5 Tips to Keep Your Restaurant from Going Out of Business

What to do when all the news tells people not to go out? Could this put your restaurant out of business? Here are some tips to surviving the coronavirus panic!

Pivot - Be Nimble And Quick

Perhaps you've always relied heavily on in-store traffic. Now's the time to beef up your delivery options. What if you don't have any? Create it with the minimum amount of work. If fact, review what's already on your menu and assess the dishes that could travel easily. Make sure it reheats well or can be served at room temperature. Don't be overwhelmed, start with one dish to offer. As soon as you decide on your one dish, immediately sort out the best delivery partners for your business. From there you can add on but do not wait to have a full menu line-up. Setting up your first delivery partner will take the most time, but will get easier with subsequent partners. Don't wait to research every option. Look at the top three in your market and choose one. After you have that set up, let your customers know that you're in the delivery business. The benefit of starting with only one dish is that you'll get immediate feedback on your offering. Once that is done, you can consider offering a daily delivery special. This is also a great idea if your online offerings mirror your complete onsite menu. People get overwhelmed with too many options, it's the paradox of choice. Let's face it, not everything on your menu is good for delivery. A daily delivery special is also a great way of getting feedback from your customers on what they like most. View this as a way to diversify your offerings in a way that supports your business.

Tip #1 Provide a daily delivery special ASAP!

Reach Out to your Customers

My definition of business is all the relationships that support the livelihood of your business. One of the main relationships is the one with your customers. So if you were in a serious relationship, would you ignore the coronavirus in the room? Only if you want to alienate your partner. Be the leader in the relationship and address the issue with kindness and thoughtfulness. One of my favorite chefs Josef Centeno has four eateries to worry about. He posted a little IG update @chefjosefcenteno that is an excellent example of not leaving your customers wondering what your relationship status is. Would also like to point out how quick he was to pivot and offer heat-and-serve delivery packages. Check out the IG post @orsaandwinston to see how they let their audience know what their plan of action is. There are similar messages for Centeno's other restaurants @bar_ama @bacomercat @ama_cita

Tip #2 Update Your Audience

Even if you don't have it all figured out yet, let them know you're thinking about them and working out a plan. Let them know you may need to shift or reduce hours temporarily. Send a little "We're assessing the situation" message in the meantime. View this as a way for your brand to connect more deeply with your audience.

Assess All Touch Points

You have to show your customers that you care with actions. Yesterday I was in a small ramen shop. I appreciated that they provided a hand sanitizer station between the door and the cash register. I was dismayed that they still had all their sauces and serving utensils sitting out in the open at the communal table for self-service. I understand how thin the margins can be for small business owners but the world is watching and it's best to reassure your customers before they ask for it. I was at Soho Warehouse for brunch over the weekend. The main buffet was manned by servers which was great. But the dessert station was self-serve which meant I was sharing a serving spoon with everyone before me when I went in for a scoop of their delicious tiramisu. Just like those nose to tail dinners that challenge chefs to make use of the whole animal, walk through the entire customer experience with a fresh perspective. Sure, you can do exactly what is prescribed like hand sanitizer and wipes. But if you want to instill trust, you're going to have to look beyond following the letter of the law. Imagine yourself as a giant walking hand and take a look at everything that get's touched.

Tip #3 Reevaluate the Consumer Experience

Things to consider.

• The entry door. Time to bring back the door-person/greeter/host to handle the door! A hand sanitizing station works too for a small fast-casual concept.
• Menus. Disgusting. Wipe 'em down or reprint them daily. Remember those oversized sandwich board chalk menus, it's making a comeback!
• Communal items like shared sauce bottles and self-serve condiments. Can you switch to individual serving portions instead?
• Table and counter surfaces. A few weeks ago, I was at Tocaya grabbing a bite with a friend. We asked for our table to be wiped down at least three times before we could get a server to actually come and clean our table. It was our first time there but I doubt either one of us will ever go back.
• Bathroom doors freak me out. What about bathroom attendants? At the very least, I want paper towels for the bathroom door exit if I have to reach for a handle to open it. How does it help if I wash my hands but then have to grab a handle that someone less hygienic grabs before me?
• The buffet format needs overhauling. Can serving utensils be replaced every hour? Or perhaps temporarily staff the buffet with servers.
• Have a brainstorming session and then see which ones you can creatively implement without dramatically adding to your overhead. You may be able to reorganize the staff you already have to step-in since in-store traffic is down.

View this as a way to really understand and meet the needs of your tribe. How to keep the village happy, healthy and fed.

Take In-House Measures

Another important relationship that supports the livelihood of your business is the one with your staff. If you are in a major city like Los Angeles or New York City, at some point you or someone you know will contract COVID-19. Think about what you can do to protect your staff. Normally, people call in sick. Except in some cases, where they don't feel like they can afford to take the time off.

