The restaurant business is more of a people business than food. Most of us go to restaurants because the ambiance makes us love the place. Having said that, the food plays a major role in the experience. But the client retention action of the restaurants makes most of the impact on the overall business of a place.
The COVID-19 pandemic possibly hit the restaurant industry the worst. Today the experience which used to be the USP of a restaurant has become a concern for hazard and peculiarity of the said place. However, newer measures have been undertaken to make sure that operational efficiency can be maintained while keeping the post-pandemic situation in check.
Operational Efficiency
Most of the foodservice establishments run on staff efficiency and force. However, the pandemic resulted in lesser staff due to cost-cutting and lesser footfall due to obvious reasons. However, in late 2021, eateries are still understaffed and overburdened due to “revenge footfall” meaning that people are going out to eat just because they were caged up in their houses. This way restaurants are aiming at operational efficiency by creating more returns in the aspect of investment. But this is not going to be fruitful over the long term, as efficiency will drop due to overworked staff. The QR Menu options are proving revolutionary and are relieving staff from usual order taking. This improves efficiency. These kinds of steps are proving well. And restaurants should look for more digital options for the usual tasks.
Budgeting and Finance
This is and always be the most important aspect of a business. The cost of running a business has gone up after the pandemic. But the efficient way to shave also comes up. The delivery partners like SWIGGY and ZOMATO have proved that restaurants can operate through a lockdown. This proves that even if there aren’t many funds at the bank, you can still keep your business running by running a cloud kitchen out of your establishments. The running cost of a cloud kitchen is way less than that of a full-fledged restaurant.
TIP: Money saved is money earned
Save the money out of your restaurant operations and invest the same in operating on a cloud kitchen basis.
Sourcing Raw Materials
The restaurant business operates on perishables. And you cannot control the time that the food goes bad. However, you can control the quantity and the channels they go through. The pandemic has debarred many vegetable and meat supply shops. You can source them for your limited quantity orders so that they sustain with you.
ETHICAL VIEW: Help others to help yourself
One more gain that you will earn is a lesser expenditure on the process. And lesser overhead and freight charges. With lesser raw materials, you have to keep less maintenance over your perishables and the local sourcing would help in renewing stock over time in the operation. And using the Idea of Cloud kitchen, you will maintain your profit margins to sustain just after the pandemic.
Stick to values and ethics
The values and ethics I’m talking about here are not only related to business ethics but also to the responsibilities that an establishment carries.
Hygiene is something that we all overlook when no one is looking. A business needs to have the backbone to stand upon when in the market. So hygiene should be the primary concern and should be kept to the topmost standard possible.
Cost Management should be the concern, but it should minimize the quality that a place serves. If required, work in smaller batches than reusing stale, leftover products. If possible, male cyclic menu according to the season and rotate them accordingly, to save costs and time. This will also promote change and freshness.
These measures can be undertaken to survive in the restaurant industry post the pandemic.