Restaurants and the Future Outlook Changes Precautions in Wake of the Coronavirus

As officials rush to curb the spread of coronavirus, businesses of all sizes and types have been impacted. Restaurants have not been spared either. They have been some of the worst-hit businesses since people have been requested to stay at home. Considering nobody knows how long the pandemic will last, businesses have to adapt. As a restaurant owner, there are a couple of things you can do to minimize the revenue impact of the coronavirus. 

Open up reservation policies

Now is not the time to be strict with your reservation policies. Restaurants are recording more cancelations today than ever before. There are even lower rates of walk-ins and even fewer bookings. With that in mind, restaurants are doing the following:

• Opening up pacing to allow more flexibility for when guests can book
• Partnering with couriers so as to offer home deliveries
• Making it easy to make reservation across multiple booking channels including third-party booking channels
• Revisiting cancelation policies to accommodate the situation. For example, if a no-show fee was charged, restaurants are waiving it. 

Make changes to your floorplan

Social distancing is a must. It is the best way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. To demonstrate to guests that the restaurant is a safe spot, making changes to the floorplan has become mandatory. Restaurants are removing tables so as to put more space between guests. 

Preparing staff to deal with sick customers

Public sanitization is a must if you want to remain open during this social distancing period. But how do you react when a customer starts to cough? One of the measures being taken to keep the staff and guests safe is taking the temperature of new customers at the door and denying entry to anyone that refuses to have their temperatures taken or shows symptoms. A restaurant should also do the following:

• Offer sanitizer or disinfectant to guests
• Avail napkins or tissues
• Equip staff with masks and gloves
• Disinfect the furniture and utensils that a guest has come in contact with

Different restaurants are responding differently to the pandemic. Even as you strive to stay afloat, your top priority during this pandemic has to be keeping you, your staff, and guests safe.