The Environmental Health Services (EHS) links most food poisoning cases to eating in restaurants. They performed a study analyzing the food safety practices of restaurant workers, and the study found that less-experienced workers engaged in risky food practices. Dangerous food practices are also more prevalent in independent restaurants than in chain restaurants.

Restaurants can avoid foodborne illnesses by practicing basic food safety. Workers must keep themselves and their areas clean and separate raw and ready-to-eat foods. Restaurants must also practice proper chilling and cooking methods.

Restaurants that don’t follow these basic food safety practices are liable to make their diners sick. Foodborne illnesses caused by negligent restaurants have led to many lawsuits across the country. In many cases, the restaurants must pay thousands or millions of dollars in reparation.

Essential Food Safety Practices for Restaurants to Follow

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service says there are four steps to maintaining a safe restaurant:

• Clean
• Separate
• Cook
• Chill

Clean

CDC found that workers wash their hands when they should only 1 in 3 times. Employees must wash their hands and restaurant surfaces often to prevent contamination. Before handling food, employees must wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water and use the designated handwashing sink, not the preparation sink.

Employees who wear gloves must wash their hands before putting them on. Employees should change their gloves whenever they switch tasks that could cause cross-contamination.

Doing so can help prevent the spread and outbreak of diseases such as COVID-19, Salmonella, E. coli, and norovirus.

Separate

The USDA says to keep ready-to-eat and raw foods separate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and juices away from other foods. Prepare the meat in an area away from other foods. After preparing the meat, wash and sanitize cutting boards, knives, and countertops.

Cook

Always use safe thawing practices, as recommended by the USDA. First, you can thaw food in the refrigerator, but ensure that juices do not leak onto other foods. Second, you can thaw food placed in a leak-proof bag in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes and cook immediately upon thawing. Lastly, you can safely thaw food in the microwave.

Meat that needs to marinate should marinate in the refrigerator, where it can stay cold. To avoid cross-contamination, keep the marinating meat inside a pan covered with plastic wrap.

Always check foods with a thermometer to ensure you’re cooking them to the proper temperature. Raw beef, lamb, pork, and veal must reach a minimum internal temperature of 145°F. Allow the meat to rest for three minutes before cutting and serving for the best quality and safety. Ground meats must reach an internal temperature of 160°F. Poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Chill

The USDA says to refrigerate or freeze food promptly to avoid contamination. You must refrigerate perishable food within two hours. Fresh poultry, fish, and ground meat must be cooked or frozen within two days. Beef, veal, lamb, and pork should be cooked or frozen within three to five days.

You should check the temperature of your refrigerator (>40°F) and freezer (>0°F) with an appliance thermometer.

Lawsuits

Restaurants that don’t follow proper food safety practices are held accountable for causing illness in their diners. Below are two of the most severe cases of food poisoning caused by negligent restaurant practices.

1. Torchy’s Tacos — Texas

In 2021, a family sued Torchy’s Tacos in San Antonio, Texas, for $200,000. Two months after eating at Torchy’s, their child was still in the hospital, fighting a salmonella infection he developed after eating contaminated onions at the restaurant.

The child began showing symptoms ten days after eating the onions, and his symptoms worsened over the week, leading to hospitalization. His infection resulted in sepsis, pneumonia, and organ failure.

2. Chipotle Mexican Grill

In 2020, Chipotle agreed to pay $25 million in response to criminal charges they received for serving tainted food between 2015 and 2018. The tainted food caused sickness in over 1,100 people across the United States.

According to the New York Times,  “Nick Hanna, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement that Chipotle failed to ‘ensure that its employees both understood and complied with its food safety protocols, resulting in hundreds of customers across the country getting sick.’”

