FOOD FOCUS
COVID-19 has affected the hospitality industry massively. F&B outlets, whether take-away cafés or Michelin star restaurants, have all been savaged by closure, restrictions in operations or huge reductions in capacity. Francis Loughran believes a move to alfresco eating and drinking will be a way of the future.
EXPERIENCE THE INSIDE OUTSIDE – How to maximise food and hospitality sales opportunities in a 1.5m economy
FRANCIS LOUGHRAN Managing Director Future Food
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ith no finishing line in sight for COVID-19 and with the food and beverage (F&B) industr y haemorrhaging, outdoor dining and drinking is one new acceptable way for ward for F&B across all industry sectors to kickstart recovery. Across the world, from Dubai to Denver, alfresco dining is the new-normal and is the easiest way to reassure customers of a level of safety. From picnics to Pop Ups, and tents to terraces, the outdoors is the new indoors. From Shopping Centres to RSL Clubs, safety and emotional wellbeing will be the number one consideration for people, especially the older demographic. Across Australia and the world, cleanliness and hygiene will play a greater role in securing business as discerning customers slowly, but surely, venture back to their local and favourite cafés, bars and restaurants. As ever, sales is the only vehicle to save food operators and pay rents. We all know that food and hospitality is one of life’s pleasures and while eating is enjoyable, it is even more enjoyable if we eat outdoors. With this in mind, F&B operators around the world have focused their creative energy to developing a range of safe and comfortable alfresco food and 72 SCN
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Igloo Domes, Melbourne
(Image: Timeout)
beverage spaces. These creative outdoor environments aim to do one thing – drive sales – and thereby secure customers to save small and medium businesses operating in a 1.5m economy. However, it cannot be left to operators alone to make their own venues safe. The reason why cafés and restaurants weren’t able to open up as early as they
would have liked post-lockdown is that these venues do not operate in a vacuum – they are, in one form or another, part of a precinct. It is this holistic environment that also has to change and the owners and overall stakeholders must accept their role in creating the ‘next-normal’. Not only will malls, airports, cinemas and clubs
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