Stats Of The Week The State Of The Industry According to data released by Black Box Intelligence, 2 out of 3 restaurant operators believe the restaurant environment will worsen in the next 3 months. Though many operators are investing in safety measures, like installing plexiglass barriers and initiating frequent sanitation practices, dine-in sales at full-service restaurants are trending downward as most customers favor off-premise business. 96% of operators are requiring all restaurant staff to wear face masks, 86% have implemented social distancing by removing select tables, and 71% of operators are taking employees’ temperatures before each shift. Safety is just as important to operators as it is to customers that are wary of dining at any foodservice establishment. Third-Party Delivery Helps Restaurants Stay Afloat Third-party delivery saw the most rapid increase in restaurant sales, as a percentage of overall sales, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and has doubled during the crisis, according to a survey of more than 400 restaurants by Uber Eats and Technomic. 81% of respondents said third-party delivery helped them avoid laying off employees while 79% said it helped them avoid reducing worker hours. 84% of operators said that delivery platforms have allowed them to access diners they would not have been able to reach otherwise and 92% said they plan to continue working with third-party delivery services post-pandemic. Image credit: ifeelstock - stock.adobe.com   What’s Trending Restaurantware’s Ballin’ This year’s basketball season started just like any other but was abruptly paused in March due to COVID-19. In an effort to resume the 2019-20 basketball season in the next few weeks, the NBA has initiated what has become known as the “NBA Bubble” where players and coaches quarantine before and during the season at Walt Disney World campus in Orlando, FL. As players are expected to eat, practice, and sleep in these facilities to prevent them from contracting and spreading COVID-19, the NBA has taken an eco-friendly initiative with their single-use products and chosen Restaurantware take out containers to serve meals. The NBA is utilizing our Pulp Tek collection of containers made from sugarcane, also known as bagasse, that is commercially compostable and biodegradable. They’re also using our Bio Tek collection of soup containers which are crafted from sturdy paper and feature a grease-resistant lining to prevent messes. The NBA’s commitment to using eco-friendly single-use products shows their efforts to keep players safe without harming the earth or sacrificing food presentation. NRA Recommends Prioritizing Restaurants For Vaccinations The National Restaurant Association is calling for the U.S. government to prioritize the testing and vaccination of food supply chain workers and restaurant employees behind healthcare workers, first responders, and vulnerable populations. The NRA released a new plan called the Blueprint For Restaurant Revival that aims to help restaurant owners and their employees on how to survive in the short-term and how to recover in the long-term. Many of their recommendations reiterate similar ideas from their April guidelines, but they’ve added a new section for testing and vaccination. The association has taken into account many restaurants that have reopened and were forced to close again because their employees contracted COVID-19. Domino’s Proves To Be The Exception During The Pandemic While many operators have been experiencing devastating blows to sales during the COVID-19 crisis, Domino’s reported in an earnings release that their U.S. same-store sales increased 16.1% during the second quarter of 2020 compared to last year’s sales of 3% during the same time period. Jeff Lawrence, Domino’s CFO, credited their same-store sales growth in the U.S. to ticket and order growth during an earnings call with investors. The company saw accelerated levels of demand along with higher order counts and larger order sizes during the middle of Q2 through the end of the quarter. "The second quarter marked a rather unprecedented acceleration for food delivery in the U.S. and we were certainly no exception. [We had] our 37th consecutive quarter and strongest in that nine-plus year run for same-store sales, with evidence of this tailwind in delivery," Ritch Allison, Domino's CEO, said during the call. Dunkin’ Increases Sanitation To Alleviate Customer Concerns Dunkin’ and its sister brand, Baskin-Robbins, have joined the P&G Professional CleanPLUS Experience Program to ensure their restaurants are properly cleaned and sanitized in regions where dine-in operations are allowed. The cleaning program includes well-known brands like Dawn Professional, Comet, Spic and Span, and Safeguard to help consumers feel safe when returning to in-person dining. Participating locations will show co-branded stickers on the front doors, drive-thru windows, and restrooms to ensure customers are aware of their enhanced sanitation initiative. During the pandemic, co-branding partnerships between service industries and consumer cleaning brands have become more popular as a way to help gain consumer trust in struggling industries. Outdoor Dining Is On The Rise & So Is The Summer Heat Amid the coronavirus pandemic and dining room closures, restaurant owners are utilizing outdoor dining to bring in some much-need revenue to stay afloat. While restaurant employees welcome the added business, the sweltering summer heat is not making their job easy. Candis Larsen, general manager at Steamers Seafood Cafe in Tacoma, WA, told Restaurant Business that working outside during the summer while wearing a mask and following proper social distancing and sanitation protocols is the most challenging experience in her three decades of being in the restaurant industry. Some operators are hearing the concerns of exhausted employees and have implemented changes to provide some relief. Moonrise Izakaya in NYC has installed turbo fans at doors, walkways, each POS station, and bar. Workers are also given a quart container to refill each shift with ice water. “Not only are we not used to operating in the heat with masks and gloves, but we aren’t used to walking the extra 100 yards, so it’s a lot of change to get used to,” Jake Poznak, co-owner and managing partner of Moonrise Izakaya, said to Restaurant Business. Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Teen-Run Restaurant Organizes A Drive-Thru Fundraiser That’s My Dog Jr. is a restaurant in Montgomery, AL that is a part of the That’s My Child organization which helps young adults find opportunities and build a future in an area of the city that experiences generational poverty. When the coronavirus pandemic became prevalent in March, most of their business stopped. The restaurant’s employees fought to keep their business going the best way they know how: with hard work and hot dogs. On National Hot Dog Day, July 22, the restaurant hosted a drive-thru fundraiser and gave customers who donated any amount a hot dog and lemonade. Those who gave at least $25 got a “donor dog” shirt along with their food, and those who gave at least $100 got a shirt and a “doggie tag” good for five free meals in the future. Over 150 teens have gotten jobs after going through this program and organizers hope that the fundraiser will help them continue on with their mission. Local Chef Takes A Chance On His Dream Andrew Darneille always competed in barbecue championships and won over 70 awards in 2019 alone. In 2017, he began making plans to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant called Smokecraft with the focus being on traditional barbecue with a modern twist. He and his partners found their dream space in Arlington, VA. Construction started in December 2019 with opening plans slated for Spring 2020, but then the pandemic hit. Their establishment was already halfway through construction with furniture, smokers, and other equipment scheduled to arrive before their original opening date. Once construction was able to restart in April, Darneille planned to launch the restaurant with Phase 2 openings, but his suppliers and materials weren’t available. The restaurant also did not qualify for a PPP loan because never-opened restaurants were not eligible. Though the Smokecraft did not open as previously planned, Darneille is moving forward and adjusting his original menu items and honing in on what works best with prep time, limited supplies, and food delivery. “We have great systems in place, a great location, great staff, and a great menu. Just like in a barbecue competition, adaptability is important to success. I have lots of experience adapting,” Darnielle said to Restaurant Business. Quote Of Hope “As a chef and restauranteur, your whole career is based on meeting up with the challenges and being able to pivot and make decisions on the fly. We’re just more resilient in what we go through in our restaurants.” - Doug Katz, chef and owner of Fire Food and Drink in Cleveland, OH

Read More

Stats Of The Week The State Of The Industry According to a study conducted by Bank of America, national restaurant chains have largely recovered from the immense impact of declined spending during COVID-19. The study compared consumer spending from March 1 to July 4 between large restaurant chains and small, independent restaurants. At the beginning of March, before stay-at-home orders were implemented, consumer spending between large restaurant chains and local restaurants was very close with just about a 5-6% gap in year-over-year spending. By mid-April, when the entire restaurant industry was experiencing negative year-over-year spending, the spending gap between large and small restaurants had widened to almost 35%. By July 4, the projection of large restaurant chain spending was positive for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Ghost Kitchens Are The Future According to Euromonitor’s Global Food and Beverage Lead Michael Shaefer, the firm predicts that ghost kitchens could create a $1 trillion global opportunity by 2030. Ghost kitchens are establishments that purely focus on producing food only for delivery with no dine-in or customer-facing areas. The firm predicts cheaper, faster, and more reliable delivery could help these operations capture 50% of drive-thru service, 50% of takeaway foodservice, 35% of ready meals, 30% of packaged cooking ingredients, 25% of dine-in foodservice, and 15% of packaged snacks. Shaefer said to Restaurant Dive, in the wake of the pandemic, as shuttered businesses leave empty real estate behind it will prime the industry for an acceleration in ghost kitchen development. "We expect in the current pandemic we'll see more of this repurposing, real estate operators doing anything they can to drive revenue from their existing properties. Likewise, we're going to see a lot of new operators looking to fill the void with cheaper concepts, more delivery-friendly concepts that require less capital upfront," Schaefer said to Restaurant Dive. What’s Trending California Closes All Indoor Operations On July 13, California Governor Gavin Nesom announced that all restaurants must close their dining rooms as coronavirus cases surge across the state. Restaurants are still able to offer outdoor dining, but bars and breweries must completely shutdown. Newsom had previously enacted these closures to a few counties last week but has now expanded them to the entire state. 