With the new normal slowly sinking in among people, governments, universities, and various industries, experts are painting a picture of a drastically evolved restaurant industry. According to a National Restaurant Association study, the restaurant industry in the United States will sustain $240 billion in losses by the end of 2020. This negative sales impact on the restaurant industry, the country’s second-largest private-sector is critical, eclipsing even the gigantic economic meltdown of 2008 and 2009.
Online Apps & Websites
The silver lining in this grim pandemic situation is that restaurants are keen to develop more sustainable modus operandi in the wake of this pandemic. Since dine-in options have been closed for a while now, restaurants have started building in-ways to facilitate online ordering and food delivery. Small businesses have spruced up their online presence and are actively fielding orders from their guests online. While we saw a reduction in on-premise staff at various eating joints, there is a rising demand for off-premise delivery personnel. Several local businesses have even opted for their own apps in the hope of inviting more customers to their online restaurant.
Contactless Dining Experience
In the wake of reopening restaurants and cafes amidst pandemic, safety and hygiene standards need to be pulled up. Starting with more spacious seating arrangements to QR menus, restaurants these days are fully geared to provide the perfect contactless dining experience to their guests. Not only menus are going digital but ordering via smartphone & online payments is also becoming big amongst on-premise guests. This helps as minimum contact with restaurant staff as possible and also eliminates the hassle of printing multiple single-use menus.
Health Monitoring & Using Safety Gear
Maintenance of the highest health and safety standards for both the staff and guests becomes a highly critical need while re-opening restaurants in times of COVID-19. Besides the standard process, restaurants are also providing safety gear such as masks, face shields, sanitizers, thermometers, etc. to their staff. Regular sanitization at the restaurant and body temperature checks for both staff and guests have become quite common these days.
The changes in the restaurant industry are here to stay. Multiple businesses including restaurants and cafes are expanding their business online, incorporating technology in day-to-day processes, and are on top of the health guidelines. With this entrepreneurial spirit and resilient attitude, experts are of the opinion that the restaurant industry will bounce back stronger and better.