Conclusion

Restaurants that don’t follow basic food safety practices are likely to cause foodborne illnesses within their clientele. Severe cases of food poisoning may lead to legal action being taken against the restaurant. Fortunately, restaurants can avoid causing harm. They need to keep surfaces clean, keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate, and chill and cook food properly. For professional assistance with food safety, please contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

Eating out at a restaurant has traditionally been a relaxing and social activity. For decades people came into an eating establishment, sat down, ordered food, and ate–there wasn’t a whole lot of science about it. Then, in 2020 that changed due to the pandemic. Since then, a lot of science has gone into eating at restaurants. Thanks to COVID-19, here are some things restaurant owners need to know for 2022.

COVID-19 Requirements

The most significant point restaurants need to be aware of for 2022 is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s update of its COVID-19 guidelines regarding mask requirements. There are places masks are still considered a high priority. Other locations are considered a medium priority, but most places are low priority. Based on data on hospital admissions, bed availability, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area, 70% of restaurants in the United States are now at low priority. However, the CDC warns, this may be temporary since we have not entered the endemic stage yet. Click here to check your city’s current level on CDC’s national map .

 

 

Next, according to the National Restaurant Association’s state of the industry report, the biggest challenge for restaurant owners in 2022 is staffing. Attracting and retaining employees became a struggle in 2021 and will continue to present obstacles. Although the foodservice industry is expected to add 400,000 jobs this year, many restaurants remain drastically understaffed. Only Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Arizona have maintained the same number of restaurant employees as they had pre-pandemic. Fifty percent of restaurant operators say recruitment and retention are where they plan to focus their attention.

 

Despite the foodservice industry’s formal prediction to reach $898 billion in sales during 2022, delays or shortages will persist, sending prices up, resulting in inflation. In addition, restaurants can expect continued supply chain issues. Thankfully, the National Restaurant Association will continue to pursue government support at federal and local levels to aid restaurant operators in the face of difficulties.

 

Adjusting to the New Normal

Lastly, 2022 is expected to continue to make adjustments toward the new normal. Many patrons do not want to go back to the way things used to be. They like the changes. Restaurant recovery means keeping the innovative technology for contactless and digital ordering, outdoor spaces, alcohol-to-go sales, hybrid retail and restaurant models, plant-based options for meats, and the rise of the robot. Staying at home and ordering food has become on par with eating at an outdoor restaurant. There is no social condemnation of one being better than the other. The restaurant industry has endured growing pains due to COVID -19. All manner of acquiring food has become equal. The foodservice and hospitality industries have been forced to pivot, adjust and think outside of the box. The industry has drastically evolved and now, customers have a variety of choices.

 

It’s no secret that the restaurant industry is facing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, from small family businesses to five-star fine dining establishments. Even celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay acknowledged that his restaurant empire is already 60 million Euros behind where they’d be in normal circumstances.

 

In response to COVID-19, most, if not all, people have changed their typical dining rituals. Local 4 Detroit News surveyed its viewers about their dining habits and attitudes before and during the pandemic. The survey found that pre-pandemic, 1,767 viewers ate out 1-3 times a week, and only 29 said they never dined out. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these numbers look quite different: only 583 viewers eat out 1-3 times a week, and 1,201 said they never dine out at all. In fact, 56 percent of viewers said they would not dine out currently.

 

That said, the situation is rapidly evolving, from state safety mandates to the availability of vaccines. These changes have the potential to affect customers’ perceptions of dining out. Here is the current breakdown of what is allowed in each state and some considerations for restaurants to keep in mind.

 

Current Restaurant Regulations, State by State

One useful tool is this frequently updated interactive map provided by the New York Times. The map shows the states where there are mask mandates, curfews, and bans on individual establishments in real-time.

 

Masks

Businesses must uphold mask mandates whenever customers aren’t actively eating or drinking to avoid health code violations. There are currently mask mandates in most Northeastern, Midwestern, West Coast, and Southwestern states.

Curfews

State curfews can affect restaurants’ operating hours. Although it could impact business, restaurants are required to adhere to these curfews. Currently, there are curfews in Virginia and North Carolina.

