Published: December 2020<\/p>\n
The country is reopening, the world is reopening, and we seem to constantly push towards some form of normality with each day that passes. It has been a difficult time for the hospitality industry, but now we enter recovery mode. With social distancing, both indoors and outdoors, restaurants are starting to welcome back their loyal customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In truth, this is impossible for us to answer because it all depends on your location. Earlier in the pandemic, California and New York had the strictest rules and they were joined by Washington, Oregon, and others. As time goes on, guidelines are changing depending on the threat of coronavirus in different regions. To follow the guidelines and prevent mistakes, we recommend paying attention to the rules in YOUR area.\u00a0<\/span> If you produce videos, the advantage is that you can upload them as private videos on YouTube. Then, every time somebody joins, just send the link. You only need to make the investment once.\u00a0<\/span> Published: December 2020 Your Guide to Reopening a Restaurant After the COVID-19 Pandemic\u00a0 The country is reopening, the world is reopening, and we seem to constantly push towards some form of normality with each day that passes. It has been a difficult time for the hospitality industry, but now we enter recovery mode. With social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Can I Reopen My Restaurant?\u00a0<\/b><\/h6>\n
\nIf you\u2019re allowed to reopen, this is great news. If not, your day will come eventually. Either way, we\u2019ve compiled a useful guide to make the reopening process as seamless as possible.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStep 1 \u2013 Keep the Delivery Option\u00a0<\/b>
\nFirst and foremost, restaurants reopening doesn\u2019t mean that every customer will suddenly come running through the door. People are accustomed to deliveries and no-contact collections, so keep this option available. As well as catering to those who are nervous, keeping this as an option will also make it easier should we experience a second wave of the virus.\u00a0<\/span>
\nWith the pandemic lasting most of 2020 so far, it\u2019s fair to say that ordering takeout and delivery has become somewhat of a habit. Even if some customers aren\u2019t nervous about the virus, online ordering has still become a habit. By removing delivery as soon as the restaurant opens, you\u2019re limiting earning opportunities.\u00a0<\/span>
\nYou could also get creative by offering meals in bulk; you get more money, save on packaging, and save the customers from having to risk contact for another few days.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStep 2 \u2013 Communicate\u00a0<\/b>
\nFor many restaurants, the concern has been that customers will forget the brand name, and this is where effective communication comes in. Even if you can\u2019t yet open, you can still communicate. For example, a social media presence will go a long way in the current climate. As well as posting updates and news, you can share recipes, video tutorials of cooking skills, and other high-quality content. How can customers forget your name when you\u2019re teaching them how to be better cooks?\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf you don\u2019t already, try to build an email subscriber list because this is a simple way to offer great content. Using a combination of email lists and social media, you can inform of social distancing protocols, ordering and delivering, changes to the menu, and more. The restaurant may be closed, but the service and experience never stop.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStep 3 \u2013 Push Gift Cards\u00a0<\/b>
\nIf you\u2019re encountering some cash flow problems, gift cards are a great way to get an advance on sales. Essentially, you get the cash now without having to give anything back until restaurants are open and the recipient chooses to use their gift card. To generate interest, we recommend looking back on previous promotions and seeing which were the most popular. Can you reciprocate this offer now with gift cards? Then, reach out to as many people as you can in your emailing list and on social media.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAccording to some statistics, 20% of people who receive gift cards don\u2019t actually use them. Therefore, an average of one in every five you sell will be kept as profit anyway.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStep 4 \u2013 Take Your Time\u00a0<\/b>
\nIf the state is allowing your restaurant to reopen, this is exciting news \u2013 it brings images of a full dining room and happy customers once again. Yet, we\u2019re in very different times now. Even if you reveal the exciting news that you\u2019re open again, you shouldn\u2019t expect the busy schedule you had before the pandemic. Even after the state allows establishments to reopen, we\u2019re seeing a good percentage choosing to remain closed. Meanwhile, others are opening shorter hours and testing the market.\u00a0<\/span>
\nOne of the worst things you can do is open the doors without really thinking about how the experience will work for consumers. Instead, take your time and consider no-contact pick-up systems, order-ahead systems to limit contact once the guests are seated, and mobile ordering. The more you accommodate the customer and address their concerns, the more willing they will be to visit your restaurant again.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStep 5 \u2013 Review the Menu (and Your Profits)\u00a0<\/b>
\nAt the moment, business is probably slow. Rather than twiddling the thumbs until it picks up, review certain aspects of the business. For instance, can you renovate the menu and manage stock costs more effectively? Can you switch suppliers and cut down the delivery times (and therefore the freshness of the ingredients for customers)?\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf you have a modern POS system, make use of the analytics it provides. After learning the most popular dishes, think about the cost of these dishes. Perhaps there\u2019s a dish that\u2019s expensive to make yet not all that popular on the menu? If there\u2019s a dish that\u2019s cheap and popular, see if you can introduce a variation of this dish to entice people back to the restaurant.\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhen speaking to the head chef, they may be reluctant to make changes because each recipe is like another child to them. However, now is the time to cut down on inefficiencies and only keep dishes that are contributing to the business.\u00a0<\/span>
\nNow is also the time to look at the profit and loss statement to understand any inefficiencies that may exist within the business. If necessary, strip everything back to its core and start again. When the restaurant is busy each night, we need to make decisions on the fly. At the moment, we have an opportunity to really assess everything and pull it all back into an efficient zone. Get into good habits now and you\u2019ll find it easier to check KPIs (key performance indicators) regularly when the business is back open.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStep 6 \u2013 Improve Recruitment and Training\u00a0<\/b>
\nRemember before the pandemic when businesses couldn\u2019t find the right talent? Well, we\u2019re now in a position where millions of people are looking for work. If you don\u2019t update recruitment methods now, you may just miss your chance to get talented workers. Take advantage of the current market and hire the talent that\u2019s currently available; with the right recruitment, you should reduce staff turnover and the cost this generates for the business.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIn addition to recruitment, you should also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your onboarding process. Hiring the best talent is only the first step; it needs to be followed by high-quality training methods and materials. While you have the time, perhaps you can make training more engaging with videos and audios rather than having all new employees reading from the same old boring booklet.\u00a0<\/span>
\nMake the business more personable and record some training videos; we guarantee that training will be more fun, and you\u2019ll become a company for which people actually want to work. As well as videos, don\u2019t be afraid to start hiring before the restaurant is actually open. There are many benefits to doing this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\nStep 7 \u2013 Boost Your Digital Marketing\u00a0<\/b>
\nEarlier, we mentioned the importance of communicating with customers, and this should be part of a wider digital marketing strategy. If you have some free time, create content in advance so you don\u2019t have to worry about it as much once open again. Generate videos and announcements with free programs like Adobe Spark and Canva. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, the pages load quickly, and create tailored landing pages for ad campaigns. If you don\u2019t yet invest in paid ads, this is a great way to get exposure at a time where you need it most.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStep 8 \u2013 Get Accustomed to a New \u2018Normal\u2019\u00a0<\/b>
\nDon\u2019t forget, we\u2019re in a new world and things might not return to the \u2018normal\u2019 you remember from the beginning of 2020. Embrace the new normal because some customers might request a delivery or no-contact collection for the next months or years. In our opinion, those that thrive in the future will be the ones that adapted and accepted the new world. Be flexible, follow our advice, and you should reopen the restaurant successfully both for the short-term and the long-term health of the business! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"