[On-demand Webinar]: Reimagining the Future of the Hospitality Industry

In the past, carriers would expect you to follow the laws and regulations and have certain training or policies in place. When we were in an easier market, we were able to work around that and say our clients are putting those elements in place and they are working on their policies, or they will have a training program in place by the end of this policy term.

Now, carriers need to see those programs and policies in place. They want to see documented training and sign-in sheets from completed programs. They need to see policies in place and implemented, as well as how those policies have been communicated to the staff. This is necessary not only from a regulatory standpoint, but also because the carriers will need to see it before they provide a quote or, try to bind any coverage with you. It’s becoming harder across the board and it’s imperative to lean on people like your insurance brokers and vendors to help you.

Virtual has become very relevant lately but you still need to be creative, because not all employees have access to a laptop, or a smartphone. You may need to have locations within your facility where employees can watch a training or hold pre-shift meetings and discuss safety topics. The key is being creative and looking at what other people in the industry are doing.

In a hard market, the right broker means everything. On the property casualty side, going to underwriters and telling the story of your business; what changes you've made, how you’ve adapted post-COVID, and marketing yourself in the right way will lead to better rates and better carriers. With certain size accounts, oftentimes, we invite our clients to speak with the head of underwriting, because no one will tell your story better than you will tell the story of your business. On the employee benefit side, the trend we’re seeing is how do you tool your benefits to give some offerings to attract new employees. What are the different strategies you can implement to offer some insurance that's very cost effective to employees and doesn’t cost you much money. The goal is to attract kitchen staff or the young staff member who just got off their parents' insurance. At HUB, we’ve done a lot of things in our hospitality practice to develop programs to not only help give you the best solution for your employee benefits, but also, help you attract talent. Attracting talent is critical right now for the future of the hospitality industry.

Consumers should explore their neighborhood and find the local gems.

• Focus on the restaurants that have been around for 10-plus years and celebrate those business owners, not just the new restaurants.
• As you start dining out, have empathy and patience for the staff. It is unbelievably stressful during this time, especially when restaurants are short staffed.
• When ordering to go, try to pick up your order if you can, instead of having it delivered.
• Spread the love and write good Yelp reviews—be specific and include your table location and server’s name. This will help both small and big businesses. 
• Leverage social media—add stories or posts, and tag the restaurant, because it's free advertising for them.