 

Types of Establishments

Restaurants are allowed to be operational in most states. However, bars cannot be open currently in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, or New Mexico. In Arizona, no bars or nightclubs are allowed to be open. Furthermore, there is currently no indoor dining permitted in Oregon. These regulations change often, and the most up-to-date information can be found here.

 

Social Distancing

CDC regulations dictate that tables should be spaced 6 feet apart to reduce spread from respiratory droplets. Additionally, in any establishment where patrons must wait in line, it would be wise to mark the floor with stickers or other icons to help customers visualize 6-foot spacing.

Future Possibilities for Restaurants

While it is tough to follow the changing rules, there is hope for restaurant owners and operators in the future, including government help, an increasing prevalence of available vaccines, and continued training to keep all staff members aware of updates to safety protocols.

 

Seek Help From the Government

Released in January 2021, Biden’s latest COVID-19 response plan, the White House, outlined a plan to prioritize funds to help small businesses. These funds will go to PPE supplies and construction to adjust their physical spaces to account for social distancing, including adding outdoor seating. The Small Business Administration will also be working with the Department of Labor to disseminate the most up-to-date information on worker safety. Having a training plan in place for employees can help keep staff knowledgeable of the most up-to-date safety practices.

 

Vaccines

As vaccines become more widely available, some patrons who previously felt uncomfortable dining out could shift their attitudes. Another possibility is that restaurants could potentially increase their safety measures and reputation as a safe space by requiring proof of vaccine for entry. In this case, it will be essential to train staff to look at vaccine cards for their validity (similar to training staff to examine IDs for proof of age).

 

Training

As the COVID-19 and state-by-state guidelines are changing daily, restaurants must keep training their staff regularly. Restaurant training is crucial for keeping waitstaff, cooks, and management up to speed while implementing the latest safety measures and recommendations.

 

By: Chef Natasha Reta

Drive-ins and drive-thrus hardly seem like an innovation of our current time. Drive-in movies, drive-thru dairies, and drive-thru pharmacies have all been around for decades now. And as some counties considered limiting drive-thrus due to carbon emission levels, we were hit with a worldwide pandemic that required the public to utilize the “safety bubble” of their vehicle to receive testing, vaccines, medications, and necessary groceries.

As restaurants slowly reopen, the industry will need to shift the guest’s dining experience to protect their community’s safety and health. The need for distanced and contactless service demands increased as the public resumes “normalcy” while returning to work and under strict health guidelines. Many restaurants have utilized this time to improve their takeout and delivery and incorporate curbside or drive-thru services.

 

 

Houston-based salad fast-casual location Salata says drive-thru has become a priority in expanding into the future. It will utilize a new mobile ordering app in hopes of facilitating an order-ahead drive-thru window.

Pokeworks is also developing a prototype drive-thru concept to fulfill third-party delivery and mobile app-based orders. The Pokeworks drive-thru lane, also known as their “Cruise Thru” lane, will not allow on-site ordering. This option will speed the pickup process for delivery drivers and customers who use the Pokeworks Rewards App. It also minimizes order mistakes and multiple contact points.

Multiple other chains have announced reinvention of their drive-thru and takeout services such as Chipotle, Sweetgreen, Burger Fi, El Pollo Loco, and La Madeleine. Checkers & Rally’s also recently announced it was testing stores with dedicated drive-thru lanes. While many chains and franchises have drive-thru prototypes in the works, several independent restaurants are challenged by their drive-thru counterparts.  Several operators have embraced the need for enhanced takeout by incorporating takeout windows for walk-up customers. Many even utilize this window to allow for a ghost kitchen pickup during off-hours of the restaurant.

This has indeed been a challenging year for us all. Still, in time of unprecedented challenges, we will utilize creative thinking and innovation to rebuild business in the restaurant industry’s ever-changing future.

