{"id":25853,"date":"2019-05-23T09:05:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T13:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/navigating-transparency-whats-best-for-you\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T11:22:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T15:22:43","slug":"navigating-transparency-whats-best-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/navigating-transparency-whats-best-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating Transparency: What\u2019s Best for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By connecting with restaurant customers on matters they care about, you can define your brand and solidify your position in the competitive landscape.<\/h2>\n

Restaurants are nothing like a box of chocolates. Customers always want to know what they\u2019re going to get. But customers sometimes want to know more than the name, ingredients and cost of the food on the menu. Is it gluten-free? Non-GMO? Heart healthy? Locally sourced? Even if these particular questions aren\u2019t relevant to your operation, the possibility that they might be asked and the idea of providing transparency\u2014on the menu and beyond\u2014is something you may want to consider.<\/p>\n

Transparency<\/a> is difficult to define. It means something different in each community, in each operation and to each individual who walks through the door. There is no national definition or industry standard, so recognizing how transparency might fit your business comes down to two things: Does it communicate your brand message, and does it provide consumers with the right information?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you support clean label, GMO-free or fresh ingredients, it presents the opportunity for an operator to say, \u2018OK, here\u2019s what it means to us,\u2019 and it gives you the chance to further define what it means as it applies to customers.\u201d says Bob Moulson, MScFN, RD of the Gordon Food Service Nutrition Resource Centre.<\/p>\n

Start with engagement<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s up to each business owner to decide whether transparency applies. As you talk with customers, you\u2019ll pick up on issues that matter most to them and align with your operational brand. Different communities have unique needs. If you\u2019re located near a college, you might expect customers wanting to know about recycling or local foods. If you\u2019re a seafood restaurant, customers might want to know about sustainable seafood labeling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Promoting transparency may not even be all that important as a marketing consideration. What\u2019s important to consider is engagement\u2014customers expect operators to have the ability to respond to questions about transparency.<\/p>\n

If the restaurant has a framed certificate on the wall from a local charity event, or if server mentions gluten-free offerings, or if the takeout packaging is labeled as environmentally friendly, it shows the restaurant has already worked through the message it wants to communicate to customers. <\/p>\n

Knowing what questions to expect goes back to knowing your environment. A server who asks, \u201cDo you have any allergies?\u201d while taking an order could be part of a brand action\u2014an awareness about something important to customers. That kind of accommodation is at the heart of transparency.<\/p>\n

Unlimited opportunities<\/h3>\n

At the core, your staff should be trained on how to answer questions and meet customers where they\u2019re at regarding transparency. Their answers also have to be authentic and consistent with your brand. As you learn more about customer concerns, it may become more important to your brand\u2014possibly spilling out onto your menu and becoming part of your website, social media communications or even advertising.<\/p>\n

Because transparency has no set definition, there\u2019s no limit to the questions customers might ask. Here are five common areas of transparency you might prepare to address:<\/p>\n