Lessons From Vietnam

I was traveling in SE Asia as the coronavirus began to make the news. I flew from Vietnam to Myanmar on January 14th completely oblivious and unaware that a worldwide coronavirus outbreak was brewing. I was at Inle Lake the last week of January when I first heard about a mystery virus from other travelers that I was meeting. At that time, the number of reported cases was in the thousands and the infected were mostly in China. The relatively few cases that were reported outside of China were individuals who had recently traveled to Wuhan. The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020. By the time I flew back to Vietnam on February 3rd, the number of cases had skyrocketed to almost 20,000. I was staying in Thao Dien, a largely expat enclave in District 2 of Ho Chi Minh City. Upon entering one of the Masteri towers, a collection of residential high rise buildings, a security guard donning a face mask aimed a digital thermometer at my forehead. Then he confirmed what I hoped, no fever. I noticed my own reaction. Alarmed at first at being called out and then relief at this broad security measure. Every time I ordered a GrabRide which is like Uber here in the US, I got an in app message warning me to protect my health and take precautions. Everyone was wearing a face mask. I received notices from WeWork Saigon that they were introducing extra disinfection measures. They added a hand sanitation station at Q-space, the main co-workng office I often frequented. And I also heard that a number of accommodations were denying board to travelers who had been in China the past 14 days, particularly hostels which have shared dorms and communal areas. I felt caution but no panic, just an orderly rollout of safety warnings and measures. Asia has been through this before with SARS. I love being American. But we can get hysterical and lose our minds. May calm, orderly, thoughtful leadership prevail. Be this voice for your community and you will win the respect and trust of those around you.

Introduce Temperature Scans

Get a contact-free thermometer and scan everyone. If they have a temperature, send them home. And let your staff know that you offer anonymous whistleblower protection if they notice one of their colleagues is coughing or sneezing. Sometimes, I too inhale the powdered sugar on the french toast which sends me into a coughing fit so that's not what I am talking about. But your staff, they work side by side and will notice if someone has the sniffles. No one who is coughing and sneezing should be preparing and handling food for others regardless of whether there is a pandemic. Investigate all incidents and take the appropriate measures.

Tip #4 Kicking Ass & Taking Names -

Buy A Thermometer Already

You're staff is nervous about cutbacks and losing their jobs. They may also be concerned about being carriers and taking the virus back to their homes and loved ones. Let them know that you are coming up with a plan. Everyone is part of the team, this is the work family. Have a family meeting and ask for their input and ideas. Tell your staff what will happen if the restaurant manager or head chef becomes ill, who is next in line and will keep things running. Or a temporary shut-down may be on the horizon while you recover and/or reorganize. View this as a way to grow in your leadership.

Re-Imagine the Possibilities

Take a deep breath! You no longer know what to expect from your business model. Once you've addressed the more urgent issue of decreased foot traffic, you're going to want to think about the longer term implications to your business model. You found a few fan favorites in your daily delivery specials but is that really enough? You've probably already considered temporarily removing or scaling back your lunch or dinner service.

This is a great time to be in the food delivery business. All those grocery and meal kit delivery businesses are already in a prime position to benefit. But not everyone can afford Amazon Prime delivery from Whole Foods or even the weekly Blue Apron subscription. Some people are also terrible cooks or just don't enjoy it. What niche can you serve? Perhaps you're ideally positioned and already have everything in place to make the most of this. I walked by one of my favorite bakeries today. They reminded me that their loaves freeze well!

Bringing the Restaurant Experience Home

The newly announced pandemic may have people stocking up on canned foods but I still have MREs and freeze dried REI meals from my more adventurous rock-climbing days. I don't eat canned food so I decided not to stock up until I run out of what I have. Eventually, people will weary of self-isolation and look for ways to engage and socialize in small intimate gatherings and those gatherings will be better with food and drinks. Why do people eat at your establishment? Is it for convenience, to connect with others, to celebrate, to be nourished, to be transported? Is there something unique about your brand that you can leverage into a meal kit, subscription or as an experience? I have a few ideas but what matters most is that it's fun for you and your team to promote and feels like an extension of your brand. Include a recipe, link to a video, or a few questions or quotes to set the tone.

