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How COVID-19 Will Change The Way Restaurants Operate

COVID-19 has been hard on everyone, but there are few industries that have been hit as hard as the restaurant industry. Restaurants rely on people going out and spending time together. Profits often depend on the size of a crowd. There is also the fact that people need to have disposable income to spend at a restaurant, and with millions of people losing their jobs, that is far from guaranteed.

We are all hoping that things will go back to normal soon enough, as the virus is brought under control. However, the reality is that for businesses like restaurants, some changes will be permanent.

Here are some of the biggest long-term changes COVID-19 will cause restaurants to make.

Delivery is key

When social distancing regulations first came into place, the restaurants most prepared were those that regularly delivered. Fast food chains had few problems adapting to higher demand. Unfortunately, this is not true for restaurants that serve gourmet food.

Typically, people have gone out for expensive meals. Having a fancy dinner delivered falls short on so many levels. Not only are you lacking the restaurant experience, but the food generally does not retain its high quality.

But everyone has had to adapt, and upper-tier restaurants have had to find ways to deliver gourmet food without ruining it. In itself, this change will impact restaurants in the long-term. Many establishments are changing their menus to include meals that can be packaged and delivered. For now, it is about survival. In the future, it will be a bigger source of revenue than ever before.

Hygiene consciousness

Let’s face it. While we may have been a little wary of hygiene standards in the past, we were generally willing to let stuff go. A sticky tablecloth or menu was not a deal-breaker. But with COVID-19 around for so long, considering hygiene has become second-nature.

Restaurants will need to up their game in this respect if they are to continue drawing customers. Part of the process may be updating old decor so that it no longer has that dirty look. Plastic menus will have to make way for disposable paper menus. And staff will need to be trained to exhibit high hygiene standards, or they will drive customers away.

Many restaurants will need to get a fresh restaurant furniture supply, especially if they are currently using tables and chairs that often look grimy even when they’re clean. It should be part of any redesign intended to make an establishment appear safer post-COVID.

Shifting staff

Unfortunately, some restaurants will be forced to let go of some of their staff. They may simply be unable to afford to keep paying them, especially if they need to continue implementing strict limits on patron numbers.

However, other restaurants may well find they need to hire more staff than before. They will need them to implement new hygiene practices. For example, they may need someone on the door at all times to measure temperatures and sanitize hands. More waiters also ensures there is less chance of cross-contamination between tables.

Ultimately, restaurants and staff are going to have to adapt in this regard. The world is not going back to how it once was. This may be beneficial for some restaurants, but every restaurant will be affected.


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How COVID-19 Will Change The Way Restaurants Operate

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