30 of the state’s most populous counties, including Alameda County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County, are also being ordered to close shopping malls, gyms, churches, barbershops, and salons. More than 80% of California’s population lives in these 30 counties. The governor’s order also includes a ban on indoor operations in movie theaters, family entertainment, zoos, and museums. Florida Bar Owners Sue Governor Over Shutdown A group of Florida bar owners is suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in hopes of overturning the state’s order that shuts down bars while keeping restaurant bars open. Many attribute the spike in COVID-19 cases to young people who may have gathered at bars and on June 26 an emergency order was put in place. The Florida order prohibited establishments that received 50% of their gross revenue from the sale of alcohol from serving on-premises. A representative of the Florida bar owners said the order did not address restaurants containing bars ceasing to serve alcohol to customers and have stated that their businesses have complied with all safety mandates and guidelines set by the CDC. “Instead of penalizing violators of the guidelines, Gov. DeSantis has thrown the baby out with the bathwater and prevented law-abiding citizens from making a living. My clients are in favor of reducing the spread of COVID-19, but can't understand why serving a certain amount of food is the deciding factor on who can stay open and who cannot,” John Dill, plaintiff attorney of Winter Park, FL, said in a statement to Nation’s Restaurant News. DoorDash Violates Commission Fee Caps In San Francisco In April, San Francisco enacted a 15% commission cap on all third-party food delivery services to help diminish the costs that the already struggling restaurant industry was facing. In recent weeks, some San Francisco restaurants have reported 30% commission fee charges on DoorDash deliveries despite the citywide cap. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Chef Christian Ciscle called the company out for the violation on social media and told The Chronicle that such fees made it impossible to survive even before the COVID-19 crisis. DoorDash told the publication that the issue has been corrected, fewer than 10 restaurants were impacted, and those restaurants will be reimbursed. Ciscle told The Chronicle that he still hasn’t been notified about a reimbursement plan despite multiple calls to the company. Commission-Free Food Delivery Comes To NYC With third-party delivery services receiving backlash for high commission rates in the past few months, a new commission-free delivery service has launched onto the scene in New York City. CaterCow has launched Fare, a commission-free food delivery service, which offers group orders within communities, neighborhoods, and buildings so all meals are delivered in one batch, instead of in individual, smaller deliveries. Customers look through a curated menu of gourmet meals that are created to travel well, choose their meals, order in advance, and receive their orders within a set time frame. Fare does not require any minimums per individual order and only charges delivery fees to the consumer starting at $3 depending on the amount ordered. Uber Introduces Grocery Delivery In The U.S. Uber recently announced they will be offering grocery delivery in the United States starting this month through Uber Eats. The rollout will start in Dallas, TX and Miami, FL with their partner Cornershop before expanding to other cities. Uber is partnering with chain grocers along with local grocers so shoppers can receive deliveries from the place of their choosing. Uber is entering a crowded field but has the advantage of having a very large base of customers and drivers. Customers can choose the grocery delivery tab from the main screen under the Uber and Uber Eats app and select their grocer and shop by specific categories. Shopping and delivery will initially be done by Cornershop employees, but Uber drivers will be able to sign up to be a part of grocery delivery soon. Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Local Chef Feeds Community For Free Loretta Vigil, founder of Chefelle Personal Chef and Catering Services in Duarte, CA, offers free meals to anyone with no questions or restrictions. Vigil has created a menu of options from mac and cheese and penne with marinara to beef chili with mushrooms and chicken noodle soup. She even offers safe pickup at her Lemon Drop Cookie Shop’s kitchen or makes deliveries to those who need it with gloves and a mask. When Vigil first started offering free meals, word spread fast around the community and neighbors began picking up meals for relatives who were elderly and homebound. Each week Vigil mixes up her food options and has paid for her kind act out of pocket until local groups in the community fundraised to help out with costs. “The last three or four years of business have gone extremely well so knowing I’m so blessed, this was my small part, my way of giving back and being a blessing to others,” Vigil said to San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Chef Pursues His Dream During A Pandemic After Chef Emerson Holliday lost his job following the effects of COVID-19, he like so many, applied for unemployment to stay afloat. Holliday told The Journal Times that for years he had been putting off starting his own