Living with a deadly virus everywhere around us isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but if you do what you’re told, get vaccinated, and try to stay safe afterward, your chances of remaining healthy are much higher than they were before. Surviving the global COVID-19 pandemic takes a lot of energy and patience, especially for those who have to deal with problems professionally. However, it’s not just our doctors, nurses, and lab technicians who are doing that every single day – it’s also those people who own restaurants, cafés, bars, bistros, and other public places where people used to come and spend their free time. Now that most people need to stay at home and remain socially distant from everyone else, restaurants are entering a new chapter and their owners need to start thinking outside the box if they wish to survive. In case you’re one of them, here are a few things you need to do if you wish to survive the pandemic in the best and most successful way possible.
Set the distance
With the rise of COVID-19 and its arrival in all corners of the world, the fear people initially felt was replaced with confusion because most of us didn’t know what this disease really is and how we should react to it. Therefore, we didn’t know what to do if we wanted to avoid it, which is why social distancing quickly became rule number one that helped people avoid getting infected. This is precisely why this should be your top priority as well, especially if you’re trying to help your restaurant survive and live to see another year.
However, maintaining social distance in restaurants is far from being easy. After all, these are the places where people are meant to get close, be together, and spend as much time with each other as they can. Therefore, introducing social distance to your restaurant and promoting it can be rather easy, but it’s manageable. Restaurant owners and managers across the globe are already doing this and are constantly coming up with new creative solutions that will make their visitors understand why social distancing isn’t just useful, but crucial in their fight against COVID-19. From using mannequins to putting up massive posters that announce the number of people that are allowed to enter the premises, these people are finding ways to be respectful towards their customers, but still careful when it comes to protecting their health and the health of their employees.
Use face shields and masks all the time
After social distancing, wearing face shields and masks is the most popular method of fighting against this dangerous virus. These things don’t seem like a lot at first, but if you know that these can significantly decrease the chances of getting infected – up to 95%! – you won’t have a problem understanding their importance. Face shields and masks are mandatory in lots of countries that are trying to slow down the spread of COVID-19, especially at public places, including restaurants.
Therefore, you need to insist on having all your staff members – from the owners to the bussers, and everyone in between – wear shields and masks all the time, from the moment they enter the restaurant in the morning until they go home in the afternoon. The same goes for your customers as well, even though that might turn out to be rather difficult because they need to
have their mouths free in order to enjoy the food. So, come up with a system and try to encourage them to opt for shields that allow them to eat and drink instead of having to waste all their time and energy struggling with their face masks.
Go outside
One of the very few things we know about the COVID-19 virus is that it’s not a fan of the outdoors – it spreads more easily in closed spaces, which is why you need to spend as much time in big and open spaces as you possibly can. This is great news for everyone in the restaurant business because they can simply move their operation in the open and continue their business as usual. Of course, this won’t be easy, and moving into the outside area requires a lot of time, energy, and resources – both on the logistical and financial aspects.
First, you’re going to need tons of new outdoor space. And if your restaurant doesn’t have any, you might be facing a massive problem because creating new space in the open is practically impossible. But, if you have at least some outdoor space, you can start looking for ways to maximize it. Check out some new tables and those bentwood chairs for sale because these aren’t just elegant and visually appealing, but also comfortable as well, and that’s something your customers are going to love. In the end, design a counter where people can order your food without entering the restaurant, thus significantly lowering the chances of spreading the infection.
Add glass partitions
In case you’re not a fan of forcing people to wear face shields and masks, and don’t have any outdoor space you can work with, this might be the perfect idea for you. Adding glass partitions on the tables will help you maintain social distance between your customers, as well as keep everything in accordance with the rules because that’s the only way to survive these months. Finally, this will help you earn some money instead of not earning anything at all, so glass partitions might easily become the best way to survive the pandemic.
The best thing about this idea, though, is that you can turn it into practice on your own. You don’t have to buy tons of equipment and materials, and then pay professionals to install everything for you. Instead, buy just the amount you’re going to use, and then start installing it on every table in your restaurant. Once you’re done, your customers will feel safe and protected, and you won’t have a problem in case an inspection comes your way.
Keep advertising
Once you do all these things, it’s time to tell your customers that you’ve managed to complete the preparations and that you’re ready to make it all better. This includes a lot of work, time, and money, which means you have to invest all these things and make sure everyone knows that you’re working under these circumstances. Even if you’ve done everything according to the new rules and regulations, your regular customers might not be coming back to you – not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know that you’re operational in the first place!
That’s why marketing is the key component of your restaurant’s success during the COVID-19 pandemic. From traditional marketing methods you’ve always been using to social media marketing strategies that might help you appeal to new demographics, getting the word out
there is essential today. Another thing you could do is create a unique hashtag that will help you stand out on social media, keep in touch with your loyal customers, and attract new people.
Regulate your prices
We’re all going through a difficult period of our lives, and sticking together has never been more important than now. Every single person is facing financial and health challenges, and if you want to survive this time, showing the world how compassionate and helpful you are might be the key to success. In other words, this means lowering your prices, offering different discounts, and helping people get some amazing food without spending a fortune.
Admittedly, doing that isn’t the best solution when it comes to making money, but if you consider the fact that you probably haven’t been making that much money during the pandemic anyway, earning some is better than earning nothing. So, don’t be afraid to lower the prices, introduce happy hours, and do whatever you can to make sure your place is always as full as possible.
Deliver and collect
With so many people out there being stuck at home and not being able to come to you, introducing new services – delivering food and having it collected at your restaurant – is an amazing way to survive. This shouldn’t be too hard to do, especially since you’re already preparing the food, and the only difference is that your customers won’t be coming to you, but you’ll be going to them.
Giving everyone a chance to have their food delivered or collected is still a lucrative way to do business, and this could mean you’ll be starting more money than ever. You just have to set up a new system that will take the food from your kitchen to the counters and people’s homes, and make sure everyone’s completely safe during that process – and that’s it!
As you can see, there are lots of things you can do if you want your restaurant to survive the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the sooner you start introducing these changes, the sooner your business will start making money, so check them out right now!