• Tomorrow night I'm planning a movie night with two friends. Will someone at Bar Ama send me a nacho and popcorn kit? Don't skimp on the jalepe?os and smoked paprika for my popcorn please!
• How about a Sunday family night casserole subscription? So great for families and leftovers are welcome. Include a few trivia questions or conversation starters on Pinterest to go with it.
• Do you have a fabulous cocktail program? Friday happy hour cocktail kits for four to the rescue. Have your resident mixology expert batch record a few short one minute how-to videos for the month all in one session and post mid-week on Instagram so your cocktail fanatics have something to look forward to.
• Italian food. How about a Godfather meal series? You don't even have to provide the movie. Describe which scene inspired the meal. Godfather fans will take care of the rest.
• Oh You Fancy Huh. My dream every year on New Year's Eve is to get dressed to the nines and then stay in with Champagne and caviar. There's still a place for fancy nights in. How about a Friday Date Night flowers and champagne dinner series? And that caviar kit better include a mother of pearl spoon, fresh blinis, creme fraiche and chives. Hello Petrossian!
• Brazilian food. No need to reinvent the wheel. Include a link to your favorite in-house bossa nova playlist on Spotify. Then show me some samba moves.
• Put your talented Sommelier to work. A Saturday wine series paired with 2-3 courses. Include some wine notes please.
• Feeling like none of this works for your fast casual sandwiches and salads crowd? Make an indoor picnic series paired with a cute picnic blanket. I once purchased a subscription box from Rachel Zoe just because I had to have the beach towel that was featured in it. Oh and the For Love & Lemons Loop Fringe Earrings. Those were brilliant!
• What if your specialty is baked goods? I've started a new tea time ritual sampling a different Tea Forte blend every day. I would love a weekend afternoon tea for two offering perfect little tea sandwiches or small pastries. Provide a natural pairing that's a good fit for what you offer or perhaps a joint collaboration makes sense. It can be a great way to grow your audience.
• The worst thing you can do is try to have too many types of offerings. Pick one thing that you're excited to try and make it the best experience at that price point.
• Get feedback from your staff. Brainstorming together is fun and inclusive. Someone is also bound to have some wonderfully quirky talent just waiting to be unleashed on TikTok.

The point is to create a valuable at home experience for your customers that they will be excited to immerse themselves in and naturally want to share about. And that will create a nice referral business that will carry over beyond this self-isolation period. You will have families, couples and singles coming in later saying thank you for making this time so much better for me and my loved ones.

Curbside Pickup and Delivery

I'd love to see more curbside pickup options especially for food halls. I often find myself walking to Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles on Friday afternoons. I enjoy the extra exercise and seeing a cross-section of Angelenos. Yes, I go to Clark Street Bakery for their tuna sandwich nine times out of ten but there are almost 40 different food vendors there. Typically, the market is packed but not today. It was eerie to see the patio at Horse Thieves completely empty and closed. It would be a boon if the vendors at Grand Central Market offered curb side pick up. Each individual vendor probably can't make that pencil out but if a large group of eateries banded together the economies of scale start to come together. Parking in downtown LA is notoriously difficult and the cost is often anywhere from 50% to 100% of the lunch price. As more companies roll-out remote work schedules, work with your neighboring restaurants, both allies and frenemies alike, to see what you can do to make this happen. If your restaurant is outside the city center, consider shifting to a fast-casual drive-thru format.

Reevalaute Everything

Think about the resources that are out there for restaurants and why they exist. What problem did they solve? For example, why do some restaurants switch to a commissary kitchen? If you have a commissary kitchen, can you rent it out when you are not using it? For example a baker at night.

Think about the needs a pandemic creates. So what happens to people when they switch from office work to remote work? I'm no longer joining my colleagues for lunch. But lunch is a reason for me to get out every day, take a walk and clear my head. What happens to singles looking for love when no one wants to meet for a dinner date? What happens when schools are closed and kids are missing the structure of the classroom and the learning provided by the social dynamics of a schoolyard? What happens to families that are suddenly faced with one or both of the main wage earners suddenly making less financially? What happens to the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions? And then there is a percentage of the population that will not suffer physically or financially. In fact, some people will make a lot of money during this time. There is always opportunity. All these people, how do their needs change? What does nourishment mean? Where do restaurants fit into life during a pandemic? Specifically, where does your restaurant fit in and why? If there was ever a Simon Sinek Start With Why moment, now's a great time to look at that. In order to re-imagine, you need enough space and permission in your thinking to let the way things were unravel. This pandemic will create a shift in the way the world works, lives and plays. We are living in a time of unprecedented change. If your plan is to wait it out until things have returned to "normal" for your business, you will be missing out on a chance to be at the forefront of molding the future.

Tip #5 Re-Imagine The Restaurant Business

Consider this an ideal time to innovate.

Action List

Here's your action list for the week with deadlines:

1. Identify one dish suitable for delivery and get set-up with one delivery service by Monday. If you already have a delivery option, fine tune your offerings.
2. Pick one social media channel and address how you are handling the coronavirus pandemic by Tuesday. At the very least you can announce that you are assessing the situation and are offering a delivery option.
3. Identify one action to implement that will reduce coronavirus exposure by Wednesday. At a bare minimum you should already have a hand sanitation station.
4. Order a digital thermometer by Thursday and have an all-hands staff meeting (online if necessary) to announce all the new measures in effect.
5. Review tips 1-4 and make adjustments as required on Friday. Free yourself up next week to re-imagine who you serve and why. You have the week to explore what kind of at-home experience you can provide to your audience.