HOSPITALITY
Is your restaurant ready? Ready your venue by implementing these best practice strategies.
Words Peter Teska
N
ot only in Australia but globally restaurants were among the first to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bookings disappeared almost overnight, followed by long imposed periods of closure and staff inactivity. Thus, putting effective cleaning procedures in place is crucial to reaffirming your reputation and for your future success.
NEW EXPECTATIONS AROUND CLEANLINESS There are few sectors prior to the pandemic in which hygiene has been of such a high priority. Thankfully, the food service industry is well-versed in the necessity for cleanliness in both front-ofhouse (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) areas. Yet diners’ sensitivity to hygiene standards was previously based primarily on appearance. The presence of COVID-19 requires you to conform to unparalleled and explicit new levels of cleanliness. With this heightened expectation of hygiene, both diners and staff will want to know - and to confirm with their own eyes - what you are doing to ensure health and safety. Before you focus on enhanced cleaning, create a clear plan based on a feasible reopening date. Having gone through a disruptive period of high uncertainty – and with much uncertainty still to come – this enables you to assess risks and measure daily progress. It also helps to raise 28 INCLEAN NEW ZEALAND November 2020
team spirit by creating a mutual goal among staff and allows everyone to work backwards from the intended opening date to determine how quickly other tasks need to be completed. Aim to have everything completed to your satisfaction by this date but shift it if necessary as you progress. In the new normal of hypervigilance, first impressions are critical as you seek to rebuild previous levels of customer confidence. Anything less than best public health practice creates another obstacle to survival when you already face many more.
BEST PRACTICES FOR YOUR BUSINESS Ready your restaurant for reopening by implementing the following strategies: • Implement social distancing: Understanding the requirements of social distancing laid down by governments and health authorities is essential. Social distancing defines the constraints for everyone in your restaurant. With strict limits on the number of diners, evaluating the layout of your restaurant and clearly defining entrance and exit routes is essential for safe movement. Instruct staff in procedures. Emphasise that social distancing applies everywhere and will change only with new guidance from applicable authorities. • Use training and communication to your advantage: Training on all new public health practices is important, especially for employees