With much controversy and uncertainty as well as a host of new laws and mandates, what can restaurants expect in 2021? The new year brings an array of new federal, state, and local laws and regulations that can affect your business.  Staying informed has never been as critical as it is now. An article in USA Today outlined many of the latest mandates and restrictions by state. The Restaurant Law Center of the National Restaurant Association regularly updates its state-specific comprehensive Official State Guidelines for Foodservice Establishments.

 

COVID regulations – Most states take a similar approach to managing employee health monitoring, imposing stricter sanitation protocols, and minimizing physical contact between employees and customers. However, states and even counties vary widely, based on the severity of the pandemic in their area. General areas of regulation include:

 

• PPE: Most states require face coverings to be worn inside public spaces by all staff and guests (except when eating/drinking). Employers should provide and ensure workers use all required protective equipment, including face coverings and gloves where necessary.
• Employee Health Checks: Most states have regulations that employers must perform daily health monitoring of employees and send home any employee who displays symptoms. All employees are required to report any fevers of illness to a supervisor.

  

• Notice Requirements of COVID-19 exposure in the workplace: Several states have enhanced reporting requirements to local health authorities in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak and expand OSHA’s authority to shut down work sites deemed to be an “imminent hazard.”
• Sanitation Recommendations or Requirements:
  • Hand washing is required
  • High contact areas must be cleaned every two hours
  • Provide all refills in a clean/unused container
  • Utilize single-use paper or QR-code driven menus
  • Discontinue pre-setting tables with napkins, cutlery, glassware, plate ware, etc. Use single-use items such as packets of ketchup or salt as needed
  • Pre-roll utensils in napkins before use or provide pre-packed utensils
  • Have hand-sanitizer, preferably “touchless” and sanitizing products available for employees and guests
  • Train staff and prepare procedures for elevated cleaning and sanitizing
  • Provide prominently displayed signage outlining proper face-covering usage and current physical distancing practices in use at all entrances and throughout the location
• Distancing and Occupancy:
  • While some states have shut down all indoor and outdoor dining, the guidelines vary by state. The general rule is when onsite dining is allowable, and tables are distanced 6 feet apart with no more than 8 guests per table. Must adhere to local capacity limits.
  • Prioritize curbside pickup to minimize the cross-flow of customers
  • Designate with signage, tape, or other visual cues the social distancing spacing for employees and customers in all areas of the restaurant
  • Conduct pre-shift meetings and training virtually or in areas that allow for appropriate physical distancing
  • Ask customers to wait in their cars while waiting to be seated, provide alerts via mobile devices
• Payment Systems:
  • Use of physical barriers such as plexiglass partitions at registers
  • Use contactless payment options

 

Additional Labor Law changes for 2021 (varies by state):

Minimum Wage – While the federal minimum wage has not increased for over a decade from $7.25, the Congressional Budget Office has suggested raising the national figure to $15/hour by 2025. Many states, including California, implemented increases on January 1, 2021, to $13/hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees and $14 for employers with more than 25 employees. (Note: various cities and local governments may have enacted minimum wage ordinances exceeding the state minimum wage level.)

Tipping – The Department of Labor allowed a final rule that allowed restaurants to require servers to pool tips with staff that doesn’t typically earn them, such as cooks and dishwashers. For restaurants, the benefit is straightforward –the ability to narrow the pay gap between the front and back of house.

 

 

Discrimination – In California, employees have a year (instead of six months) to file a discrimination or retaliation complaint with the Division of Labor Standard Enforcement (DSLE).

Sexual Harassment Training Mandate – For many states, the law took effect on January 1, 2020, but several others (including CA) extended the required implementation date to January 1, 2021. This mandate requires all employers with more than five employees to have a written sexual harassment policy in English and Spanish. Employees must complete a 1-hour training and supervisors a 2-hour training and pass a final assessment to receive the certification.

Leave of Absence- Laws in certain states have been expanded to include companies with five or more employees instead of the previous minimum of 50 or more employees.

