Will going out for dinner ever be the same?

Most people don't realize I worked in the food industry for many years in my youth. I even ran a European Deli & Cafe for my parents after high school. I truly love and admire those that dedicate themselves to the art and craft of food. I have good friends that I am proud to call "Chef". I believe food is an essential part of any and all good gatherings or celebrations. Our cultures and traditions are wrapped into food and meals. In the face of the COVID 19 Pandemic, the restaurant industry has been hit extremely hard. Innovative operators are using take-out and delivery options, frozen or meal-prep options and even offering grocery orders for their clients through their supply chains to stay in business. None of this will replace the revenue they would generate from a full house in their dining rooms and lounges on a good weekend.

We know this crisis will eventually end or we will simply learn how to move forward. Life can not stand still forever and we will be forced to adapt and overcome. My wife and I often go to restaurants and jointly analyze their operations as a sort of a game. You can tell which restaurant operations are proactively managing their businesses and which ones are just reacting. As with many industries, the restaurant and food industry will be forever changed by the events we are going through right now. The proactive owners and operators will be developing their strategies now on what that will look like when they can reopen. Here are some of my thoughts on what may help you re-establish business when you are able to open your doors to the public again.

Front of the house traditionally meant your Host or Hostess and your serving staff. Now your storefront includes your digital storefront as well. Establishing your website with take-out, delivery and even frozen and meal-prep options is becoming vital. Having your safety protocols and procedures on your website and at the front of the restaurant also shows your client base you are pro-actively dealing with the new world we live in. Consider offering digital menus to provide a safe and clean option. Providing wireless call systems for wait staff provides a tailored service experience and helps to avoid excess contact. Creating separated booths or seating areas helps with privacy but also helps to maintain social distancing. Establishing cleaning protocols, with visible confirmation systems to inform clients that areas are clean, helps instill confidence. All staff should be required to verify that they are healthy before each shift and agree to diligently adhere to all new safety protocols.

How you serve food will change. A server walking through a crowded restaurant with a tray full of plates was the epitome of success for a restaurant. In our new world, you may want to consider if the food you serve should be covered until it reaches the table. The cover system is mandatory in hospitals and this idea should be evaluated for restaurants as well. Wait staff usually clean and serve, and they will be challenged to change how they do things. Wait staff may need to stop doing both the cleaning and serving, or they may need to stop handling dishes with bare hands and use gloves instead. Common use items on tables such as condiments, salt, pepper and napkins should be re-evaluated or discontinued. Consider portioned single use options which help to avoid cross-contamination between seatings. The act of bringing food to the table will now be an analysis. How do you ensure it is done quickly and in such a way as to ensure it is isolated from the environment from the time it leaves the kitchen until the time it on the patron's table?

Kitchens have always had a high standard to live up to. That standard may now require additional safety protocols and procedures. Keeping front of the house staff and other staff physically separated from the kitchen is likely to be paramount. The order pick up area should be a very well defined transition area with physical barriers to control contamination from the dining room. Prep staff will now have to do more to document and label food items and take additional steps to keep them safe from contamination. Cooking staff may have additional safety steps to follow. These could include starting with freshly sanitized dishes as opposed to just grabbing plates off a shelf, ensuring all cooking staff are using gloves and using serving dish covers before the food gets a "safety seal" and goes to the pick-up station. By establishing a more systematic, defined and documented food preparation and cooking process, you are ensuring the food is safer and your kitchen is ultimately running more efficiently. It ultimately illustrates the steps you will take to ensure your clients feel safe!

As social creatures, no matter what happens in our future we will want to gather and celebrate. We will want to go to our favorite restaurant and have a meal with our loved ones. We will want to enjoy the carefully crafted cuisine that brings us comfort and makes us feel bliss in every bite. To those amazing people that make that possible I say "Thank you!". Thank you for all of the sacrifices and work you have put into every dish. I know right now, as we face unprecedented physical isolation and business interruptions, the world seems like a very scary and daunting place with a questionable future. It is my belief that, the minute we can enjoy those little celebrations and special meals, we will find they help foster encouragement and hope as we rebuild. I wish you and yours health, happiness, safety and security until we find those better days again in the not so distant future!

Written by Brian T. Ho on March 31, 2020