Over the last year, things in the world have changed considerably, and the restaurant industry is no different. As restaurants around the world reopen and start welcoming eager customers onboard, people are looking at restaurants to provide a quality service while instilling health and safety. Further, with the world constantly pushing towards a more sustainable world, restaurants are expected to reach this goal too. With 2021 well underway, it’s time to take a look at some of those crucial restaurant solutions.
Financial Considerations
On the back of closures, job cuts, and revenue losses, restaurant insurance has risen exponentially. Typically, there has been an increase of around 40%-50% on premiums, which comes as the chips are down. The reason for this is that there are new risks that didn’t exist before the pandemic. For example, if an outbreak occurs as a result of restaurant negligence and someone dies, the insurers would end up paying a fortune. Furthermore, with premises left unopened, there can be a rise in potential break-ins and property damages. All of this means that restaurants have to regroup and work out ways that they can cut their outgoing costs while increasing their revenue stream.
Food Fraud
Unfortunately, because of the obvious supply delays caused by the pandemic, food criminals have snapped up the opportunity to supply the demand. Peter Awram, from the BeeHIVE Research Centre, suggests that products like honey are in high danger of facing wide-scale fraud, with more than a quarter of all honey being adulterated in 2019. The desire to get food on the shelves and tables will keep the food crime high. Only the end of demand will bring balance back to the food world.
Health and Safety Ambassadors
With the pandemic still raging on and people wary of the spread, restaurants must implement and enforce change in their processes. For example, ample signage needs to be provided to direct guests where to go and which direction to follow. Also, critical touchpoints must be cleaned down and recorded regularly to cover their backs. Sanitizer stations should be available throughout so that guests can stay clean. Tables must be set out at the correct social distance measures and only the set amount of people are to be sat at them. As well as this, businesses need to train their staff how to follow procedures and take any negligence complaints extremely seriously.
Sustainability
With the vaccination rolling out at present, the chances are that the pandemic will come to an end during 2021. However, an issue that predates and will exceed the global pandemic is the climate crisis. Although the climate change initiatives have taken a step back over the past year, they’re set to come back into the limelight once lockdowns pass and people have the time to focus on it again – even Perspex screens are a contributing factor to the climate crisis. Once able to do so, the climate considerations need to become a top priority to avoid unraveling years of hard work implementing positive change.
As well as driving the change where materials are concerned, restaurants need to look at ways they can reduce their food waste – or at least do something different with it. The UN suggests that food waste amounts to a staggering 3.3 billion tons in contribution to the global carbon footprint. One company already making positive change is Toast Ale, which uses their leftover bread in place of virgin barley to brew craft beers. Innovation is needed if the world is going to claim back the war on climate change.
Digital Acceleration
The past year has forced the restaurant sector to adopt technological changes that were creeping up through the pipeline anyway. For example, the digital menus and ordering systems available in the majority of restaurants now are paving the way to the future – as the waiter’s job just got considerably easier. Cutting out the middle man and allowing customers the ability to input their order to a digital system means that the only person to blame when the order is wrong is themselves.
Restaurants have had to adapt more than any industry over the last year or so, and with those are some lasting changes. Those who don’t adapt to these changes won’t survive in the future.