Covid has drastically changed the dynamics of dining out. What were once normal questions for customers like “can we push these tables together?” can now be questions to ask hospitality establishments to break the law.

I recall one lady who called to make a reservation for ten people. I explained we were not allowed to sit them together, but that we could sit them as a 6 (the maximum of one group at a table) and a 4 or a 5 and 5, though they wouldn’t be able to move once sat. Her response was “But it’s my birthday?”  

When restaurants open in the UK, I suspect many hospitality workers are going to have to answer questions like the ones I have mentioned. Many people are over the lockdown and want to go out and have a good time. But it won’t be like it was before.

In this two-part series I will be looking at how establishments and customers should operate to have the best time possible. But first let’s have a look at restaurants, pubs and bars. Here are three simple things they can do to when they re-open:

1.      Know your Guidelines and Apply them

2.      Know your Place in the Market

3.      Don’t Apologise

Know your Guidelines and Apply them

Seems obvious right? However, from personal experience different restaurants applied varying levels of Covid restrictions to their dining experience. Restaurants should be setting the highest standards for their staff. When restaurants re-open servers, in particular, will be exposed to a high volume of people from different households. Therefore, it is imperative they follow good protective measures – wearing their masks, washing their hands with soap/sanitiser, sanitising tables after guests have left and so on.

The biggest mistake restaurants can make right now is take shortcuts when it comes to Covid guidelines, have a member of staff contract Covid, and must close for two weeks.

Restaurants also have a responsibility to make their guests feel safe. Therefore, the standards to which establishments hold themselves will reflect in their guest experiences. For example, when we re-opened after in Canada, all front of house staff were to sanitize or wash their hands after we touched anything. As a bartender I was probably sanitising my hands upwards of 300 times a shift. This might be a little extreme now that we know a lot more about the virus, but the point is restaurants must take the necessary steps to make customers feel safe.

Also, when you encounter customer questions like “can we push these tables together?” and “why can’t we stay past eleven?”, your staff can give clear and concise answers that educate their guests.

Know your Place in the Market

There are so many restaurant, pub and bar concepts in the world, which is a wonderful thing. As the world progresses, we see ever changing demands. For example, the shift towards more vegetarian and vegan food is massive. Covid has accelerated the demand for takeout and delivery food.

This led to a lot of creative food and drink initiatives. My favourite of which is a tapas place (not the easiest to do for takeout) completely transitioning to a deep-dish pizza operation. It has been so successful (they sell out most nights) they haven’t gone back to their original concept yet.

My point is establishments need to show some self-awareness and understand where they are in the market. Are they specifically a dine-in restaurant? Can they do takeout and delivery? What percentage of revenue comes from takeout? If restaurants can answer these questions, then they can determine where to invest their time and money. They can invest in appropriate technology, design adequate processes, determine necessary staffing levels (can all restaurants please avoid understaffing?), and develop relevant menus. Certain restaurants will have different dine-in and takeout menus.

For example, I don’t think Gordon Ramsey is going to invest in running a takeout operation from Petrus, but it is probably valuable for Pizza Express to spend time improving their takeout operation.

Don’t Apologise

To apologise is to express regret for something someone has done wrong. I apologised a lot in the early days of my hospitality career. On reflection many times I was making a mistake by apologising, because I hadn’t done wrong. So, for example:

Customer: Do you sell Budweiser?

Me: Sorry, we don’t sell Budweiser.

In this instance I have made a mistake. Why? It sets up a dynamic where I am in the wrong. I am suggesting we should sell Budweiser, but we don’t. As a business we have chosen not to sell Budweiser and we do not need to be apologetic about it.

Instead I should be saying: “We don’t sell Budweiser. But, if you like cold, fizzy lagers we have a great house lager you’ll enjoy.”

This applies to following Covid guidelines. If customers ask if they can do something outside of the Covid guidelines, you do not need to apologise for not being able to fulfil their request. It implies you have done something wrong and sets the wrong tone, which can lead to awkward conversations. You can just politely and concisely explain they can’t do something.

Conclusion

Running a hospitality business when it reopens from a lockdown is incredibly intense. I don’t envy the stress of any owner during what has been an extraordinarily difficult year and more. Hopefully, an owner or manager of a hospitality venue will read this, and it will help them to navigate a post lockdown world. Keep it simple – be well versed in Covid guidelines, understand where your business adds value to its customers, and don’t apologise for following Covid guidelines.