How You Can Support Restaurants In Uncertain Times
With the onset of a pandemic, a rapidly percolating news cycle, and frequent global updates detailing COVID-19 guidelines, infection status, and death rates, there’s no way around it: we’re living in uncertain times. The outbreak is widespread and all-encompassing, actively disrupting lives and industries across the board. With mass quarantines in effect and mandates to close restaurants and bars in many cities, operators, staff, and customers are preparing to see a hit in sales and traffic —it’s inevitable.
We’re not here to overwhelm you with “doom and gloom” though. By focusing on facts, i.e., the things we do know, we can create a community of support and understanding in these difficult times. We’re all in this together, and we know we’ll see the sunshine again. We aren’t powerless here. We can, and will, get through this. For now, here are some ways you can support restaurants, staff, and operators right now.
What We Know
- The outbreak is spreading. We’re not even going to post numbers, because they’re multiplying every day.
- Guidelines and recommendations from most health organizations encourage frequent hand washing, social distancing, and self-quarantining to limit the spread of the virus.
- Many employees, across multiple industries, are working remotely, though this is not the case for all.
- Some cities are enacting bans on restaurant dine-in traffic and gatherings of more than 50 people.
- Though the virus is affecting workers in every industry, the banning and canceling of many major world events severely limit the restaurant and hospitality business.
- While we can expect every restaurant to see some dips in traffic, smaller, independent restaurants will likely feel the rub the most.
Off-Premise Dining
With walk-in traffic practically non-existent, one of the main ways for restaurants to create revenue right now is to create food that customers can purchase without eating on-site. There are multiple options here:
- Restaurant Delivery
- Some restaurants may already have a delivery program in place or partner with a third party delivery service. Some cautious companies are even offering “contactless delivery” to put diners further at ease.
- Restaurant Takeout and Curbside Pickup
- This option allows you to go to the restaurant to pick up your order. With curbside possibilities, you can do so without going inside.
- Restaurant Catering
- One off-premise “workaround” you might try is to seek catering options from restaurants. By doing so, you still allow them to sell food, without violating any walk-in bans.
Knowing this, one of the primary ways you can help out anxious operators is by utilizing their off-premise options. Think of all the restaurants you visit regularly and find out what they’re offering, even if you have to call and ask. Some restaurants have even pivoted to having all their available staff act as delivery drivers. Finally, if you find a restaurant that’s not offering anything off-premise, you might encourage them to do so! It’s an unconventional time in which restaurant staff is likely willing to try new things to keep business. Remember, an off-premise program can be as extensive as you want it to be, and simply knowing there’s demand can be the motivating factor for operators to try it.
Word of Mouth and Social Validation
We use social media for practically everything, but during times of crisis, those tools become all the more vital for staying in touch with the world, in real-time. And we cannot overstate the power of social validation and word of mouth marketing for restaurants. A great way to help support the restaurants you love is by talking about them on your social media channels.
You can use these methods to remind your friends about their off-premise options. Operators will likely create promotions to encourage business, so sharing those will help immeasurably. While restaurants will be advertising these as well, many consumers trust the recommendation of a friend (or social media contact) over that of a business. By keeping restaurants in the conversation, you have the power to cut through the cloudy haze of uncertainty and give others a clear path to support restaurants they love.
Some examples include:
- Letting your friends and followers know about a restaurant that’s offering delivery or takeout options.
- Share any information you have about promotions or specials.
- Posting about your meals and experiences at restaurants will help quell fears, and show some resilience on everyone’s part.
Giftcards
There’s not an easy way to talk about it: a decrease in traffic means a reduction in revenue. This dip means that many operators will see less money coming in daily, forcing them to make careful decisions about inventory. Gift cards let you patronize a restaurant (or any small business), giving them money, without them having to spend any of their valuable resources right now.
The idea with a gift card is that, once things have stabilized and the bans have lifted, you can cash in on it. Think about it: once everyone gets the “go-ahead” to eat at restaurants again, they will!
Words of Encouragement and Positivity
It’s easy to write this kind of advice off as an afterthought. Try not to do that! This pandemic is unprecedented for most of us, and though we might not say it out loud, we’re all a bit anxious. Stress, especially prolonged stress that we keep inside, can wreak havoc on our physical and mental health.
One of the best, most infinite resources we can share is hope. We can spread messages of positivity and let those we love know that we’re there for them. We can act with solidarity towards everyone affected by this outbreak, and ultimately, remind one another that things will bounce back. With so many things out of our control, positivity is something we can.
We know we’ll see things trending back up eventually, and though you might not know us — we hope you’re OK. The Coronavirus is new for all of us, and surely we haven’t covered everything. Do you know of any other ways we can support restaurants during this outbreak? Maybe you just have thoughts to share? Please comment, we’d love to hear from you.
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