Worker Classification – There are three key elements used to determine whether a worker should be classified as an employee or independent contractor.

1. Is the worker free from the hiring entity’s control and direction in connection with the performance of the work?
2. Does the worker perform work outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business?
3. Is the worker customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed?

If the answer to all three is yes, the person can be classified as an independent contractor.

 

Supplemental Paid Sick Leave – While it was set to expire on December 31, 2020, some states have added legal requirements for employers in the foodservice industry to continue to provide supplemental paid sick leave as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To be eligible for this additional paid sick leave, the employee must be unable to work due to one of the following reasons:

• The employee is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19
• A health care provider advises the employee to self-quarantine or self-isolate due to concerns related to COVID-19
• The employee is prohibited from working by the employer due to health concerns related to the potential transmission of COVID-19

 

In an increasingly difficult climate, restaurants are doing everything they can to keep their staff and guests safe and their doors open while complying with constantly-changing guidelines which can be a challenge to even the most seasoned restaurant professional! Reach out to us to see how our 30+ year history in the industry can help your restaurant not only survive but thrive in 2021.

As we say goodbye (and don’t let the door hit you on the way out!) to 2020 and look ahead to 2021, we know that the restaurant and hospitality industry will continue to face challenges, at least for the first few months of 2021. Looking towards Quarter 2 as vaccines are rolled out across the country and warmer temperatures allow for pleasant outdoor dining, we are hopeful that restaurants will see a surge in on-premise dining as consumers take advantage of the ability to dine out. Additionally, after the first quarter, there may be more optimism on the catering side of off-premise sales as at least some office workers return to their communal places of work. Catering menus may necessitate individually boxed or plated items instead of the traditional shared or large platter catering menu options as there is uneasiness concerning health and safety. If you haven’t adjusted your catering menus to include individual plates, boxes, or meals, now would be a great time to do so and update them across all ordering platforms.

 

 

We’ve learned a lot in the industry over the last year, including turning/reacting and adapting throughout ever-changing circumstances. Although some changes may be temporary, there is no doubt that many industry trends will be here for the long run.

 

• A focus on food safety, cleanliness, and sanitation will be important to guests and potential guests into the new year and beyond. It will continue to be critical that you are not only practicing elevated sanitation procedures but that you are showing your guests precisely what your team is doing to ensure their safety. A great way to do this is to include photos and videos on your social media channels highlighting cleanliness and sanitation and the measures you’ve taken to make it easy for guests to ensure their safety, for example, sanitizing or dining room handwashing stations.

 

• Contactless ordering and pickup will continue to grow and become a competitive advantage. Now’s the time to make sure your online ordering platform is user-friendly and is programmed correctly to ensure an excellent guest experience.
  • Does it prompt for upsells: sides, drinks, desserts?
  • Does it ask if the guest needs utensils?
  • Are menu items described correctly and easy to modify (photos are a bonus)?

 

• Takeout and off-premise dining will continue to be popular with guests seeking menu items that travel well and are appropriately packaged along with value or perceived value, all being points of differentiation.
  • Take a hard look at your menu items and if they need to be modified for takeout
  • Make sure your packaging holds items well and that each container is the appropriate size for the item it’s intended for
  • Give your guests as close to the same experience for takeout as they experience with in-house dining. Appropriate sauces, condiments, and “freebies” (such as complimentary bread) should all be included with takeout orders

 

One of the many challenges during this time has been to continue to provide great service with the many restrictions we have to follow while also supporting our teams and the challenges they face and, of course, fighting the labor dollar battle that never gets easier. We all know high turnover is not only costly from a training standpoint, but it also affects your guest experience and the potential they will return. Supporting your team, especially during these challenging times, will most certainly improve retention and reduce the headache of hiring and training new team members. As we look to 2021, the prediction is that forward-thinking organizations will look for ways to broaden team member empowerment, recognition, and contribution to improving not only guest experience but team member experience (along with business reputation and bottom-line profits). One thing we may take away from this experience is that the guest is not ALWAYS right…sometimes, we need to step up and support our team because it’s the right thing to do! As operators, ensure you’re checking in with your team regularly to understand how you can best support their work, goals, and even their life outside of work.

