Amid the COVID-19 crisis, cities and entire countries are more and more limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery only. Here is how you can best avoid health risks and support your favorite local eateries, while staying in business.
What can restaurateurs do to minimize the health risks of the Coronavirus?
As an eatery you have certain responsibilities, both towards employees and guests. Help minimizing health risks by being proactive and listen to government recommendations.
- Stay updated with the latest news from your government. Listen, act and adapt to the recommendations given by your government.
- Sanitize the location daily. All spaces your diners touch or get in contact with need to be sanitized daily to minimize the spread of any type of bacteria or virus. We recommend you do this multiple times during a day.
- Minimize human contact and let the customers do the work. Is there a way for your customers to put in an order themselves? Maybe by using a kiosk, a tablet or a web application like Trivec Buddy where your guests simply scan a QR code.
- Offer take out or delivery services. Bring the food to your customers (or let them pop by to collect an order) to avoid larger gatherings. If you are a Trivec customer, you have a delivery function in your POS-system. Read more about how to get started here.
- Say NO to buffets. A great many hands grabbing the same serving cutlery, people bringing their noses too close to the sauce to smell it. Stay away from this is my warmest recommendation.
- Sharing is not caring – no tapas. Keep everyone’s hands and forks on their own side of the table. In times like these, there is no need to share bacteria (or virus!) with each other.
- Provide your guests with hand sanitizer or hand cleaning wipes. Or make hand washing mandatory for all customers. Kill the germs!
- Is a member of your staff feeling sick? Inform your employees of the current situation and the importance of staying home if you feel sick or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.
- Use social media to inform potential guests. Keep your opening hours, menu and delivery options updated, along with the correct contact information. Most diners will check social media (and/or your website) for updates regarding your business.
- Increase spacing between tables. Make sure you have space between the tables, so people don’t sit closer than one meter.
What can I do to help my local pub, eatery, café or brunch place?
No one can do it all, but we can all do something small. Every restaurant is currently experiencing a tremendous hit to their daily cashflow, and cancellations = no guests = no income.
Here are a few things we, as hungry human beings, can do to save the hospitality market:
Do not cancel your reservation – reschedule!
Instead of cancelling the romantic dinner, staycation or business lunch that you have looked forward to for weeks, reschedule for a later date. This crisis will not last forever, and if you decide to cancel – your favorite restaurant may not either.
Help with the cashflow – buy a gift card
As I mentioned, the entire hospitality industry is suffering, and restaurants included from low cashflow. Keep your favorite bakery afloat by buying a gift card today when it counts the most and ensure you can enjoy your favorite walnut-bread for many more years.
Use delivery services (or take out)
If the Coronavirus is making you uncomfortable, or you are put in quarantine – consider delivery services. Uber Eats, Foodora, Wolt, Deliveroo, and many others, are still in business and help restaurants stay open by offering delivery services. This type of service is perfect in critical times like these, as they minimize human interaction.
Some restaurants also offer pick up services; order on the go and stop by to pick up your order. It saves you time and allows you to minimize the health risks of public spaces. Ask the deliverer to leave the food outside your door or pick it up at your local café.
Every breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee break counts!
The timeline for dealing with the Coronavirus remains unclear. However, there is no need to panic. Just be smart, wash your hands and stay home if you are feeling sick… And, support your local restaurants by using delivery services when ordering your lunch tomorrow!