It's not Finger-Lickin' Good

The world is currently being rocked by a pandemic that many of us have never seen before. Business' are at risk, share prices are tumbling, livelihoods are at stake and families around the UK are panicking about where their next toilet roll is coming from.

On the face of it, the current Coronavirus outbreak, with its indefinite end seems as though it will be the demise of many an economy and business and will spare no one. But should the fact that everyone will be impacted actually serve as a comfort?

It is estimated that approximately 85% of businesses in the UK do not have the capital required to survive for more than 3 months in the current climate. This is a frighteningly high number, however, business is an essential vehicle that will ultimately drive us forward into the future. How we adapt now and the plans we put in place today can give us a little, albeit just a little amount of control.

Many businesses will be awaiting government announcements with bated breath but the feeling amongst the hospitality industry specifically is that now is the time to grab the bull by the horns and introduce initiatives to survive and flourish into the future. 

We’ve seen some interesting moves with Pret-A-Manger declaring it will no longer be accepting reusable cups, Starbucks are considering removing some seating from shops as a way to promote social distancing and KFC opting to remove its famous “Finger-Lickin’ Good” advertising slogan.

The World Health Organisation has been pretty clear about its measures to tackle the spread of COVID-19 but here are some practical tips that can be implemented today that will hopefully mean a brighter future.

1. Keep in touch with your customers - Use channels such as email, social and push as a way to keep your customers informed. If you are open and have high levels of perishable stock, then using existing channels to drive footfall or orders should be the number one priority.
2. Be creative - Fewer potential customers on the streets may mean you have the opportunity to reach customers you wouldn’t have had the chance to previously. A nice example of this is PHO offering 50% off orders to people working from home.
3. Consider your delivery options - It goes without saying but look at ways to incorporate delivery into your operation. 
4. Crank up the loyalty efforts - Is now the time to offer your customers extra incentives to visit or order? When using this strategy, focus on high margin items.
5. Review your tech strategy - Unfortunately, some owners and operations teams may not be bogged down with the day-to-day running of a hospitality business at the moment, but this could be a time analyse areas that you feel need tech improvements in the future.
6. Go cashless - In the short-term, this will help slow the spread of Coronavirus and in the long-term, this strategy could help you uncover valuable, actionable data from transactions.

The following few weeks and months will have a profound impact on most businesses across the globe and whilst the immediate outlook may appear bleak it is certain that the UK will still need that morning coffee, lunchtime burrito and after-work beer. 

Good luck with the impending challenges and in the meantime please take a moment to support the UK’s small hospitality businesses by signing this petition.

https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-call-to-the-government-to-support-uk-s-hospitality-industry-through-the-coronavirus-crisis-1d701225-9896-4089-a0fc-ce6ffde93203