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Since the hospitality industry has drastically changed in the past few months and continues to change, we created this full resource center for you where you can find updated information on how to adjust your operations to this new “normal.”
We created 49 tips to help you put together your own post-COVID strategy. Check them out here.
Start BrainstormingSee Menu, Hours of Operation, Online Ordering, Growler Programs, and other recommendations below.
Ready To AdaptStricter regulations and new customers' expectations require adjustments to your staff training.
Start HereGet your reopening checklist to get you up and running in no time.
Get a checklist to quickly bring your draft system back to life!
Get your new training checklist to make things easier for both you and your staff.
Whether you’re utilizing the power of self-pour beverage technology or a traditional dispense system, below are six categories that will help you adjust to these difficult times. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so take it step by step and, ideally, with a nice, refreshing self-pour beverage in your hands. Stay safe and don’t try to change something you don’t have the power over. Now, let’s get ready to come out of this “new normal” as successful businesses that were able to adapt! Cheers.
There are many things that will need to change in the pandemic world, and as every establishment is unique, no one strategy will fit all. This is why we came up with a detailed breakdown of adjustments to take into consideration. Our list of 28 tips to create the best COVID-19 strategy will be tailored specifically to both your establishment and market. Below are just some of the main ideas to consider and make part of your new operations. For our full list of tips, visit 28 Tips When Reopening in the Pandemic World.
PourMyBeer Tip: We also highly recommend that you connect with your friends and acquaintances in the hospitality industry to see what has worked well for them and what hasn’t gone so well. This will help you tailor your COVID-19 strategy for your establishment even further.
Once you have your game plan and proper strategy in place, it’s time to reopen! It’s important to remember that getting your bar, restaurant, or taproom up and running can be quite a challenging and time-consuming task, even after a common break such as reconstruction of your space.
With the hospitality industry currently turned upside down and several new safety standards and expectations in place, it’s going to be even more difficult. That’s why we created this easy-to-follow checklist so your business can start operating again, while also making sure that nothing is forgotten.
And, if you had to completely close down your place, you’ll want to start with the Reopening Checklist which we’ve broken-down into three categories.
After downloading your checklist, simply print it out or open it in an editable version, grab a pen, and start crossing things off of your to-do list. This should be easy!
From higher expectations of safety and updated cleaning procedures to keeping your sales in-house by adding delivery and takeout, there are several operational changes you can focus on.
Now that most of your food sales are likely to be coming from delivery and takeout, these dishes might need to be simplified. You may need to select dishes from your menu that can be delivered and arrive at the customer’s door in “good shape.” Simply put, try to focus on dishes that are easy to deliver (meaning, less liquid dishes or multi-part dishes that are difficult for delivery workers to carry).
Set-up QR code ordering. This way your guests can scan the code once seated at the table, making it unnecessary to touch menus that can potentially pose a threat for the virus’ spread. A great company implementing online menus is Bbot, allowing guests to order right from the table.
With various restrictions in place, it might make sense to extend your hours if there is a market in your neighborhood that is willing to come in earlier or later. Just like you did with your initial research when starting your business, we recommend you do a bit of experimentation and see what works the best for you in this new “normal.”
Perhaps it’s time you work on the changes you’ve been wanting to get done for a while, but didn’t originally have the time for. Whether that is switching to a new POS provider, moving furniture, remodeling, adding a self-pour beverage wall, changing the theme, etc., now might be the time to embrace this downtime!
For more inspiration visit Branding On-Site.
Here are 6 simple reasons why self-pour technology presents a great solution during the pandemic:
From minimizing touchpoints and increasing efficiency to serving more customers than a traditional bar, self-pour is a great way to adjust to this new “normal.” Self-pour also reduces crowds and allows for the optimization of space (as no bulky bar is needed). Finally, self-pour allows you to maximize the flow of your customers since several patrons can serve themselves at the same time while still respecting each other’s six feet of distance.
As traditional bars tend to get overcrowded, customers typically have between 6 to 8 touchpoints during their experience. Whereas with self-pour, this is reduced to between 1 and 2 touchpoints as the customers are the only people touching their drinks and glasses. Learn more in our latest case study!
The safety for both the customers and employees should be the number one priority for every establishment. Guests’ expectations have drastically changed and you’ll want to ensure that you’re making them feel at ease and welcome. The most important steps you’re going to need to take are:
As for your staff’s safety and the preventative measures they should take, we have created a separate section on this page here.
If you have the opportunity to expand your outdoor seating, now would be the right time. Recently, customer’s desires have shifted and many guests will only dine at an establishment if they have outdoor seating. This isn’t just because we are in the middle of the summer, but rather, during the pandemic customers feel safer sitting outside.
With a heavy heart, we advise you to take a break from your “green” movement and recommend shifting back to practical plastic as it oftentimes keep things much safer than reusing the same glassware. It also makes things a bit easier on the operational side of things (less cleaning equals less opportunity for the transfer of germs from the glasses to your staff’s hands).
We love the idea of Cherry Cricket Market in downtown Denver. They replaced some of their parking spots in front of their entrance with an expanded seating area.
