The COVID-19 Pandemic VS. the Restaurant Industry
From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to the present-day, life itself has changed. We have developed a new sense of reality and adapted to regimes we didn’t uptake prior to the pandemic. Let’s dig a little bit deeper and talk specifically about how the restaurant industry has shifted gears, as this also transforms how we can enjoy some of our favorite meals.
Where we were before COVID-19
Prior to the COVID pandemic, restaurants were a more so “free” space. Upon arrival, we didn’t exactly think we needed to take certain precautions to prevent obtaining a virus with a high lethality rate. When going to restaurants, we really only thought about eating, seeing friends/family and having a good time. At times, we didn’t even care about how crowded a restaurant was or how close we were sitting to unfamiliar people. This is not the case anymore.
Permanent changes in our dining experiences
Here are 10 ways that the face of dining-out has transformed:
Vaccinations: Not all, but some restaurants are resorting to the requirement that individuals must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, if they want to be served or employed. On September 13th, 2021, New York City will be the first in the United States to implement this requirement. Be sure to plan accordingly with your vaccination status and your choice of dining.
Expect limits: Many restaurants, by government demand, needed to cut the number of people they were allowed to serve in their dining area. As these restrictions have been lifted, many restaurants are still sticking by this measure of precaution.
Reservations: Due to the limits in restaurants, more people have been turned away from service. To ensure dining for you and your fellows, prepare to make reservations this way the restaurant can make the accommodation.
Touchless features: As you go into restaurants during this time, you may notice that touchless menus and touchless payment methods have been put to use. Many places are keeping these safety strategies in place, as they have proven their effectivity while technology continues to evolve.
Price increases: For most, if not all, money had grown tight and financial burdens began to accumulate. In many restaurants, you might notice price increases. This is because they are trying to obtain more money for expenses and payroll, especially to make up for lost time and employees.
Making outdoors the norm: One of the first things restaurants did when opening back up from the pandemic was expand their outdoor dining capabilities. Many locations even built new sections specifically for outdoor dining to allow for a nice experience in any circumstance. Some of the plans included tents, heaters, fans and more to provide exceptional service in rain or shine.
Redesigning the environment: Along with the outdoor dining facets, indoor dining has also taken up a new style. Most restaurants restructured their indoor dining to allow for a more spacious environment, while some even had shields and partition walls build.
More takeout/delivery options: There is a good number of people who didn’t and still don’t feel comfortable dining outside of their home. Not only that, but restaurants, as said previously, had to cut down their location’s occupancy. Because of these situations, restaurants have decided to provide more delivery and takeout options to retain customers who, by choice or by limit, aren’t able to dine-in.
Sanitation emphasis: As with all stores, restaurants have also adopted new sanitation steps. These include better table and seat cleaning, shields, social distance markers, hand sanitizer by the host or at each table and some are still utilizing the mask requirements. When you look around you may even see signs and stickers to remind you on ways to stay safe from the virus.
New menus: When you take a look at restaurant menus, you might notice that they have changed a little bit. This is because many restaurants were not able to continue purchasing from their usual supply chains for reason regarding budgeting, closure of the supply chain, and others. Now that these restaurants had to pursue relations with new supply chains, some of their usual products were not available to them anymore, causing them to have to get creative and start making new dishes.
Comments