Halle Clark

8 Ways to Socially Distance at Your Restaurant Without Losing Business Covid-19 has completely changed the way of life in 2020. Businesses that were once booming are now empty and desolate in wake of the pandemic. This means that restaurants and bars are struggling to stay above water. That leads us to the purpose of this article: telling you eight ways to socially distance at your restaurant without losing business. 1) Offer Take-Out and Delivery Services A very popular trend in light of Coronavirus is restaurants offering delivery and take-out services so consumers can continue to enjoy the food from their favorite places. This is a great solution for restaurant management during the pandemic. This benefits both your restaurant and various delivery services, such as Grubhub or UberEats. These companies are actually working with restaurants to make delivery more affordable and accessible so business can continue to boom and restaurant owners can stay afloat. This method also encourages people to support local businesses and not only purchase food from franchise drive-thrus during the era of social distancing. Offering these services will allow your customers’ the feel of eating out while still staying safe. It’s a win-win for you and members of your community. According to Statista, a March 2020 study revealed that 41.7 percent of US respondents stated they would rather order food and have it delivered during COVID. It also showed that almost 30 percent would consider purchasing food online for delivery. That data doesn’t lie: offering take-out and delivery could make running a restaurant during COVID a little easier on you. 2) Offer Dine-In Options at Half Capacity Another method for maintaining business while staying safe is offering dine-in options at half capacity. This means you never exceed 50% of the regular capacity during operating hours. One way to do this is by blocking off every other table so no two dining parties are closer than six feet at all times. This allows you to still offer some dine-in luxuries while managing to make the necessary safe compromises. 3) Expand Outdoor Dining Something a few restaurants have done is expand their outdoor dining in a few different ways. Various cities, including Cincinnati, have actually closed off parts of the street in order to accommodate a larger crowd for dining options. While outdoor dining isn’t a fool-proof plan, it can definitely help reduce the risk of COVID. With that being said, you should still implement mask wearing and social distancing in your everyday restaurant management. 4) Use Clear Dividers An easy way to ensure social distancing at your restaurant is by installing clear dividers between tables. A lot of restaurants have already resorted to this method. Many people in the restaurant industry admit that keeping six feet of distance at all times isn’t exactly sustainable in a restaurant environment, but with dividers, you can still maintain separation and enjoy your food safely. The CDC has encouraged the use of plexiglass dividers in various settings, from schools to workplaces. This recommendation includes restaurants. 5) Use Contactless Ordering One way to implement a safe restaurant experience during the pandemic is offering contactless ordering. A lot of restaurants are doing this by using an ordering app and allowing the customer to browse the menu and place the order online. That way, the customer(s) can order straight from their phone. This means less one-on-one time with the server and less chances of contracting COVID. 6) Implement Contactless Payments Along with contactless ordering, contactless payments are also a great way to reduce one-on-one interactions. This can be done in a similar manner as the last method. Instead of the server physically grabbing the card or cash and returning with a receipt, which all requires physical touch, the payment can also be done through an app that is associated with a QR code present on the table. This way, the customer can scan the code and pay straight from their phone, making the interacting completely contactless. 7) Encourage Reservations This could mean using a restaurant reservation system to make the process easier for customers. Reservations will help social distancing because you’ll have an idea of how many people will be occupying your restaurant at which times. This makes it easier to plan the perfect dining experience while using safe measures. This also makes it easier to space out tables accordingly. All in all, reservations are an efficient way to implement crowd control. 8) Get Creative One last way to ensure social distancing is to get creative. This could be done in a multitude of ways. Here are some examples according to Now This is News : A restaurant in Amsterdam is placing mini greenhouses around each individual table An Inn in Washington is putting mannequins at the unoccupied tables to give the feel of a full restaurant A restaurant in Ohio is using clear shower curtains to separate each table A restaurant in Maryland is using fun inner tubes shaped like vinyls to separate each customer accordingly There is no cap on creativity, and everybody needs a little creativity right now. Figure out fun ways to engage with your customers safely. This will help maintain business, and may even bring in more business as a result. Everybody loves a restaurant owner who knows how to have fun. In Conclusion Running a restaurant during COVID is a daunting task, to say the least. There really are no guarantees. Businesses have to be run differently than pre-2020, and that’s still hard to adjust to. Still, there are always creative methods waiting to be implemented in order to ensure both safety and enjoyment. While it may be hard to believe, COVID-19 does not ultimately mean the end of your restaurant. Space out your tables. Wear masks and offer curbside delivery. Implement contactless ordering and payment options. Nobody can predict a pandemic, but you can find ways to adjust and make the dining experience pleasant for your customers. Take these tips and use them to your full advantage. Business doesn’t have to stop just because normal life does.