restaurant in fear of it being too expensive and too risky. Holliday said after he lost his job he had no more excuses and had plenty of time to invest in a new venture. He then opened Dragon Pit BBQ. Unlike other new restaurants, Dragon Pit doesn’t have a traditional storefront or dining area. Holliday bought a smoker online and rents out a commercial kitchen for food prep. His business specializes in barbecue and receives orders online from customers who then pick up their meals from a parking lot. Dragon Pit is only open a couple of days a week and schedules pop-up dates throughout the month. The current setup works for Holliday to avoid large expenses, but he hopes to one day own his own space. Quote Of Hope “I believe when we come through it, people are going to appreciate the restaurant experience a lot more. There’s going to be renewed interest.” - Andrew Carmellini, James Beard Awarded chef and restauranteur

Read More

Stats Of The Week The State Of The Industry According to a survey by the nonprofit New York City Hospitality Alliance, four out of five NYC restaurants did not pay their June rent in full. Of that, 90% said they paid half or less last month. The survey included 509 restauranteurs in the city and also found that landlords have been unwilling to give restaurants a break. 60% of restaurant owners said their landlords refused to give them deferments during the pandemic, while only 10% were able to renegotiate their leases. Even though challenges and debts are piling up, most restaurant owners said they aren’t looking to permanently close. “Restaurant owners are hanging on by a thread and they’re exhausting their personal savings in the hope of one day getting their business up and running again,” Andrew Rigie, executive director of the Hospitality Alliance, said. The Top Restaurants Receiving PPP Loans On Monday, the Small Business Administration released data showing the recipients of the Paycheck Protection Program. The data shows that more than $42 billion was distributed to foodservice and accommodation industries which accounted for just 8% of the total $521.5 billion approved under the program. Their data lists borrowers of all loans receiving $150,000 or more which includes more than 44,000 loans that went to full-service and limited-service restaurants. Most of the foodservice loans, 70.5%, were in the range of $150,000 to $350,000. Another 22.7% were in the $350,000 to $1 million range, while 4.3% received $1 million to $2 million. A total of 2.2% of companies got loans between $2 million and $5 million and 0.8% of businesses got loans between $5 million and $10 million. Many of the recipients of the largest loans were big chain restaurant groups and multiunit franchisees who have used the funding to keep their staff employed and reopen dining rooms. What’s Trending Uber Purchases Postmates, Creates A More Competitive Market Uber has solidified itself as a strong competitor in the fight to be the top third-party delivery service by acquiring Postmates for $2.65 billion. With dine-in restrictions limiting the way customers purchase food, the food delivery market has become increasingly vital during the coronavirus pandemic. Uber plans to acquire Postmates in an all-stock transaction which will make Uber Eats the country’s second-largest third-party food delivery service, with DoorDash as the first followed by Grubhub as the third. According to data from consumer analytics firm Second Measure, Postmates and Uber Eats together earned 30% of food delivery sales in May, DoorDash earned 45%, and Grubhub earned 23%. "Uber and Postmates have long shared a belief that platforms like ours can power much more than just food delivery, they can be a hugely important part of local commerce and communities, all the more important during crises like COVID-19," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement. States Reverting Restrictions & Reclosing Establishments As the country continues to see record highs in COVID-19 cases, states that are getting hit the hardest are returning to countywide closures to prevent the spread of the virus. Florida’s Miami-Dade county closed restaurant dining rooms and is now only allowing restaurants to seat guests for outdoor dining. California has closed down all dining options for restaurants in 19 counties and only permits for take out and delivery services. Texas has reduced its in-person dining capacity from 75% to 50% and has also ordered bars to close. Just as the reopening of restaurants across the nation was expected to help the already struggling restaurant industry, some operators must now get ready for another round of potential closures. How Restaurants Should Prepare For A Second Wave As COVID-19 cases continue to spike around the country, the restaurant industry must begin to take steps for the possibility of enduring another wave of lockdowns. Disaster planning expert Partick Hardy spoke to Nation’s Restaurant News about how operators should have an emergency plan in place for the potential next round of coronavirus closures. Hardy said restaurants need to create a “lessons learned” plan from the first wave by conducting a debrief with staff on what they did well and what they need to work on, then they must identify solutions and implement them in their next set of plans. Restaurants must also consider what they will do if a second lockdown occurs: will you close, not close, or repurpose your business? Lastly, operators must prepare for other disasters that may happen during the pandemic such as tornadoes in the Midwest or hurricanes in the South. The Hotel Industry Pivots To Innovative