Under Covid-19 pandemic, people’s concern of eating away from home is continuously increasing due to the fact that contracting the virus is related with crowded places. Therefore, most of the food service businesses need to shift from Dine-in to a To-go model, in order to provide the same flavors and the most similar experiences to customers while at their homes.
As
business owners in the food service industry we are now facing extreme pressure
to keep operating safely: unexpected personnel shortages; a shrinking market;
laborious preparations; cross contamination during preparations; and a-dine-in
menu that won’t perform in a To-go environment.
To
successfully approach this new set of changing rules imposed by the social distancing guidelines, from both the market and
the different government agencies, it is advisable to:
1.- Design a plan to expand your business Safe Zone: Teamwork.
Review your business physical and psychological environment.
Taking necessary precautions into the everyday activity will help you to
offer your employees a safe and supportive environment during these stressful
conditions.
As important as those measures, tools and procedures, will be the
way you transmit your plan to your team. Have everyone involved and
make them understand the proposal. This will help with its implementation and also will provide your employees with tools to use back home, extending your
business safe zone while successfully complying with the healthy work environment recommended in the Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19)
2.- A Safe Business is a place to buy from.
Food service business is taking a big hit. Nevertheless, businesses with a Safe Zone will be able, not only to keep operating, but also
being known as a safe place to avoid contracting the virus while enjoying the
great and unique flavors we could offer to customers.
3.- Simplified options by Stress test. From your Kitchen to customers dining table.
Safeguarding your business identity, short the menu list to those
top selling items that will perform after applying a Stress test: Supply chain;
Labor preparation; Consistency; Waste; Durability and Transportation.
- Supply chain: is the product or ingredients available? Are they going to be
available in this crisis? Are we working with a reliable partner for sourcing
our ingredients and products? In contingencies such as the current one, are
they able to deliver? Is my supply chain secure?
- Labor involved: evaluate scenarios of new staffing and sudden employees’ shortages? do we
need to prepare ahead of time? How many people are involved in each process?
Can we shorten those processes?
- Consistency: what is really our business core signature? What is it that we
want customers to remember us by? What should I keep and what could I
substitute?
- Durability: ingredients, garnished and sides for each recipe might not work
as planned in a To-Go environment as it did work in a Dine-in service. Will the
recipe perform as expected after some time? Are we using the correct
ingredients? Will it loose appealing? Are all dishes providing the customers our
desired experience at their dining table?
- Transportation. Is the container we are using good to keep the meal we are serving? Would the meal be reheated? Will it be easy for customers?
4.- Then what to do:
- Reinforce teamwork providing a great work environment. It will allow you to have the team you need for successfully navigate this uncharted situation.
- Explain your customers what you are doing to keep on business, but specially what you are doing to keep them safe.
- Consider substituting those items with higher risk of cross contamination. For example, dishes that require several steps for their preparation, or raw ingredients in the final presentation. Fully baked/fried preparations that reach the kill temperature, are always better.
- Use products that require low labor, easy to prepare. High quality pre-made products are a good option since they will help you reduce waste, while having product always at hand.
- Design your menu for a To-Go environment. Restaurants will need to partner with Grab-N-Go; Pick Up and Deliver applications to help drive their business through this crisis. Keep safe!