Best Practices to Reopen a Restaurant (While Keeping Yourself, Employees and Diners Safe)

Best Practices to Reopen a Restaurant (While Keeping Yourself, Employees and Diners Safe)

Finally, After a long time, the Government has allowed restaurants to open from the 8th of June. Restaurant owners are looking forward to resuming operations following guidelines by the government and health department. 

We understand that being a restaurant owner, you must be curious about how to reopen the restaurant after COVID-19 with the assurance of safe food delivery and dining for the customers. It’s important to consider best practices to minimize the risk of spreading the virus and regain the trust of customers.

let’s Read what Brands are preparing for the New Post-COVID-19 world

As per a report published by Hindustan Times. KFC is all set with safety measures, says “We have planned for ways in which consumers can enjoy their favourite KFC food with friends and family when they come to the restaurants while being assured of their safety.
“We have modified the restaurant designs to reinforce social distancing, trained team members according to new norms and are implementing measures like distanced seating arrangements, demarcated waiting spots in the queues, controlled customer inflow,” KFC India CMO Moksh Chopra said.

McDonald’s India says “We are studying best practices which are followed globally as well as understanding the local guidelines, basis which we are preparing to ensure a safe and hygienic environment for our customers as well as for our employees,”.

Now, ask yourself, Are you ready for the unlock 1.0?

Planning is important, research the market and write it down all important points that are coming to your mind.
How will you manage operations after reopening?
Ask yourself, are you ready for the customer on the day of opening? 
How will you deal with the new post-COVID-19 life? 

Related Read – How COVID-19 Will Change Consumer Eating Out Habits?

1. Start Slowly with precautionary guidelines

Don’t be in a rush after the end of this outbreak. Start slowly and maintain social distancing, sanitizing, and follow other careful measures given by the government.

Because we all know how dangerous the virus is, it’s important to maintain strict hygiene and social distancing measures to protect you and your people. 

As a responsible industry body, we had voluntarily closed down our business in larger health risks to our guests and employees and we will like all safeguards to be in place before we open our restaurants again,” NRAI President Anurag Katriar.

2. Communicate with the Staff

As restaurants will be open after a long time, then it’s a primary task of you to communicate with your employees. Rehiring of employees will be on the top of your mind as many have been laid off due to Coronavirus pandemic. 

Talk with your employees, figure out who is coming back or who is not. Retain your dedicated staff, communicate your goals with them. Involve your employees and empower them to become a part of reopening planning. Invite their ideas to generate a plan for reinvigorating your business. 

3. Safety Practices to consider Post-COVID-19

As we all know that customer eating habits going to change in the post-COVID-19 world (According to the prediction given by experts of the industry) It is important to follow safety measures in restaurants to reduce the risk of the virus. 

Following are some safety practices to consider in restaurants –  

1. Collect all of your staff and clear all the safety guidelines. 

2. Limit the number of members in your restaurants to maintain social distancing. 

3. Keep all the safety measures like a mask, hand-gloves available for the staff members and make sure all of them interact with customers with proper care.

4. Keep Sanitiser and safety equipment available for all the staff members and the customers.

5. Regular sanitization should be done on doors, tables, handles, counters, and bathrooms.

6. If you use the hand-held menu (as most of the restaurants use the same) make sure to sanitize the surface after each visit. 

7. Make extra space in the seating area to maintain at least 4 feet distancing. 8. Limit the number of orders per day and eliminate the waiting area inside the door. 

9. Consider contact-less delivery options to provide safe and hygienic delivery.

10. Check on your employees daily, allow leaves to employees who are not feeling good or sick. 

11. Examine whether the orders are following or not daily. This is a very serious matter so do not ever take it for granted. 

4. Go with Technology 

COVID-19 has taught us about the importance of technology during this tough period. People are working from home and managing it with the help of technology. 

After this outbreak the way a restaurant operates will be going to change completely, big companies are already launched contactless dining and contactless delivery options which are based on providing untouched dining experience to customers.  

The trend of Digital payments will be emerging as people will be afraid of exchanging cash for quite some time.  

Contactless Dining Explained –

Contactless dining and contactless dining components

5. Talk with your customers

So this is time to communicate with your customer that you are open for delivery and going to be opened for dining as well with extra care and safety measures. 

Note that this is the same situation for all, customers understand you if you talk with them. See this is a situation we all are scared, customers too afraid of spreading the virus and will be still keeping distance in public. 

Engage with them by connecting them through personalised marketing software, send them personalised greetings & assure them that you following hygiene best practices for their safety, not allowing sick employees at work, and doing everything as possible to keep a safe and clean environment. 

Conclusion –

Having a clear plan of your next actions will reduce your stress and bring confidence in your decisions. We know this is a difficult time and there is much uncertainty, and it is completely natural if you are likely to feel overwhelmed.   It will be better if you take a small step at a time with proper financial and management planning will have a calming effect on you and help you to sought out many things.


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