It’s been more than a year since the Coronavirus swept the whole world into a frenzy and fear. After lockdowns, we think it’s safe to say that we’re all relieved to be able to come out of our home and go back to our usual routine, with some changes, of course, to keep us all sane. One of them is being able to dine in our favorite diners and restaurants. Though Social distancing, wearing a mask, and constant disinfecting are required I think nothing can stop the hospitality and restaurant industry from getting back to its feet.
All these changes, however, brought structural changes to the restaurant industry and these regulations are here t stay as long as everyone is vaccinated and the pandemic will be controlled and there’s already a concrete cure.
This pandemic led us to stop activities such as clubbing, a night at the movies, and then there’s the most noticeable which is dining at our favorite restaurant without any limit with time and the people we spend time with.
But the restaurant industry has adapted. Restaurant owners ramped up outdoor dining, adopted food delivery apps to increase sales and more. Here, we will show you the five main changes that show how restaurants must adapt to the Covid-19 era and how they can leverage changes to improve the customer experience.
- Health and Safety
Unlike before, restaurant owners have now learned to focus even more on cleanliness and health, and that means to double-down on their efforts to keep everyone and everything immaculate. This time, diners are looking for restaurants that are transparent about their cleanliness procedures. From here on then, customers are going to see changes such as single-use menus, disposable silverware, signs will be placed on sanitized tables, hand sanitizing stations will be present before entering the establishment, and you will still see employees with their masks on. Above all, food will be served in pre=packaged meals instead of the usual family-style dining but this would still depend on the protocol.
- Digital and delivery
Digital offerings will gain more popularity. Since the pandemic started, restaurants used delivery services and mobile order apps to increases their sales and gain more regular customers. You will also see diners ordering their food on kiosks or tablets to limit exposure and payments will become more digital.
With these changes, restaurant owners must invest in new technology no matter the cost to keep up with the trend and to preserve the safety of the customers and their employees as well.
- More creativity on the menu
You might have noticed that during lockdowns, some of your favorite dishes were unavailable, and that’s due to the difficulty for some restaurants to source their normal ingredients. During the height of the pandemic, many restaurants trimmed their menus to their best-selling items and are now making a few changes to their original menu options and are becoming more innovative. You’ll also notice that some will be trimming down in smaller portions, this means less expensive for diners and at the same time, isn’t time-consuming to eat.
There will be more changes in the future as well wait and hope that this pandemic will soon come to an end. We are still fortunate that the restaurant industry is coping and making brilliant progress during these trying times. For now, we make do with what we can and follow protocols for our own safety.
