By Mark Lee and Kevin Eggleston
The coronavirus pandemic has forced, by necessity, the restaurant industry to reinvent itself. As operators scramble to stay afloat, adjust to a host of new risks, and stay focused on customer expectations, the reality is that restaurants are not likely to ever look the same again.
No business sector was harder hit by the March economic shutdown intended to stifle the pandemic’s spread. Two-thirds of all restaurant employees lost their jobs, with over 8 million furloughed or laid off. Though 1.4 million jobs were added back in May, and more yet in June 2020, employment will not return to normal any time soon – not when losses this year may reach $240 billion.
The industry’s response has affected every facet of the business. Among the changes:
Investment accelerates take-out, curbside, delivery, too
Even as reopening restaurants begins, it’s hard to recoup what’s been lost when you’re limited in the number of guests with socially-distanced seating, and outdoor dining in streets and parking lots has a limited life in many cities. For example, take out and curbside delivery, once sidelines of the main dining experience, have been a business-saver and will remain important going forward. Inventive restaurateurs are likely to combine that trend with the delivery-driven “ghost kitchens,” that are set up for food preparation only. These hybrids will feature drive-thru and curbside pickups, all ordered and paid for in advance. Beyond a “frictionless” customer interaction, the investment is lower, too.
The emphasis on take-out led to a lot of creativity with offerings sure to be continued moving forward. Family meal “bundles” and meal kits will continue, introducing inexperienced diners to more exotic cuisines, ideally creating a habit.
More open space, simpler menus, and a safe, “frictionless” experience
For restauranteurs, the challenge is to make a restaurant feel busy, despite social distancing, and to ensure customers are (and feel) safe at the same time. Some restaurants are going the extra mile, seating mannequins at tables to discourage people from taking seats. Others have gone so far as to encase tables in plexiglass, which is expensive and isolating, defeating the social intent of dining out.
Safety is the lens for a refocused menu. Buffets and salad bars were profitable, but will not likely come back, any more than self-serve anything. Neither are shared and family style menu items going to be top choices among diners mindful of coronavirus risks. Small plates, or individually portioned dishes, take their place, also being a manifestation of a growing “zero waste” philosophy in restaurant kitchens to help pare down menus.
Through it all, restaurants will continue to enforce their sanitization practices, and not just with servers wearing gloves and masks and floor stickers to mark off wait distances. Table tents will signal that sanitizing’s been done. Hand sanitizer may be set on tables, along with vacuum sealed silverware, and single-use menus, too. A “frictionless” customer experience will be the goal – one that’s smoothly executed and where ordering, payment, communication and pickup are achieved in a “no touch” way.
A new paradigm for restaurant workers?
Restaurants are reinventing their businesses and their cultures to attract the best employees for the times. Most organizations will be leaner anyway, having learned new efficiencies as they made do with skeleton staff from the closures. Now, the most in-demand workers will be multi-taskers who are equally adept at the front and back of the house and are on top of sanitation and food safety protocols. A major takeaway of the pandemic? It forced attention to the pressing need for owners to put safety nets in place to protect the best interests of their workers.
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