Sponsored by Ventura Foods
As the calendar turns to fall, restaurant operators across most of the nation face another COVID-19 recovery challenge: inviting guests back into their dining rooms when it is too cold to eat outdoors.
Making indoor dining profitable again will test the many operators who have survived mainly by serving customers on patios and sidewalks and under tents, supplemented by curbside pickup and delivery orders.
Training plays a vital role in the effort. Employees who are already working harder will be asked to do even more to make customers feel safe, welcome and cared for indoors. It will be particularly demanding for restaurants that are reopening with smaller teams and new faces. In fact, current restaurant staffing levels are only 71 percent of what they would typically be in the absence of COVID-19, according to the National Restaurant Association.
Flexibility and Cross-training
But some restaurants are showing the way forward. Flanigan’s, a 23-unit casual-dining chain in South Florida, is using job flexibility and cross-training to build a more capable workforce during pandemic recovery.
Speaking during an on-demand webinar on RestaurantsRise.com, Peter Bruce, supervisor of restaurant operations for Flanigan’s, said the company kept many of its employees working when dining rooms were closed by shifting them to new roles such as taking phone orders, packing up food and hauling deliveries. “We’re consistently training and cross-training,” says Bruce. He notes that wearing multiple hats is an established Flanigan’s practice.
Supervisors and employees had to invent new procedures to serve customers driving in for curbside pickup orders. “We had to create new traffic patterns in our parking lots because they couldn’t come in the building,” says Bruce. “Our team members were out in the hot sun, bringing the food to them, getting their order number, getting the payments from them.”
Focusing on Off-premise
But even after dining rooms reopen, ReRestaurant by Ventura Foods recommends that operators remain focused on takeout and delivery because it may take time for some guests to feel comfortable dining inside.
Operators who have succeeded with holiday meal kits and family meal bundles should keep the creative ideas rolling. An example is the Oktoberfest Meal Kit by Stephanie Izard, chef-owner of Girl & the Goat in Chicago. The curated dinner kit package includes pretzels with cheese sauce and spicy mustard, brats and kraut, red cabbage with apples and onions and potato dumplings with brown butter. The kit is priced at $95 and serves four.
Communication and Transparency
Another must for operators and their staffs is re-engaging with customers whose visit frequency plummeted during the pandemic. Along with frequent demonstrations of cleaning and sanitizing, employees can verbally communicate some of the house’s health and safety measures to guests and remind them of mask-wearing and social-distancing regulations.
In-house signage and social media posts also get the message across. In an email to customers announcing its new fall menu, Lemonade, the California fast-casual chain, outlined its proactive health steps. A graphic titled “Staying Safe and Healthy” informs guests about such in-house policies as:
• Extra cleaning and sanitizing
• Increased hand washing and glove use
• Allowing team members who experience symptoms to stay home
• Promoting contact-free curbside and delivery service.
Collaborating with Suppliers
Often, operators can look to their suppliers for training ideas and support. ReRestaurant by Ventura Foods offers a variety of tools and tips on front- and back-of-the-house operations, cost savings, takeout and delivery and menu innovation.
For example, the Mel-Fry Frying Fundamentals video contains vital training tips for managing the fry station, getting the most out of frying oil and providing consistently high food quality: https://youtu.be/jZRv3C2no0g. Mel-Fry customers get a Deep Fry Quality Management Kit which provides operators tools and guides for maintaining fryer oil and achieving the best food quality every day: https://youtu.be/Qm4seDzZ76I
The Power of the Portfolio
In addition, Ventura Foods features a wide-ranging portfolio of products to meet the needs of operators. Cost savings and quality upgrades may be found in pantry essentials such as mayonnaise, liquid butter alternatives and butter blends and spreads. Salad dressings in portion-controlled cups and pouches add convenience and safety to off-premise orders.
Menu innovation must go on even when budgets are tight. Ready-to-use sauces jump-start creativity and streamline the menumaking process. ReRestaurant with Ventura Foods suggests creating on-trend flavor combos with products such as Sauce Craft Buffalo Sauce, Garlic Parmesan Sauce and Gochujang Korean Pepper Sauce.
For more details about ReRestaurant with Ventura Foods, visit www.ReRestaurantwithVenturaFoods.com/. The resources include product information, technology tips, training videos, cost sheets and industry research.
In addition, Ventura Foods is partnering with Nation’s Restaurant News in October on #ReRestaurant Goes Social, sharing dynamic content and operator solutions for industry challenges. Visit the links below and don’t miss a thing:
https://www.facebook.com/RestaurantNews
https://www.instagram.com/nrnonline/?hl=en
https://www.linkedin.com/company/nation's-restaurant-news
