Restaurants in the Era of COVID-19

It is a strange time for restaurants and patrons alike. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused restaurants all over the world to pivot from fine dining to strictly takeout and delivery. Some restaurants have opted to close altogether.

Times may be difficult, but this downtime affords restaurants the opportunity to complete a few projects they have been too busy to complete.

There is no better time than now to take a step back, look at your operation, and start making changes where you need them.
Cleaning

First things first: now is the time to do a very thorough deep clean of your entire restaurant. Leave no salt shaker unturned. It’s not clear how long the virus can stay on surfaces, so it’s best to make sure you thoroughly clean every surface with soap and hot water before disinfecting. Some restaurants are choosing to hire professional cleaners for this task.

Remodeling

Have you been wanting to fix up the floor of your kitchen or change out appliances? It can be too difficult to do this during normal business hours, and closing the kitchen for a few days to fix it may cause too much lost revenue. This should no longer be a concern, so take the remodeling project on now while, and if, you can.

Food Safety

Have you recently gotten a not-so-great review from the health department? Do you have some reviews saying the restaurant does not seem very clean? Perhaps you just want to address some internal food safety processes. Take a look at your current processes and determine what is and is not working. Are you wasting a lot of food? Are food containers being mislabeled? Now may be the time to invest in an intuitive system like the DateCodeGenie®. It easily creates customized labels so you can spend more time food prepping than writing labels. The DateIt™ Food Rotation Labeling System is another smart add to your kitchen. Labels are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and adhesives. The system will help you reduce waste and avoid cross-contamination, and you can count on a food-safe kitchen once this quarantine lifts.

This may be a tough time for the restaurant industry, but by utilizing some of these tips, you can turn it into a productive chapter for your restaurant.