With a heavy heart, we advise you to take a break from your “green” movement and recommend shifting back to practical plastic as it oftentimes keep things much safer than reusing the same glassware. It also makes things a bit easier on the operational side of things (less cleaning equals less opportunity for the transfer of germs from the glasses to your staff’s hands).
You will want to have simple signage around your establishment that indicates what your rules are, where customers should stand, etc., to ensure that everyone stays safe.
There is a lot of opportunity to get creative and make some extra money by spreading your brand throughout your establishment. From signage asking customers “Did you forget your crowler?” to “Don’t forget to grab a sixpack to go!”, you will remind your customers of new specials and promotions that they may otherwise forget about.
PourMyBeer Tip: We recommend starting with just a few options for beverages to go (if appropriate – i.e. you’re a taproom or brewery) or selling gift cards, meal subscription plan or branded merchandise. Branded merchandise is your opportunity to play and really let your brand “talk”. Dog friendly? Considering communicating that through the branded goods you sell.
Boost your sales by promoting delivery and takeout options. Give your customers visiting you on-site a coupon to get them to try your delivery. Post signage around your establishment (particularly at the entrance and exit of your establishment) to let customers know this option is available to them.
Boost your sales by promoting delivery and takeout options. Give your customers visiting you on-site a coupon to get them to try your delivery. Post signage around your establishment (particularly at the entrance and exit of your establishment) to let customers know this option is available to them.
You’ll want to start with the busiest areas such as the bar area and the middle of your dining room. Move the tables around so they’re all at least six-feet apart from one another, or block off tables that you don’t plan on using so customers know not to sit there. Also, leave a limited number of chairs at your bar to avoid crowding.
This way you won’t have customers come up to the bar and order where they could be getting in the way of other seated customers. This will also allow you to keep the bar area less busy and divide up the traffic in your establishment a bit.
This way you won’t have customers come up to the bar and order where they could be getting in the way of other seated customers. This will also allow you to keep the bar area less busy and divide up the traffic in your establishment a bit.
If you had to temporarily shut down your draft system, here is all the information you need on how to bring it back to life. If you’re looking for a simple checklist on how to bring your currently hibernating draft system back to life, simply fill out the form below.
Just as you are going to great lengths to maintain your guests’ safety, prioritizing your employees’ health and wellness should be a primary consideration as well. As an employer, it is your responsibility to educate employees on risk factors, train them through updated staff meetings, and monitor their health and well-being. Let’s take a look at how you can keep your employees safe on a daily basis.
It’s crucial that as an employer, you’re monitoring your employee’s health at the start of each shift. By taking note of staff member’s symptoms, you can get ahead to prevent the spread of the virus. Make sure your employees are aware of the symptoms (listed in the graphic below) and notify you immediately if they start experiencing any. If employees do experience symptoms, have them get tested as soon as possible and don’t allow them to return to work until their results come back negative.
Share COVID-19 Symptoms To Look For With Others.
In the event that a staff member tests positive, you must tell them to self-isolate and clearly communicate that they are not allowed to come into work. There are symptom- and test-based strategies to follow depending on whether your employee was showing symptoms or asymptomatic. You can learn more about how to handle positive cases here.
With safety as the top concern in your establishment, adjusting your cleaning practices is crucial. Make sure that all of your cleaning products fall under the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of approved products as these will kill all germs linked to Covid-19.
You’ll also want to place hand sanitizer stations at various workplace stations throughout your establishment to remind employees to consistently sanitize. All sanitizers in your establishment should have at least 60% alcohol.
And while sanitizing hands is extremely important, it’s just as important to sanitize high-contact areas frequently. Not just items touched by the customers, but also items often touched by employees, such as keyboards, doorknobs, and workstations.
With safety as the top concern in your establishment, adjusting your cleaning practices is crucial. Make sure that all of your cleaning products fall under the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of approved products as these will kill all germs linked to Covid-19.
You’ll also want to place hand sanitizer stations at various workplace stations throughout your establishment to remind employees to consistently sanitize. All sanitizers in your establishment should have at least 60% alcohol.
And while sanitizing hands is extremely important, it’s just as important to sanitize high-contact areas frequently. Not just items touched by the customers, but also items often touched by employees, such as keyboards, doorknobs, and workstations.
As businesses in the hospitality industry start to open their doors back up, it’s necessary that your old employee training policies are updated as there are several adjustments that need to be made. And, with the CDC and FDA constantly releasing new information on how to handle Covid-19, as an employer you must stay up to date, but you must also keep your employees in the loop.
There are a few ways to do this:
Try and keep your staff meetings short, but make sure you’re letting your employees know all of the latest information. If there is a lot to cover, print out the information to hand to employees at the beginning of the meeting. If your employees don’t feel comfortable going to staff meetings in-person, allow them to join virtually. However, make sure your employees who do come to the meeting are maintaining six-feet of distance.
People learn best through doing. So why not demonstrate different training protocols to show your staff? Although it may sound silly since we all learned this when we were younger, but you’ll want to demonstrate to staff how to properly wash your hands. If staff members don’t wash their hands with soap for 20 seconds, the germs on their hands won’t be killed and may transfer to items served to guests.
