How to revive your restaurant, pub or hotel post-lockdown
If you own a restaurant, a pub or a hotel, then the last few months of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic have genuinely been a horror story for you. This virus came all of a sudden, and so drastically took over the entire world that most of us are still reeling in shock from what is taking place.
One of the first and most essential rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus has been to maintain social distancing and to spend months in lockdown in our homes. The concept of lockdown and social distancing came as a shock, and at first, we did not know what to do. In simple terms, following these guidelines meant staying inside our homes, and if we must go out, to maintain at least 6 feet distance between yourself and the other person.
One of the first aspects of our lives which suffered was our work life, and then our social lives. However, as we are going deeper into the pandemic, lots of companies started initiating work from home and remote working options. All this sounded great, and it seemed like things were slowly coming to normal.
But how is it possible to eat at a restaurant or visit a hotel or a pub if we are in lockdown?
Well, it’s not, which is why business owners suffered tremendous losses in the past few months.
After learning to live with the coronavirus for months, we are finally facing some good news- restaurants, pubs, and hotels can slowly start to open up! Many restaurants are taking this as a sign to reinvent their menu and change up how the premises looks! For example, many chefs are changing up what food they are serving and purchasing new equipment (more here on that) to please their customers.
To truly revive and thrive in this new landscape, understanding your business’s performance is paramount. Beyond implementing safety protocols and operational adjustments, strategic insights derived from real-time data can guide critical decisions on pricing, staffing, and marketing effectiveness. Monitoring key performance indicators allows owners to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and competitor strategies.
For hotels, specifically, tracking Hotel Metrics provides a clear picture of occupancy rates, average daily rates, and revenue per available room, enabling precise adjustments to maximize profitability in a fluctuating environment. This data-driven approach ensures that efforts to attract customers and optimize revenue are based on solid evidence, not just assumptions. So, if you are an owner and want to know how you can cheerfully revive your restaurant, pub or hotel after the lockdown, here is everything you need to know about it.
Maintain the one-meter plus rule
Okay, so even if you do manage to open up your business again, you defiantly won’t be able to permit all your patrons to rush back into your restaurant. You will have to maintain the one-meter plus rule.
In general, it is recommended that you maintain a distance of more than one meter (2 to 3 meters) between you and others. However, in smaller spaces where this might not be possible, such as a pub or a café, following the one-meter plus rule may be granted, as long as you follow all the other guidelines to their optimum.
So no matter how long a queue, your patrons will have to wait their turn to visit your restaurant. You cannot allow people to scramble in, risking their health and others.
Sanitization
After social distancing, one of the most important things you need to remember to fight this virus is to maintain proper hygiene. If you run a hotel you’ll need to freshen up your dusty rooms before guests can be invited back, as dust mites may have taken hold and so it is vital that you invest in some thorough Hotel Bed Bug Treatment, so guests don’t wake up with nasty bites. Here are a few things you need to ensure good sanitization in your restaurant
- Every single item- cutlery, the chairs, napkins, food items, water jugs, tablecloths, everything must be continually sanitized.
- Employees and customers should be encouraged to use sanitizers and wash their hands
- There should be adequate stock of water, soap, and sanitizers in your restaurant, pub or hotel.
- Disinfecting and cleaning items which are being touched more often
- Clear rules and guidelines for maintaining hygiene and using the toilet facilities in your restaurant
Guidelines for employees
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic will not allow the hospitality industry to be wholly ‘hospitable’ in the general sense of the word. The behavior and interaction between your employees and your customers can shape a customer’s experience to your business in a considerable way. They might become wholly turned off if you have rude or unfriendly staff.
However, the guidelines for staff must be changed during these dire times. Here are a few things to remember:
- Remind staff to maintain 2 meters (or 1-meter plus) distance between themselves and guests and even other staff members
- Try and use contactless options as far as possible (phones, apps, tablets, etc.)
- Reduce interaction time between staff members and customers
- If staff members have to shift customer luggage to their rooms, encourage them to leave the suitcases or language outside the rooms rather than take it inside
- Maintaining consistent hygiene and sanitization
Marketing your business wisely
How will people get to know that your business is open once again, and it is safe for them to visit? Well, you will have to market yourself. This is how:
- Use social media marketing tools to create informative and visual content on your business reopening after lockdown
- Provide adequate information to customers regarding the sanitization process, tools, and guidelines that your restaurant is following
- Encourage customers to visit your restaurant but admit them only if they follow the guidelines set by the state and your guidelines (no entry without a face mask, wear gloves if required, do not visit if the temperature is high, maintain social distance, etc.)
The many things that we once took for granted have all been snatched away from us by this coronavirus pandemic. However, it is only in our hands (literally!) to get back everything, but in a wiser, safer, and more cautious manner.
Contact one of our commercial law solicitors today to find out more about How to revive your restaurant, pub or hotel post-lockdown .
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