 

As we look to spring and summer, and our communities emerge from hibernation, operators should consider ways to bring entertainment value to their guest experience. We will all be thrilled once we can go out, enjoy a great meal and service and feel a sense of ease while dining, but there will be even more enthusiasm for communal experiences and entertainment once we can safely enjoy these types of events paired with great food and drinks. Consider planning for live music, live sporting events, trivia, or other games and holidays to deliver the entertainment your guests will likely be craving.

 

Lastly, if you will be re-opening (or opening a new) a location in 2021, consider how you can take this opportunity to retrain your team, implement systems to improve guest experience, improve and modernize your menu offerings. Build anticipation through marketing as you lead up to your re-opening. Sometimes, when you take a step back and regroup, it allows you to assess what needs to be done to put your business on the path towards success.

Handling difficult customers is an ever-present challenge in restaurants. But, like everything else in our post-COVID world, this too has become more complex. In recent weeks, restaurants have scrambled to reopen by reconfiguring their dining rooms for social distancing and equipping team members with masks, digital thermometers, and disposable menus. Dine-in restaurants are attempting to serve customers with a pent-up need to get out of the house and restart some semblance of normal. Some of these patrons comply with social distancing and mask use, but others are defiantly ignoring these guidelines. This leaves restaurants — specifically, front-of-house employees — tasked with managing customer compliance on top of trying to provide great customer service.

To balance these varied levels of customer cooperation with protecting the health and safety of everyone in the restaurant, team member training is critical. As reopening guidelines and guest attitudes change and evolve, restaurants must continuously monitor what’s happening both inside and outside their four walls so they can train team members to handle guest challenges and update training based on the shifting service environment.

Below is a step-by-step plan for quickly creating and adapting your team member training program in response to COVID-19 guidelines and customer demands:

1. Train team members on scenarios as well as tools. Most team member training programs focus on tools and procedures, like how to use a digital thermometer to take a customer’s temperature, or how to sanitize guest tables. These protocols are obviously important, but what about when a guest refuses to wear a mask? Create a list of possible guest challenges and conduct role-playing sessions so team members are equipped to handle touchy situations, especially those that put other guests and team members at risk, and when to involve a manager. It’s also crucial to remind team members why following their training is essential — not just to them but to guests and the larger community.

2. Review federal, state, and local guidelines every week. Assign one of your managers or your Safety Officer with staying on top of restaurant operating guidelines. By having one person in charge of monitoring these mandates, it places the responsibility on one person and eliminates the need for all managers to keep up with this information.

3. Conduct regular safety and compliance walk-throughs. During each shift, the manager on duty must walk the dining room to make sure team members and guests are complying with all service and safety guidelines. This helps take some of the enforcement pressure off of team members and demonstrates your restaurant’s commitment to the health and safety of all.

 

4. Use pre-shift meetings as a key communications tool. Take a few minutes before each shift to gather all team members and discuss how the restaurant is adhering to COVID guidelines. Make it a point to cover a different topic each time, like hand washing, sanitizing, and mask use, to keep team members engaged. If someone on the team has done an exceptional job, recognize and praise them in front of their colleagues. Pre-shift meetings are a great opportunity to answer questions and alert team members to any new training requirements.

5. Conduct weekly management meetings. Gather all managers once a week to review any new guidelines or requirements identified by your designated manager or Safety Officer that might require new training. In addition, each manager presents what they’ve observed during their shifts — success stories, new challenges, and recommended changes to existing procedures.

6. Provide team members access to the latest information, tools, and training. Team members are more likely to carry out what they’ve been trained to do when you make compliance as easy as possible. Make Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), FAQs, and training information readily available through employee bulletin boards or go digital with restaurant operations software.