Share How To Properly Wash Your Hands With Others.
Now that wearing masks is one of the best- known ways to stop the spread of the virus, make sure you have proper protective equipment available to all staff members. And, you can even make this a demonstration as well – show them the proper way to put a mask on and how to take it off.
For more information, visit our full page of Guidelines for Employees, here.
After you’ve educated your employees on the updated training policies in your establishment, download our checklist below to give to each of your employees. They can look at this sheet before the start of their shift every day to remind themselves of the safety measures that need to be taken to not only keep themselves safe, but also to keep the customers safe.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, consumers have developed a sense of fear when it comes to dining out. And with this new fear comes new expectations. You, as the restaurant operator, have a responsibility to meet these demands and make your guests feel at ease while still bringing in the sales.
Before we can discuss ways to meet the new expectations of consumers, we need to talk about what they are.
Currently, 70% of consumers believe that dining-in at restaurants will help them feel normal again. However, 72% of guests do not believe that other consumers will be safe when dining out. So, how do you bridge this gap?
Try surveying your customers. You can ask them questions on social media, through an email newsletter, or when they come to your restaurant. Ask them questions about your post-COVID strategy such as “What would make you feel the most comfortable when dining at our restaurant?” or “Would you like us to use one-time-use flatware?”. This will allow you to create a strategy that is tailored perfectly to your guests and their needs.
Let’s take a look at some ways to maintain your guests’ safety so you can keep your doors open.
On your website, create a page or pop-up window with your updated hours, safety measures, and any other important information regarding your COVID-19 strategy. This will put your customers at ease knowing that you’re addressing what’s happening and they can see how you’re planning to keep them safe.
Also, it is crucial right now to implement an online ordering system through your website as 83% of consumers don’t want to wait in a crowded lobby. If you have an outdoor seating area, allow guests to book it as part of their reservation.
Remember, you want to post about your updated policies, safety measures, and reservations on your social channels to spread awareness.
To learn more about building your online presence, click here.
Many customers don’t feel comfortable dining at restaurants just yet, but they are looking for ways to support local businesses and still enjoy delicious food. If your restaurant doesn’t currently have any off-premise dining options, it is important to add these to your services.
For takeout, you can implement both curbside pickup and a separate takeout window. Curbside pickup is becoming very popular among customers as they don’t have to leave their cars to get their food. With regular takeout orders, create a separate pickup station so guests don’t have to wait in the lobby with people waiting for their tables.
For delivery, you can either create an in-house system (if you have enough staff) or use a third-party app, such as Grubhub, DoorDash or Uber Eats. Allow guests to choose whether or not they want contactless delivery, meaning the driver leaves the food on their porch, takes a photo, and texts them letting them know it’s arrived.
Make sure that all off-premise dining options follow the CDC’s recommended guidelines.
As a restaurant owner, you’ll need to update your on-premise guidelines as there are several interactions and touchpoints that could potentially spread germs throughout the customer’s journey.
Here are some updated guidelines to keep your guests safe:
For more information, visit our full Guide to Keeping Restaurant Guests Safe During the Pandemic.
With new safety regulations in place, bar and restaurant operators will need to adjust their equipment to provide the safest environment possible for guests. Both your front-of-house and back-of-house operations will need to make some changes. But, what exactly are those changes?
Well, in our Updating Your Restaurant Equipment post, you will find recommendations when making changes to…
So whether you’re looking for help when choosing the proper equipment or making important changes to your infrastructure, you’ll find everything you need right here.
As the seasons start to change, commonly, bars and restaurants prepare for the cold weather that’s on its way. However, with COVID-19 still heavily impacting the world, winter preparation looks a little different this year. That’s why we’ve outlined 20 tips to help you prepare for the cold months ahead during the pandemic. Within these 21 tips, you’ll find 11 tips to regularly prepare for winter as well as 9 tips to prepare for the winter during COVID.
When winter rolls around every year, there are several things you need to do as a bar or restaurant owner to keep your establishment safe. Our 20 tips for the winter, will guide you in the right direction! With fun tips like decorating festively and creating a seasonal menu to more practical ones regarding snow removal, you’ll find everything you need to prepare.
As a bar or restaurant operator, the uncertainty around what will happen this winter can feel overwhelming. Will guests still dine outside with the drop in temperatures? Will guests dine inside or will they feel uncomfortable?
With our 20 tips outlined here, you will find some helpful suggestions to prepare your restaurant for winter during COVID (without spending too much money). From holiday delivery specials and football Sunday specials to operational changes, you’ll find some helpful tips to get you ready for the coming months!
As businesses start to reopen, we want to help you stay as safe as possible. If you have any suggestions on how can we improve this page or what content you’re missing and would like us to add here, don’t hesitate to contact us at cheers@pourmybeer.com!
*The recommendations above have been written to the best of our knowledge after interviewing our customers and conducting research from reputable sources, such as the CDC, WHO and FDA. We advise you to visit their websites to stay up to date on the latest guidelines.*
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