Sponsored by ShiftPixy
Georgia, Tennessee and Texas are among the states leading the charge to reopen certain businesses across the country, including movie theatres, malls and of course, restaurants. Triumphant news for the food-service industry, there are of course risks and challenges associated with the reopening of dining rooms amid COVID-19.
Some experts are still cautious, predicting that the full reopening of dining rooms isn’t likely until coronavirus cases reach almost zero or there is a vaccine. An indicator that the end is not yet in sight, restaurants need to reassess and adjust certain aspects of their business to account for this uncertain timeline. Namely, this involves continuing to place a heightened focus on off-premise operations.
Throughout the remainder of COVID-19 and in a post-pandemic world, restaurants should continue to ramp up delivery efforts, forgo third-party partnerships and repurpose existing staff to meet the current demands of the marketplace. As a gig economy employment provider focused primarily in the restaurant space, ShiftPixy is there to help operators make these adjustments and regain control of their delivery operations.
Delivery is here to stay
As restaurants begin to open, they are expected to immediately adhere to rules protecting their staff and customers from exposure. For example, Georgia is limiting restaurants to a maximum of ten customers per 500 square feet, and no more than six patrons per table. While the extra precaution is justified, limits on customer counts will put a cap on restaurants’ dining room profits. In order to account for this loss, restaurants should continue to ramp up their delivery operations.
ShiftPixy’s turn-key, end-to-end native delivery solution enables operators to establish a white-label, online presence with no investment. Even those restauranteurs with minimal to no virtual presence can have their delivery services running in two days. With most dining rooms across the country still shut down or running limited services, it’s vital that restaurants continue to hone in on delivery and market their brand, keeping them front-and-center throughout these unusual circumstances.
Forgo third-party
In addition to enforcing restrictions on customer counts, restaurants will be called on to provide updated employee training, detailing new social distancing standards and sanitation procedures. Management will need to enforce these new guidelines, provide staff with an adequate supply of cleaning products and of course, require that they wear a mask and gloves. Some restaurants are taking their precautionary measures a step further, recording employees’ temperatures to ensure they aren’t ill.
All commendable efforts to safely navigate the coronavirus, these steps are more difficult when dealing with third-party delivery drivers – as many restaurants are. As independent contractors, these drivers don’t receive the proper training or equipment from the restaurant itself, which could prove to be an issue for end customers. Along with COVID-19, the relationship between restaurants and third-party drivers just got even murkier, so it’s important for restaurants to use this as an opportunity reclaim their brand, take back their delivery operations from third-party partners and deploy native delivery.
Repurpose and keep your staff
In order for restaurants to profit from their off-premise services and keep their existing staff, they must repurpose employees to meet the current demands of our environment. For example, a waitress could begin packing up takeout orders and a bus boy could start facilitating deliveries. This approach of repurposing human capital versus laying them off or deploying third-party drivers is not only smart for the business, it’s vital for the restaurant’s staff. As lay-offs plague the industry, workers can find solace in knowing their employer is doing all they can to save their job, driving loyalty down the road.
ShiftPixy is prepared to help operators readjust their approach to human capital management by hiring their workers away, and then leasing them back to the restaurants. Through its AI-driven scheduling app, operators can see where they have gaps, determine what type of employee is needed, and can then broadcast the open shift to the qualified, available workers within the ShiftPixy ecosystem.
If COVID-19 has taught the restaurant industry anything, it’s that there are flaws in their business operations that should be addressed. As restaurants begin to slowly reopen across the country, they should make major changes to how they approach delivery and human capital in order to thrive moving forward.
