Dining out has been part of people’s lifestyles for a long time. It has been a part of catching up with friends, celebrations, and even rewards for a job well done. The pandemic caught both the clientele and the restaurant owners by surprise. But after a dip in the regular transactions, business is back as usual. The new normal, though, puts the food industry to a different level.
Taking Cleanliness a Notch Higher
With the rise of a pandemic, cleanliness becomes more important to restaurants. An excellent safety procedure is to avail of reliable commercial sanitation services. Restaurant owners must find the right team who understands what needs to get done. Their processes must be thorough to give customers peace of mind.
With the virus being able to live on surfaces, no area should go untreated. Common areas, maintenance areas, and restrooms should receive equal attention. These safety measures will help to keep a restaurant’s doors open.
Toning Down Capacity Limits
Gone were the days when a restaurant can teem with patrons. Even the waiting line outside waiting to be seated has been a thing of the past. Restaurants must adhere to a socially-distanced dining experience.
Tables cannot accommodate people to its full capacity. For most, it goes down to half of its original seating. This is because there must be a space after each person. This design results in even friends and families being seated at different tables.
Transacting with Least Contact Possible
One challenge to restaurants is less contact between customers and staff. Technology had lent a great helping hand to restrain contact. Orders and payment can be done using digital means.
Customers find themselves keying in everything for transactions to take place. Servers and cashiers, though, still have face-to-face encounters with the customers. People have to settle with quick smiles and friendly nods.
Training the Staff with New Policies
The staff is an integral element of any restaurant business. They work hard to provide excellent service. Also, they produce quality meals for the clientele. The pandemic once again put them in the frontline for adjustment.
Restaurants in the new normal require their staff to wear masks and gloves. This can prove to be difficult especially in a hot kitchen where the bulk of the work takes place. Also, regular temperature checks have become the norm for them. This is most applicable before their shifts.
Thinking beyond Dining In
While some miss the idea of dining in, most people are still wary to go out. Restaurants must then be innovative to keep their businesses running. Online deliveries have seen an increase in the previous months. Curbside pickups are also becoming a trend.
Another innovation of the restaurant industry is to offer meal kits to people. These meal kits are complete packages of ingredients from the restaurant’s supplies. Home cooks can then use them to replicate some meals on the restaurant’s menu. It is like bringing the dining experience right in the comfort of one’s home.
Dining in might not be as pleasurable as before. It can take a long time before things go back to what it once before. But for now, the food industry and the clientele must make do with what the new normal offers. It might not be easy, but you can still find some small joys in it.