Actions As many industries have been incredibly affected by the pandemic, the hotel industry has taken it especially hard. Unlike restaurants that were able to gain a bit of income from take out and delivery, hotels had to completely close down business. The American Hotel & Lodging Association believes that the devastation caused to the hotel industry is already 9 times worse than the 9/11 tragedy, with more than 8 in 10 hotels having to lay off or furlough workers during the start of the pandemic. From the week of June 20, hotels had started to slowly reopen and saw some improvements in occupancy from 22% in early April to almost 44% in recent weeks. In the time that hotels were forced to fully close, they enrolled their hotel and restaurant staff in extensive sanitation and safety training. In addition to following local guidelines, hotels have taken it a step further to create stricter standards to help appease guests. Hyatt has a hygiene captain at every property that teaches returning employees how to properly wear PPE and ways to allow sanitizing chemicals to work effectively. Hotels have also reworked their food and beverage options to make them more accessible for take out. For bar services, they’ve individually packaged complimentary snacks and are offering canned or bottled cocktails and beers to minimize interactions with bartenders. To-Go Cocktails Aren’t Going Anywhere At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, offering cocktails to go seemed like a temporary solution to help raise the amount of income restaurants and bars were receiving. Now that the industry has seen how popular these services are amongst customers, many are hoping that it will stick around for good. This week Iowa and Michigan have taken measures to help make cocktails to go a permanent option. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill on Monday that permanently allows establishments to offer cocktails to go. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation that extends cocktail to go sales through December 31, 2025. More than 30 states are currently allowing restaurants and bars to sell cocktails to go and states like Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas are considering making their temporary policies permanent. Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Restaurant Adds A Message Of Hope To Every Order Larry Michelson, one of the owners of East Shore Cafe in Alabama, has been feeding first responders during the pandemic even though revenue from his restaurant has gone down during shutdowns. Michelson said to WKRG that they are big supporters of first responders and realized that if they can’t come to the restaurant then they will deliver meals to them. Their restaurant staff has delivered more than a thousand meals and has gotten support from locals who are now sponsoring meals for $10 each. Each take out container has a message from the sponsor with messages like, “Thank you for your service” or “God Bless”. The local police department has expressed much gratitude for the meals and appreciates the added kindness of messages from sponsors. Local Pizzeria Creates Pandemic Solutions As lockdown measures went into place in mid-March, a Denver restaurant called Crush Pizza + Tap created trendsetting steps to stay afloat amid the pandemic. Restaurant owner, Jason McGovern, started offering Crush Care Packs which offered menu specials of their signature pizza and wings with the bartender’s choice of canned beers. The popularity of the packs allowed the restaurant to stay proactive about their supply of ingredients which was a common issue for restaurants that weren’t guaranteed the same volume of orders. The pizzeria was also quick to give back to frontline workers. For every $25 gift card that was purchased, the restaurant donated a pizza to those working on the frontline. Crush continues to be at the top of innovation with creating their own reservation and food delivery system to avoid fees from popular third-party food delivery services. These past few months have proved that no matter what challenges arise, restaurant owners are there setting an example for how to tackle each hurdle. Quote Of Hope "People who are in this [restaurant] industry love it. We don't do it for money. We do it because we love serving people. We love making people happy with food, and we love telling the stories of the products and the producers." - Peter Sclafani, regarded as one of the most innovative chefs in Louisiana

Read More

Stats Of The Week The State Of The Industry According to a recent Yelp survey, since March, restaurants had the highest number of business closures with a total of 23,981 closures as of June 15. 53% of those closures have been reported as permanent while 47% are temporary. Of all business closures, including retail, restaurants, and fitness, their report shows the largest spikes of permanent closures occurred in March followed by May and June. This data indicates that businesses that were already struggling had to permanently close right away and the businesses that were trying to hold on, but could not withstand the impacts of COVID-19, were forced to recently close. The Top QSRs Implementing COVID-19 Safety Measures According to research from global market research firm Ipsos' Consumer Health & Safety Index, Chipotle ranks as the top restaurant brand for health and safety compliance during the pandemic. The firm conducted in-store visits at over 5,700 retailers across the country. They found that 90% of employees at visited Chipotle locations were consistently wearing masks, while 83% of locations included employees wearing gloves. 