4 Step Process To Prepare Your Restaurant For A Health Crisis
Daniel Flynn
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Health concerns obviously make people extra worried when it comes to their food (and rightfully so). Nevertheless, this unfortunately hurts restaurants the most. As a result, the restaurant industry is no stranger to health crises or the stopping power they have on food services.
While some health crises only affect the supply of a certain ingredient, the affects of an outbreak, such as COVID-19, can be more intense.
Therefore, it is important that you have a plan for handling a public health crisis. Our 4 step process outlines ways that you can cover all your bases in the case that your business stays open during an outbreak.
1. Educate your employees
Depending on the crisis, there are preventative measures that you can take in order to maintain a healthy environment for your customers. And while the restaurant industry health standards are generally top of the line, a health crisis calls for more action on your part.
Educating your employees on these preventative measures is a must. In addition, you’ll need to enforce new policies as needed. The health of your customers & your reputation are at stake. And it all starts with how you & your staff handle the situation.
2. Prepare for supply shortages
Some supply chains will be disrupted by the health crisis. As a result, you will need to prepare for the worst.
Have a plan for purchasing ingredients if your current supplier cannot make deliveries as scheduled. You may even want to offer a limited menu during the crisis in order to maintain your inventory.
Substitute ingredients are an option as well if the health crisis pertains certain ingredients.
3. Notify your customers
With a lot going on behind the scenes, you may forget to communicate your efforts to your current & potential customers. However, this is a very important step. By letting your customers know about ongoing developments/actions that you are taking, you keep yourself top of mind.
In addition, you show your customers that you care about their safety & capable of maintaining quality despite odds. However, none of this matters unless your are actually maintaining quality, which is ultimately up to you.
In such situations, it is great to have a fast, reliable, & convenient way of communicating with your customers. Our text message marketing platform does that & then some. Learn more here.
4. Provide alternative solutions
In the case of an outbreak that has affected the supply of a certain ingredient, providing an alternative is relatively easy. However, providing an alternative solution during the outbreak of a contagious virus is a different story.
Despite having high health standards, a restaurant is still a breeding ground for transmission, especially if people are dining in & sharing a meal with others (which is kind of the whole point of a restaurant right?).
With that being said, you may want to start offering discounted delivery services. In the case of the COVID-19 outbreak, many municipalities & state governments have limited restaurants to take-out service only.
At times like this, it is crucial that you have a relationship with delivery services or able to promote your in-house delivery service. This, however, is impossible if you do not have one at all.
Our listings for food service integrates your business with major food delivery services, which improves your reach & opens another source of revenue for your business. Having multiple channels through which hungry consumers can buy your food is a great thing & can supercharge your sales.
For more information, visit our webpage. For more articles like this one, visit our blog.
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