Once the pandemic ends, the world, as we knew it, would cease to exist. The traditional processes would be replaced by more accommodating operations. Keeping this in mind, it is imperative to prepare your business to survive the transition.
If your restaurant is a popular dine-in spot, you may need to administer a few changes in the design and layout. This is because even when COVID-19 outbreak has experienced a demise, many customers would still feel the need to continue social distancing as a precautionary measure. For this reason, you can consider the following changes in design, and apply the appropriate features to your restaurant.
Introduce a restaurant delivery service
It is a well-presumed fact that the fear stimulated by the virus may prevent your customers from physically visiting the restaurant. Taking that into consideration, it is crucial for you to digitalise your restaurant, even during a pandemic. By featuring a restaurant delivery service, your customers can still rely on your hospitality, whereas, you can continue generating an income.
Add a take-out window
After the pandemic, your restaurant will cater to three categories of customers. These will include people who prefer to dine-in, individuals who prefer to order from home, and essential employees looking for take-out options. In order to generate the maximum amount of revenue, you would have to meet the needs of all three categories. Therefore, adding a takeout window to your restaurant’s design layout can prove itself to be beneficial for you. This way, the customers who are dining in will not be disrupted by the consumers who are waiting for their order. Essentially, with a take out window present, you would be able to host more people within the restaurant building.
Enforce the tradition of social distancing in the dining hall
Implementing a tradition of social distancing, following the COVID-19 outbreak, is a necessary precaution for your restaurant. For this, you can re-design the internal layout of the dining hall and limit the number of customers you host inside the restaurant. Additionally, you must be able to provide your guests with a private dining experience. Hence, adding design elements to foster segregation can achieve this objective.
Promoting a cleaner design layout
Your customers are unconsciously influenced by the design ideas visible in the restaurant’s layout. If your restaurant features a busy design, it is essential to simplify a few elements to promote a cleaner, less-cluttered aesthetic. You do not have to completely change the interiors, rather, you can make a few minor changes, such as reducing the number of tables, to offer a pure and cleaned-out appearance.
Clean frequently
In addition to maintaining a cleaner appearance, you must physically clean the restaurant on an hourly-interval. This will assure your customers that the health and safety requirements of your building, are in place. You must sanitize all surfaces, avoid re-using the utensils (you can switch to disposable cutlery for the time being) and direct your staff to follow sanitizing procedures, such as frequently washing their hands.
The global pandemic will change the way in which the world operates. Therefore, when you re-open your restaurant, be sure to employ updated procedures to guarantee the survival of your business.