COVID-19 – What to Do at This Moment in Your Restaurant?
COVID-19 is like a trigger for delivery sales to skyrocket, in the logic that consumers will be avoiding crowds – and that, in its extreme, will mean not leaving home. However, in the meantime, you must learn more about what businesses will be affected and what you can do to minimise the impacts. The perspective is that you will have a drop in traffic in restaurants, especially in places where accumulation is a characteristic: sea cruises, arenas, stadiums, cinemas, bars, and nightclubs or food courts that are usually very crowded.
To help people think about what steps to take, you need to understand how consumers think. Many of them will think about shortening shopping hours.
According to an American survey, the actions that practically 70% of consumers say they test for fear of doing, because they believe they can contract the virus from them at meal places outside the home, are:
- Open contaminated door handles;
- Serving in self-service areas, with utensils common to all;
- Use a public bathroom in the restaurant;
- Sit in a very crowded environment to eat;
- If using self-service soft drinks, free refills.
In the process of choosing where to eat, the trust will be more relevant than ever. Right now, our suggestions for how you can act in your business are:
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Start with your team: communicate well with hygiene and cleaning procedures, symptoms, your policy of not working with anyone who is sick. Clear up your doubts and come back with practical tips for learning.
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Change the frequency of hygiene and cleaning procedures: and make it visible to the public. Have someone always cleaning everything: tables, kiosks, utensils, in short, everything that people touch. Communicating is not enough: you have to do it.
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Protect everyone visibly: promptly use gloves, personal protective equipment, impeccable and clean uniforms – also, be more critical with the visual clutter of whatever it may be: garbage, pots, food, in short, everything is in sight of the consumer.
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Have liquid soaps and disinfectants / alcohol-gel for the client’s use: think about how to better protect food with lids, seals, especially in packaging for travel and protectors where it is served. Whenever possible, do not expose the food unnecessarily.
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In packaging for travel: the perception of hygiene is often better if everything is packed individually. Make sure the seals really work and report everything you’re doing with clear consumer communications.
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In full-service restaurants: increase the spacing between tables and rethink the use of community tables at this time.
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Talk to your suppliers: understand how the impact is for them, how you can work together to ensure stock, quality, and supply of products.
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Keep an eye on your cash flow: minimise extraordinary expenses or those that can be postponed at this time. But think about what makes your customer come back today: quality, innovation and service – and now more than ever in cleaning – and cut costs consciously.
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Increase your delivery: think about how your offer can be more strategic in delivery, review the packaging, procedures, speed, hospitality, and talk to partners. Eventually, think about making small deliveries in your area of influence, that is, 10 minutes on foot where you or your team can attend. It’s time to think about other ways to sell, and what is attractive to the consumer and profitable to your business.
Despite everything, keep your optimism
Finally, you are in a business that can always bring good memories, a celebration, and make people feel better. Time to work hard! We are helping restaurants scrambling to reinvent themselves in the wake of coronavirus. The restaurants can start their takeaway and home delivery services with Y the Wait business app. Please visit our registration page for signing up within a few minutes with our 24×7 support.
