Are we going to the restaurant againg?
While the Coronavirus keeps spreading most of us are thinking about how our new lives will look like in a few weeks. The hospitality industry is among the most affected by this crisis and we’re all asking ourselves if we can go out for dinner again.
We read this interesting article on Rakuten Ready, they surveyed more than 100 people to understand the impact of Coronavirus on their future behaviours when talking about restaurants and bars.
They found that nearly the 40% of us will change our habits due to Coronavirus avoiding restaurant and crowded locations, while the 30% will opt for a home dinner more often.
“It’s a challenging time for restaurants — large and small — and we believe that there are some practical steps restaurants can take to address the social distancing concerns you and many are voicing today,” said Susie Fogelson, Founder/ CEO, F&Co. “First and foremost, restaurants need to address the obvious points about density and restrictions being put in place by local public officials, about cleanliness and safety and engagement. Utmost care and attention is required today.”
Until now the key pillars on which we based our restaurant reviews were basically focused on food experience and location. Tomorrow we’ll need to add a third one: the overall safety of the experience will guide our choices.
That’s why we believe restaurants should base their future marketing plans and communications stressing the most important point. The great experience after COVID-19 will be not the same as before but even better and safer.
Our tips on how to manage a Restaurant in the Coronavirus era
Having read tens of interviews among the most important player of the hospitality business, like Bo Peabody (founder of Seated), Patrick Hardy, Rolyn Stone (founder of Zedic), we want to sum up the best and most practical advices for a restaurant dealing with the Coronavirus challenge.
- Automate: as many operations you can like table ordering devices, with a real time chat boot with staff and avoiding cash payments boosting contactless ones via credit or apps.
- Sanitize frequently: every single corner but more often tables and chairs at the end of each reservation. Don’t forget to put personal sanitizer on every table to let people feel safer.
- New rules of service: we need to define new behavioural rules for the staff and be sure they follow them and let our customers do it too. We need to left the proper living space to our customers, that’s social distancing.
- A new business plan: putting distance among tables means turning them more often and (or) push home deliveries. You may also think about new business areas like…the brunch?
- Marketing and Communication: customers want to know they’re safe, they need to enjoy the first dinner with family or friends just chilling and tasting amazing food.
The role of hospitality interior design
As natural consequence of our everyday job we are rethinking about the role of hospitality interior design in the near future. It’s more important than you think as will be fundamental to renovate your spaces to maintain a rentable business.
At Restylit we saw a strong increase of requests coming from restaurant owners from the beginning of Coronavirus crisis. They’re asking us to renovate their spaces widening them or finding new ones to deal with social distancing.
But we need to take care about outdoors too, if you have, that space where people will feel more comfortable and safer. They’re spaces to be cured as much as your amazing interiors, they need to reflect the soul of the experience you’re offering today more than ever.
We’re also focused on supporting our clients with an advisory pack built with a famous field expert to work together on a new business plan to face this big challenge and turn it into new opportunities.
