How the UK hospitality industry can survive coronavirus
Recently i’ve posted an article over on Easysipping about the devastating effect coronavirus is having on our UK hospitality scene. How bars, restaurants, hotels and more importantly staff are getting hit by the self isolation, cancellations and all round, boycotting of social events.
So, raise your glass to the bars and restaurants having to close their doors over the next few months, and to the bartenders, barbacks, waiters, servers, chefs, kitchen porters and everyone in-between who are, if not completely losing there jobs, having their hours cut down. And with Boris Johnson today urging us to avoid bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs and similar social gatherings. its only going to get worse.
However, i wont dawdle on the depressing affect of Covid-19 on our hospitality industry, I’ve already done that. If you want to check out my post on how this is affecting our bars, restaurants, hotels and staff and what we can do to help. Please check out my last post by clicking here or on the link below.
What i really want to talk about here, is how we can fight back. My tips and tricks to what we should be doing to at the very least. Stay afloat till this whole thing blows over. Because, lets face it, sitting back and watching our bars, restaurants and hotels lose customers, in the hope that tomorrow there will be a big influx of new willing to spend customers, isn’t going to work. Its only going to get worse before it gets better. The food and drinks industry is suffering, you need a coronavirus strategy plan in place, like, yesterday. As an owner, you’re going to have to hustle. You don’t just have a bar, restaurant or hotel to keep a float, you also have a team of staff you’re responsible for. Throwing them under the bus to cut down on your wage cost may work in the short term, but once this does, eventually blow over, and people start going out to eat and drink again you’re going to have to re-build a whole new team. 90% of what makes your venue a success is the people that work their. Not your beautiful interior or marble cut bar top.
So, with that being said here is my advice, my opinions, my list of tips and tricks to put into your coronavirus fighting strategy.
1) Health and safety standards
This goes without saying that, you should always retain a high level of health and safety standards in your venue. Especially working with food and drink. Hygiene should be high. However, alot of this goes on behind the scenes. Deep cleans and date dotting isn’t something customers see. But at this time, its something that’s on the forefront of your customers mind.
So to make your customers feel more at ease, you need to bring those health and safety practises from behind the backdrop. Deep cleaning chairs, tables work surfaces is calming to see. It reminds people that you are taking health and safety seriously. Its also going to make your staff feel more at ease knowing there working in a clean establishment.
2) Keeping your staff busy
Rota’s are difficult as it is, making sure everyone has the right amount of hours isn’t as easy as it seems. But with bars and restaurants losing customers, the need for staff is dropping and staff you do have are losing hours. I know its common sense to send a member of staff home if its not busy, and theirs nothing to do. But you need to remember that people have bills to pay and they rely on them hours to do so.
People are flexible. For the most part, they don’t mind picking up hours doing work that’s not directly related to there job role. Think about how you can give staff hours that will benefit both themselves, and your business. Going back to health and safety, if your bar, restaurant or hotel isn’t busy, why not get people in to do that overdue deep clean? You work in a hotel and rooms aren’t being booked? That sucks, but why not make the most of it and work on room improvements. Deep clean the rooms, see if there's any maintenance to crack on with.
Content creation and delivery are things we should be focusing on at this time, which i will get into shortly. But they are both options you need staff for. Can your bartender pick up extra hours with food delivery? Does your waiter have a passion for writing? Maybe its time to let them write some content for your website. Work on new menus for when this blows over. Let the barback who’s spending every given minute scrolling through their social media, a crack at taking over the social media for your bar, restaurant or hotel. Obviously, theirs only so much you can do.
With no customers you have to cut down on your outgoings some how, and cutting down peoples hours is a big part of whats going to save your business some money. And unfortunately something you cant avoid for ever. I’m not saying its possible for you to stick to giving your staff the hours they want/need. But cutting down their hours dramatically is going to hurt them, and you in the long run. Speak to people, urge staff to take some holiday days. Heck, alot of us are still recovering from the festive season and may want a cut on hours! The key is communication. Talking to your staff to see where everyones heads at.
3) Delivery options
This one only really applies to restaurants. Unfortunately for bars and hotels, however great news for restaurants. Food delivery is already something that is skyrocketing pre coronavirus. Now with everyone staying in-doors, its only going to become more popular. Delivery is easier now then ever. With the likes of Ubereats and Deliveroo.
If you don’t deliver it may be time to rethink. Because with everyone self-isolating there going to want them same comforts of restaurant level food but at home. Along with Netflix subscriptions, food deliveries are going to skyrocket. Think of it like this, your restaurant may be a 30-60 cover restaurant, no matter how popular you get you can only seat so many people. With delivery as an option, that opens up to the world being your restaurant. Yes, that may be an over reaction but you get the point. If your not doing delivery options, now is the time to get into it. And if you are already doing delivery now is the time to put emphasis on it. Remind your customers its an option. Put your focus on delivery.
4) Content Content Content
I cant stress this one enough. No ones going out, everyone is sat at home scrolling through social media, tip tapping away through google. Now is the time to work on your content. The return on investment may not seem great at this time. Putting all this effort into having a social media appearance. But its all about the long game. Once this blows over, if someone has been following your journey through social media they are no doubt going to be eager to come see your place in the flesh, sort of speak. Grow your website, better your SEO, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok. There are so many platforms out there where you can grow your business online, and find potential customers. You need to be on top of all of them. Connect with your local community. Content content content.
Why not start a blog? I know for certain that if i were reading a blog, ran by a restaurant, following their journey, seeing them post food recipes etc. I would be eager to visit them. Don’t let your venue slip from peoples minds, remind them that “Hey, times may be tough but we still exist, don’t forget about us” if you work on your content now. In a few months you will begin to see the pay off. Who knows, after this blows over your bar may have enough of a following to release its very own cocktail recipe book, or a restaurant cookery book. Every business in hospitality should be posting content and have an online presence regardless, coronavirus or not. Most people just don’t have the time or staff to work on it, now you do.
5) Vouchers
Voucher, coupons, gift cards. All great options for people to share the great experience they’ve had within your bar, restaurant or hotel with someone who may not of visited otherwise. Focus on urging your loyal customers to buy vouchers for themselves, to use at a future date. Its an option to keep your business afloat in a time you have no customers.
If you already have these options available, use your social platforms, which if you’re working on your content for, should be thriving right now. To promote your vouchers, remind people that “Hey, just because your not going out now, doesn’t mean you wont be in a few months. It’ll help us keep our doors opens”
So to recap, you should be cleaning more whilst focusing on growing your online presence and selling via delivery and vouchers.
These are trying times and people need to support each other the best they can. If you’re in the hospitality industry, and struggling financial or mentally the Benevolent at https://www.thebenevolent.org.uk/ can supply help. Ranging from short-term financial grants to long-term help and mental health support.