It is a new year and there are plenty of consumers that are eager to ring it in with their favorite restaurant spots and eateries. The ongoing pandemic continues to bring its challenges, though, with restaurants and bars facing the repercussions. How are restaurant owners supposed to stay afloat after months and months of COVID-19 restrictions?
There was a large learning curve after the first wave last spring for not only restaurant owners, but consumers as well. While many businesses were worried about being open, potential customers were not sure where to go, how or when to get food and other products. Outdoor dining was a huge life raft for many eateries and even bar scenes, but with as 2021 approached, so did winter months. Here are some tips on how to ensure your business is starting the year off right with safe and prospering food and drink business habits.
Update, update, update!This doesn’t mean that you have to redo the interior of your dining room or other cosmetic changes. Rather, ensure aspects such as operating hours displayed on google are not inaccurate especially if they are changing often, social media and websites giving safety and general informational updates relevant to the new business model, and also updating the menu as needed. I’m sure your menu and the items on it are fantastic, but going single-use may require some tightening or even general freshening up. Also, if the paper menus were the easier go-to option back in 2020, look into going digital with a QR code based menu; you can even get fancy with the display of the QR code to fit your atmosphere if desired!
The world was already moving in the direction of third party food delivery services so there are plenty for consumers to choose from; make sure your business is partnered with at least one! Food delivery services such as Door Dash and UberEats have become the go-to way to order out from hundreds of eateries, not just fast food. This has not only become a super convenient option, but also a safe option for hungry people to turn to. Currently in 2021, it is also a warmer option. It seems as though packed, hot restaurants are a thing of the past and while there are new elements to provide safety measures like plastic or glass barriers and even space heaters to prolong the outdoor dining option, there is nothing quite like a restaurant quality meal in the comfort of your own home.
Hopefully there will be some things that we can all leave behind upon the near, but also some things that you as a business can carryover from the past months that you learned as you went. Although the summer time brought silver linings to many obstacles the pandemic faced restaurant owners with, business must go on. Because even when the temperatures drop, peoples hunger does not. By staying on top of your how you are providing to your community with your food and service, your community is sure to support your business back in these trying times for the food and drink industry.
___________________________________________ Daniel James Consulting is a Full-Service Business Consulting Firm based in New York that designs solutions tailored specifically to the needs of your business in order to ensure you achieve continued success by designing, developing and implementing plans, metrics and platforms, be it a one-man operation, non-profit, startup or large organization. Our packaged solutions or a la carte selections include Website Design, Marketing & Advertising, Search Engine Positioning, and Graphic Design. Business Management Solutions are also available for companies of all sizes. For more information please visit: www.danieljamesconsulting.com