7. Deliver ongoing team member support. As part of their shift walks, managers should identify team members who may need additional compliance and guideline training. The goal is not to punish but to provide additional support to help those team members be successful. Support can take the form of on-the-spot coaching, an offline conversation, or retraining on specific procedures or scenarios. Providing this level of oversight and development makes it clear to team members that compliance is an ongoing priority.

8. Lather, rinse, repeat. This process of presenting a training plan, administering the training, and supporting the training with oversight and coaching, is critical to making your COVID compliance efforts successful. In fact, this process can be used for any restaurant training program, including the introduction of new menu items, upselling, and food safety.

 

As restaurants continue to feel their way through a complex and confusing path to normalcy, training all team members should be a constant goal. Team member training is not a “set it and forget it” effort. With the rapid pace of change in today’s hospitality environment, safeguarding the health and safety of your team members and guests is your most important endeavor.

After a nearly two-month nationwide lockdown, the US economy is finally starting to open up. As of today, all 50 states are at least partially open. If you stepped outside this recent Memorial Day weekend or watched internet footage of celebrations, you would think that people forgot that a pandemic even exists–throngs gathered in public places, many ignoring social distancing and facial covering guidelines. The fact of the matter is, no matter how eager people are for things to get back to normal, things are still not normal. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of over 100,000 people in the United States and according to the World Health Organization Program Director Dr. Mark Ryan, “We’re still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up.”

Let’s take a look at some timely statistics to get a better understanding of where things stand. Surveys from McKinsey & Company reveal that 80 percent of American consumers who have not yet returned to out-of-home activities are “are largely waiting for medical authorities to voice their approval, safety measures to be put in place, and a vaccine to be developed.”  Datassential reports that 57 percent of people are more concerned about a public-health crisis over 43 percent who are more concerned about an economic crisis.

Additionally, consumer confidence is lower than it was in early March as shown from a recent study from Morning Consult. Further, businesses have strict safety mandates to follow in each state and county where they operate. Complying with proper health protocols is top of mind for consumers and businesses alike. This coupled with the fact that many are feeling a negative financial impact from COVID proves that businesses, particularly restaurants, need to establish real value and differentiate themselves from the competition.

It’s not just the consumers–workers are fearful, too. A survey of 1,000 American workers conducted by PwC illuminated many concerns about returning to work. 56 percent stated they would prefer that their employers provide them with personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks. 51 percent wanted customers to be required to follow safety and hygiene practices.

Here’s what restaurant owners need to do to assuage the valid concerns that both their employees and guests have during this crisis:

• Follow mandates as outlined by your local and state governments: this may vary among states but would usually include reducing dine-in capacity, strict sanitation protocols, following social distancing (for ever one in the establishment), establish a maximum amount of guests per table, and restrictions on bar service.
• PPE for your employees. Invest in personal protective equipment for your employees. This includes facial coverings, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, and sneeze guards.
• Establish work guidelines. Create a plan for how to deal with employees who feel they may have contracted COVID, or whether or not they have concerns about their personal safety. Share these guidelines with employees so they understand you have procedures in place to handle their concerns.
• Commitment of Safety: post on your website a statement on how you are following guidelines that ensure the safety of both patrons and employees. Make it clear that their health if your priority.
• Use social media. Utilize social media to illustrate that your restaurant following proper safety guidelines and procedures. Remind them that you are still offering multiple options for ordering–curbside pickup, takeout, contact-less delivery and drive-thru.

If you have questions about how to strategically reopen during this difficult time, Synergy is here to assist. Please contact us with your concerns about navigating this new environment.

With strict stay-at-home orders in effect and limited businesses open, carry out, and delivery are the only options permitted to foodservice operations. Now, as states begin to open their economy, restaurant owners are looking for ways to create a safe environment for their guests while adhering to recommendations by state and federal guidelines. There are many factors restaurants want to consider before reopening, including cleanliness and sanitation, to-go and delivery, social distancing, and updated menu options.

