eat food increasingly on the roll worldwide, Lamb Weston announced on February 20 that it has perfected a way for french fries to arrive hot and crispy via a “Crispy on Delivery” comprehensive solution that goes from store to door.
It all began with extensive research focused on customer satisfaction for home fry delivery. The Eagle, Idaho, USA-headquartered company identified three key areas that impact the quality of delivered fries, namely: the product itself, the packaging, and best practices for delivery from the place of preparation to the consumer.
“There’s nothing better than hot and crispy fries, and we know we’ve got a solution to help our customers deliver on this,” said Mike Smith, Lamb Weston’s senior vice president for growth and strategy.
Lamb Weston’s “Crispy on Delivery campaign” is a store-to-door solution for home delivery of french fries that includes a lightly battered fry and patented packaging, plus handling and care tips.Starting with the product, “Crispy on Delivery fries” maintain heat and crispiness for 30 minutes, while traditional fries start to lose their appeal after only five minutes. The new fry is lightly battered to withstand the challenges of delivery without sacrificing taste.
Furthermore, the fries travel in style – in a patented container with venting technology. The “Crispy Technology” fry cup leverages strategically placed vents to keep contents warm while also preventing condensation from collecting in the packaging.
The “total solution” also includes “Store to Door” support from Lamb Weston’s team of french fry experts. With more than 65 years of experience making fries, the company offers advice ranging from preparation and packing tips to optimal delivery strategies and care and handling directions.
Early reaction to “Crispy on Delivery fries” has been positive, with restaurant operators rating them higher for overall satisfaction versus traditional fries.
This bodes well for keeping french fries in the home delivery menu mix, considering that a 20% increase in delivery traffic by 2020 has been projected for the United States market alone.
At the moment, according to a recent NPD survey, 30% of delivery-friendly consumers in the USA are not ordering fries due to quality concerns, with the lack of crispiness at the top of the complaint list. Furthermore, 63% of those polled blame the restaurant for the delivered food quality, even when a third party delivery is used.
