9 Creative Ways to Keep Your Restaurant Running During COVID-19 Quarantine

APR. 16, 2020

Orolva Maria / Unsplash

On March 15, restaurant revenue dropped by 25 percent, according to software company Womply. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many industries hard. Restaurants, in particular, have suffered a blow from the inability to open for dine-in experiences, relying solely on delivery and pickup to maintain operations.

A difficult time like this demands creative solutions. Restaurant owners may be financially suffering from the lack of foot traffic to their establishments, but they can still find ways to keep their businesses going, even at a time of quarantine and social distancing. 

Sell Gift Cards That Don’t Expire

With the panic-buying brought on by President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency in mid-March, people right now may have too stocked of pantries and refrigerators to purchase meals from restaurants. To combat this, sell gift cards: Customers can purchase from you now and cash in on orders later. Make sure the cards don’t expire to entice customers to buy. 

Sell DIY Kits to Customers

Restaurants can’t function the way they used to during pre-COVID-19 days. Customers’ needs have changed, and your services should evolve accordingly. 

With the government mandate to stay at home, people have more time in their hands to pick up a new hobby they can easily learn in the comfort of their abodes. Encourage their quest for new skills by offering do-it-yourself cooking kits. You provide the fresh ingredients, recipe, and cooking instructions. 

Before you dismiss this idea, know that there are already several successful companies offering this service, including Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Green Chef. This is proof that demand for this service exists.

Sell Ready-to-Heat Frozen Meals

With the requirement to stay home and minimize human contact, households are stocking up on food that lasts, including dry goods, canned food, and frozen meals. The demand for frozen food increased so much that people were wiping out grocery shelves and even buying out freezers for storage.  

Not everyone wants to cook and not everyone feels comfortable ordering hot meals from restaurants, fearing COVID-19 contamination. For this reason, sell ready-to-heat frozen meals that customers can easily heat on the stove or in the microwave. 

Host Cooking Classes

People bored at home can only binge-watch so many Netflix movies. At a certain point they will look for other ways to entertain themselves. Satisfy the need to beat boredom by offering virtual cooking classes. You can host through video call services such as Zoom. Email your recipes to students and deliver the ingredients straight to their doors. 

Many video call services are free, including Zoom, which you can easily learn in 40 minutes. 

Add Family-Sized Meals to the Menu

Families are sharing meals together at home, now that restaurant dine-in services have been temporarily paused. For this reason, single-person meals will not satisfy their needs. Be the solution to their problem by offering family-sized items on the menu. Turn that single portion of lasagna to a portion for four. Offer family packs for a cheaper price. 

Feature Pizza on the Menu

When on-site dining restaurants were ordered to close mid-March due to COVID-19, daily restaurant connections fell by 54 percent. Pizzerias, meanwhile, experienced a 44 percent increase. This increase can be attributed to the ease and affordability of the popular Italian dish.  If in line with your brand, try adding pizza to the menu.

Offer Pickup and Delivery

Offering pickup and delivery services will keep your business running even though you’ve closed down your restaurant from dine-in customers. Apps such as Postmates and Doordash will help you connect with people who will deliver your orders. Now is the best time to use them. 

For pickups, make sure to set up a hand-sanitizing station for customers to use before leaving your store and remember to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose, as recommended by the CDC. 

Use Social Media to Connect with Customers

Because of the pandemic, your hours of operation have likely changed. You may, for example, have shorter hours, opening later and closing earlier than usual.

Make sure to promote any changes to your restaurant on your social media accounts, website, and Facebook page to give your customers the most accurate information. You can also use your accounts to spread word of your new services, whether that’s your DIY kits, frozen ready-to-heat meals, or cooking classes. Because most of your customers will be ordering online or through the phone, make sure your menu is also featured on social media. 

Sell Branded Merchandise Online

Selling branded merchandise is another way to make money for your restaurant business, a common practice among some establishments. You’ve seen it before: bars selling shirts, cafes selling tote bags, coffee shops selling mugs. You, too, can sell merchandise from your brand, listing them on the “shop” section of your restaurant’s website. 

The situation has changed. Traditional methods of maintaining your restaurant business must now be abandoned. Be creative, and you will find ways to help keep your business afloat. If that isn’t enough, consider applying for financial help. 

By Anne Felicitas

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