Carole Dahan of Naples, Florida is the owner of Carole’s House, a French bakery. As an entrepreneur, business owner and restaurateur, Carole Dahan reports on current industry happenings as well as what’s in store for 2023.

The last two years have been a rollercoaster for most bakery and restaurant owners. With supply chain issues, increasing competition, and changes in the retail landscape, keeping ahead of the trends are crucial for restauranteurs.

Carole Dahan of Naples, Florida explains that resilience, clever marketing, and adaptation will help these owners succeed in 2023 and beyond. Small bakeries are seeing success despite the effects of the pandemic, delivery apps are helping businesses grow, and changes in supply chain trends could spell lower prices for businesses.

Embracing Delivery Apps

Carole Dahan of Naples, Florida says that restaurateurs are leaning into the latest trends in ordering out. Online ordering has proven to be a massive source of growth for food businesses. In a recent industry trend report by Grubhub, the number of takeout orders and deliveries most businesses see has skyrocketed this year.

63% of customers surveyed said that they’re ordering through third-party delivery apps more than they were before the pandemic. With the numbers to back it up, restaurateurs are adjusting accordingly.

Increasing the Number of Takeout Items

Carole Dahan says that with more businesses opening as delivery-only, without any dine in options, the competition is rising. One of the top suggestions is to bulk up delivery availability to handle the increased business.

While this may seem like a strain on supplies and labor, keeping track of 2022 food trends can help chefs discover new recipes that are composed of ingredients already on the inventory list.

Sign Up for More Delivery Apps

Carole Dahan says that there are dozens of delivery apps, with more and more cropping up every day. Additionally, an overwhelming percentage of customers report that they discover new restaurants via delivery apps.

If a restaurant or bakery is not present on more than one app, they’re missing valuable traffic and orders from potential buyers.

There are more delivery apps to choose from than can feasibly be used. However, businesses looking to compete in the takeout game should strive to have a presence on at least three of the most popular apps in their region explains Carole Dahan.

Rise in Production Could Mean Lower Sugar Prices

Bakers and restauranteurs have more than likely felt the impact of supply chain shortages since 2020. Thankfully, the USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report indicates that sugar imports have increased by 161,933 tons from September’s numbers.

Carole Dahan of Naples, Florida says that this will likely soften the blow of inflation’s impact on restaurant buying trends. With a potential plateau, or even drop, in the cost of sugar, restaurant and bakery owners are open to reallocate their funds elsewhere.

Marketing Trends for Bakeries

The Small Business Development Center for the US includes a staggering 2,800 commercial bakeries. Those businesses pull in a combined $11.7 billion in revenue. Add in 6,700 retail bakeries and an additional $3 billion in revenue, and it is not hard to see why more and more bakeries are taking root.

Carole Dahan says that bakeries, especially retail bakeries, have the unique opportunity to market themselves in innovative ways. Creative marketing strategies for bakeries can drive considerable business, helping these locations stay afloat amid the rising competition.

Social Media Marketing

Taking full advantage of social media hotspots like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, adds a new layer of accessibility for small business bakeries.

Social media can be a difficult hurdle for businesses. Customers do not want to be constantly marketed to. Using excessive advertising language will dissuade followers and decrease engagement.

Carole Dahan says that studying up on social media marketing strategies will help business owners discover the right angle to approach their online presence at. Posting appealing images and sparking conversation among the promotions is a recipe for successful online engagement.

Custom Merchandise

A recent trend with the most successful small baking businesses is a convenient shelf of non-consumable merchandise for customers to shop.

Consumers who have established brand loyalty with a local business will be willing to support it in the form of more than just weekly bread purchases. Hiring a competent designer to create unique branded items like shirts and aprons are a fantastic way to drive revenue – and achieve additional word of mouth advertising.

Thinking outside the box with merchandizing will lend smaller bakeries a leg up over the competition. Some additional merch ideas include:

• Wooden cutting boards
• Stoneware mugs or dishes
• Oven mitts
• Tote bags
• Enamel pins
• Mixing ingredients, such as ‘secret’ spice blends or sauces

Even starting small with basic tee shirts or stickers can be a solid start to establish an identity with local communities.

Conclusion

2022 is rife with challenges for bakeries and businesses. The news forecast for the rest of this year, thankfully, seems indicate a positive trend for growth for the owners who are able to overcome them.