Coronavirus and Food Businesses – Getting Operational after Lockdown
As we wait for encouraging signs that indicate we may be turning a corner it may be a good time to start planning your business re-opening. It’s not a case of just turning the lights back on when lockdown restrictions start to be eased. It’s important that you start planning to make sure you’re as well placed as possible to provide the service that the public wants when they open their doors again. It makes sense to be realistic and pragmatic, but organised and motivated in order to start rebuilding business on a firm footing.
The Access Group have issued a practical guidance document covering 5 key stages:
Activities during lockdown – Focus on priorities
- Staff engagement
- Keep in touch with customers
- Basic property maintenance and security
- Delivery management
- New revenue channels
- Rents, rates and loans
3–4 weeks pre end of lockdown – Get operational
- Site maintenance / cleaning
- Staff planning and labour optimisation
- Order supplies
- Legislation – including cover restrictions
- Get customers through the door (drive footfall)
- Ramping staff health and hygiene programs
Opening Week – All hands on deck
- Focus on guest experience
- Simplify offering / control your costs
- Check stock levels v bookings
- Ongoing forecasting to meet customer lev – staff, supplies, etc
- Marketing push Suppliers support
3-4 weeks post opening – New normal
- Financial management
- Staff engagement / churn management
- Recruitment
- Maximise sales via upselling
- Planning for a 2nd wave of Covid-19
- New landscape of high-street
- Versatile and agile
Longer Term – Improve GP and recoup lost earnings
- Analysis of budget tracking v spend
- Tracking bookings
- Recipe and menu evaluation
- Data quality and big data
- Adapting your business model
To download the full guide go to https://www.theaccessgroup.com/hospitality/c19-adapting-your-business/#resources
You may also find this working handbook produced and shared by Black Sheep Restaurants in Hong Kong useful: https://blacksheeprestaurants.com/covid/
Please contact us on 01442 877322 if we can help further.
Any guidance given in our articles is not official and Safer Food Scores can take no responsibility if the information is used to form part of any legal or regulatory compliance for your business. However, please do get in touch if you are interested in our support services and would like to benefit from official guidance relating to your particular circumstances, email [javascript protected email address]