What we expect to see in the coming months:

Face coverings and gloves: All restaurant staff may be required to wear some type of face mask including, staff in the back of the house and the front of the house. All kitchen workers would be required to wear disposable gloves. Whether or not guests will have to wear one remains in question. Currently, San Francisco’s mayor has ordered restaurants to turn away customers who aren’t wearing a face covering.

Sneeze guards: Not only for use at buffet stations, sneeze guards, or acrylic barriers may also be seen at the checkout stand as an extra measure of precaution. Plexiglass situated between diners may not be too far-fetched, either.

Contactless payments: Say goodbye to cash (for now) and say hello to more contact-free payment options. This includes accepting payments by phone, online, or through a mobile app.

UV light: Standard cleaning procedures will be more stringent. Restaurant owners may invest in UV sterilizing cabinets for kitchen knives and other UV light technology to provide increased sanitation throughout the restaurant.

Limited occupancy: With the term “social distancing” now ingrained in all our minds, it will come as no surprise that restaurants will limit the number of people that enter at a time. States like Tennessee are mandating a restriction of 50% occupancy rate, and Texas is preparing to reopen restaurants at 25% capacity.

No physical menus: Laminated menus will no longer be available and will instead be replaced with single-use, disposable, paper menus to mitigate the spread of germs.

Updated menu options: Do not expect dine-in traffic to increase—customers will continue to expect to have take-out options that cater to their needs. Restaurants will need to update their menus options to include family-style meals.

Denying service: Guests may notice signage stating that they may not enter if they have a fever or feel ill. Temperature checks of guests may become standard practice.

The fact is, the outside world is going to look and feel a lot different than it did before, particularly at restaurants. If you would like more information on reopening your restaurant, please see our COVID-19 resources. Please note that Synergy is available for remote support at discounted rates during this time.

The coronavirus has taken a huge personal and economic toll on well, everyone. Many businesses have essentially been forced to cease operations or severely cut back their workforce during this crisis to slow the spread of the novel virus. The hospitality industry has especially been hit hard in multiple ways. Restaurants have been mandated to stop allowing dine-in guests and only offer drive-thru, delivery, or carryout, all while the general public has been told to stay at home.

With public fear of viral transmissions continuing to grow, the trustworthiness of eating food from outside the home is dropping. This phenomenon is worrisome to most restaurant owners. However,  some food and beverage businesses are pivoting beyond offering takeout by changing their entire business model and offering. 

No doubt, people are finding several items hard-to-find in stores and online: face masks, disinfecting wipes, and hand sanitizer. High demand and hoarding have made these products a scarcity, and unfortunately, many feel afraid and vulnerable without some of these safety products. Innovative-thinking distilleries have come to the rescue turning their key ingredient—ethanol alcohol– into something we all need now—hand sanitizer.

From Los Angeles to Maine, distilleries are trying to do their part. The recipe is simple: you’ll need at least 80 percent ethanol alcohol plus hydrogen peroxide glycerol and distilled water, according to the WHO. For some distillers, it was a no-brainer solution to the shortage. Several distilleries have donated their hand sanitizers, while others have options for others to purchase.

Here's the Newfoundland Distillery's hand sanitizer pic.twitter.com/aA87irNp7Z
— On The Go (@OnTheGoCBC) March 31, 2020
 

It’s not just your neighborhood brewery getting into the hand-sanitizing arena. Last weekend, Anheuser-Busch announced that it would redirect its sports and entertainment investments and begin producing hand sanitizer and donating it to the Red Cross. Tito’s vodka has joined in on the effort and said it would donate the hand sanitizers to their community and those most in need.

If you’re seeking a place to get hand sanitizer, Parade did a great job compiling a list of distilleries across the nation who are producing them. You can see the list here.

Synergy applauds the resourcefulness and generosity of these distillers, who are making a positive change through creative ingenuity