The Evolving Restaurant Industry

Welcome back!

We hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend and stayed safe. Now that we’re back, t’s time for another FlashBlog. Let’s talk about the rapidly changing restaurant industry and what this could mean for potential growth. Due to COVID19, the restaurant industry has changed drastically and may take a long time to adapt to this new normal. We’ll be diving into some of the safety measures restaurants are implementing to try to bring back guests while also going into the new trends and what this means for the future.

Pre-Pandemic

A lot has changed in the restaurant industry from what we were used to before the month of March and COVID19. We were used to waiting a substantial amount of time in an overly packed waiting room, waiting to be seated so we could enjoy a meal. Ever since the pandemic, restaurants have been trying to figure out practices to implement so they can bring back those guests. The next section will cover the safety measures businesses are implementing to operate safely.

Safety Measures

In order to bring back guests to the restaurant industry, establishments have been actively planning and implementing safety measures. If you’ve been back to restaurants since the pandemic started, you may notice stickers on the floor when you walk in the door that are an established 6 feet apart. Perhaps, before you even walk into the door, there may be an employee outside who is conducting temperature checks, handing out hand sanitizer, or even a sign on the door that says “face masks required for entry”. When you sit down at your table, you may notice a clear divider in between all of the tables. After a guests leaves, a host will be there to sanitize the table and chairs/booths. All of these safety methods are being implemented across the restaurant industry in order to adapt to the new normal. There is probably other practices that restaurants are taking, but these are just some of the basics that can help an establishment get started.

Trends

Before these restaurants have implemented these safety methods, the new trend for guests to still go to their favorite restaurant was to have their food delivered to their home, curb-side delivery, or take-out. Establishing an online presence so guests can find all of the contact information and updated store hours is necessary. If an establishment has an online presence, the new trend is to record a promotional video showing updated safety methods. By doing this, establishments are showing their guests that they are taking caution and care about employee and guest safety.

Post-Pandemic

As of right now, the restaurant industry is hurting and many businesses have closed completely or have taken many losses. By implementing safety measures and following the trends, restaurants should start to see some of their guests returning in small numbers at first as it will take a long time for restaurants to see those waiting rooms filled again. As long as an establishment adapts to this new normal, business should return.

If you want to learn more, check out our Operating During COVID-19 Blog. FlashBanc is a leading provider of electronic payments technology and loyalty marketing software. We love that thousands of small, medium and large businesses rely on our cloud-based solutions to help manage their businesses. Check our website out for more information!