Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the hospitality industry, and more specifically restaurants, bars, and cafes, were experiencing something of a boom in their trade.
Things were rosy, and we couldn’t get enough of eating out and spending our hard-earned dollars in the process.
Fast forward two years, and things are entirely different. The coronavirus outbreak decimated the industry from top to bottom.
Hundreds of thousands of bars and restaurants have shut down, and the overall financial climate we live in now in 2022 has affected the level of disposable income we all have.
3 Ways Restaurants Have Adapted Post-Covid World
This means that visiting a restaurant will become more of a luxury, and as a result, the road ahead for those who own and run such business enterprises will have to be very clever about how they approach these obstacles.
Here are some ways the industry will have to adapt to the new world we live in.
1. Embrace Takeout Boom
The restaurants that managed to overcome the last two years did so essentially did so due to a number of critical factors.
One theme that seemed common among those that got through the pandemic was takeout. Those restaurants that already had a solid foothold in this part of the business model managed to hold their own.
Clearly, as customers were unable to dine in, the level of service that was takeout focused increased dramatically, and that is a change of perspective that is going to continue to play its part.
Your restaurant needs to be on top of this if you are not already, and the more attention you pay to the takeout menu and the resources that surround the whole chain, from order to delivery, the more likely your business will prosper.
Be creative and ensure that your service is top of the line. Consider a bespoke menu for takeout and look to boost business in this area by making good use of your social media pages.
2. Adjusting the Layout of Your Restaurant
Regardless of whether coronavirus lockdowns are a thing of the past, and there’s every chance that further waves of COVID-19 outbreaks may well lead to similar guidelines put in place, your customers no longer want to be eating on top of one another.
You should look to adjust your restaurant’s layout accordingly. This means your restaurant furniture needs to be less constrictive, and the placement of your tables needs to be a decent distance from each other.
It may be helpful to use any change to your existing seating plan and overall capacity as part of a general refit or re-design. In other words, these changes can be part of a whole new outlook that your restaurant can use to your advantage.
A large percentage of those restaurants that proved successful in terms of surviving the pandemic were those that had outside areas to maximize. Either that meant making further use of capacity that existed or, in some cases, being creative with other spaces, such as car parks and front-of-house areas.
Clearly, this is more useful for areas with a climate that makes outdoor eating workable, or you’ll have to invest in cover and heating facilities.
Either way, these are spaces that can help boost your overall capacity and are suited to how customers now choose to enjoy their dining experience.
3. Sustainability Is the Key
If a restaurant wants to survive in 2022, they have to be sustainable. This means being very careful with all the resources you use to run your venture.
There are a million and one ways to do this, from major or minor, but they all have a part to play.
A significant aspect you need to take into account is the rising cost of transportation and with this in mind, why not look to use local suppliers for your ingredients? Why not use this opportunity to partner with local establishments? Maybe consider going down the farm-to-table route.
Sustainability, of course, means more than just saving money; it’s also part of a societal drive to be more environmentally conscious. So drum this into every employee and every action your restaurant undertakes.
This might mean having a more seasonal-focused menu, which helps you in many ways. It gives you a regularly changing menu that keeps your customers on their toes and also helps from an environmental perspective.
Be Ready for Change
There may be some who predict the restaurant industry will pretty much return to normal and others who are more pessimistic. The truth is probably somewhere between both, and you need to move out of any semblance of complacency,
Running a restaurant is a massive challenge at the best of times, and in 2022 and beyond, that challenge is only going to get tougher.
Be prepared for the worst and plan accordingly, and you’ll give your business the best chance of riding any future waves of uncertainty.
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