49% of Chipotle’s locations also had hand sanitizer available at the entrance and 82% had hand sanitizer available in restrooms. McDonald’s and Starbucks were also among the top QSRs for following health and safety measures with 95% of McDonald’s visited having barriers in place at checkout and 93% of Starbucks employees wearing masks at locations visited. What’s Trending State Reopenings Hault As COVID-19 Surges As coronavirus cases continue to spike across the country, the idea of ambitious reopenings is dwindling. On Monday, Arizona marked another day of record hospitalizations leading Governor Doug Ducey to order the closures of bars, gyms, movie theaters, nightclubs, and water parks across the state for 30 days. In Texas, another state with rising cases, Governor Gregg Abbott issued an executive order to close bars and reduce restaurant capacities from 75% to 50%. Florida has suspended bars from on-premise alcohol consumption, but bars can still sell alcohol to go in sealed containers. The city of Miami is imposing mandatory multiday closures for businesses that don’t adhere to limited crowding and mandating face masks. Business violators face the possibility of shutting down for 10 days for an initial violation, 15 days for a second offense, and 30 days for a third offense. These enforcements come as the number of positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise in these states. Momofuku Group Creates Restaurant-Oriented Safety Protocols David Chang’s Momofuku Group has recently released a detailed guide specifically for restaurants on health and safety procedures to implement in their establishment. David Chang tweeted that his group had been working on their COVID-19 safety protocols for four months and believes that it is important for all restaurants to start working off the same page and helping each other out. The health and safety guide includes guidelines from general operating procedures and cleaning and sanitation to back of house and front of house operations. The comprehensive guide aims to create safety procedures for restaurant staff and employees to follow and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. While government-mandated guidelines differ from each state and lack specific details, Chang hopes that other businesses can find his safety protocols useful. “While these standard operating procedures will always need to be adapted to each individual restaurant, we hope that they will serve as a good jumping-off point for anyone looking to create a handbook of their own,” Chang said to Restaurant Hospitality. Coronavirus Accelerates New Ordering & Payment Technologies The coronavirus pandemic has not only reshaped the way restaurants run their business but has also reshaped the way customers make orders and pay for meals. Contactless ordering and paying have been on the rise in the current climate because it involves little to no human contact. For example, some establishments have implemented QR codes that customers scan to view menus and order through their phones without having to download an app or having to use a menu that has been used by other customers. Brian Levine, VP of Mobiquity, a digital consultancy, credits the transformation of customers utilizing contactless options to the surge in first-time users. Levine analyzed about 100,000 reviews of top QSR apps, including McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Pizza Hut, in Apple’s App Store and found a 36% year-over-year increase in the number of reviewers who expressed it was their first time using the apps, according to Restaurant Business. “I think there’s an opportunity for [restaurants] now. The benefits weren’t big enough before. But once you get someone to use something, they’ve gone through the biggest hurdle,” Levine said to Restaurant Business. Domino’s Expands Their Contactless Options On Monday, Domino’s launched a new carside delivery option for customers that order pizza online. Customers will no longer have to go into the restaurant to pick up their pizzas and instead will have Domino’s employees bring their pizzas to their cars. Diners who select carside delivery will be asked to add their vehicle color, make, and model so staff can easily identify them when they arrive. Once a customer arrives at their Domino’s location, they hit an “I’m here” button on Domino’s Tracker page or reply “HERE” to Domino’s texting system to alert employees that they have arrived and to bring out their order. Chipotle Connects Consumers & Farmers Chipotle has announced a way for consumers to buy food supplies directly from farmers called Chipotle Virtual Farmers Market Tuesday with Shopify. The launch is aimed to help farmers in the company’s supply chain create their own online marketplaces to sell meat, dairy, and grains to average consumers. As many suppliers have been hit with decreased sales due to the pandemic, this program aims to give suppliers access to a new means of revenue. Chipotle plans to assist with the design and development of each supplier’s website and will cover hosting fees on Shopify for two years. The first launch of the program will include four Chipotle suppliers: Niman Ranch, which supplies pork and steak, Petaluma Creamery, which supplies Monterey shredded cheese, McKaskle Family Farm, which supplies organic brown and white rice, and Meister Cheese, which also supplies Monterey Jack cheese. Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Local Diner Helps Out A Fellow Business In Winston-Salem, NC, a well-known restaurant, Mary’s Gourmet Diner, had to close down for good due to coronavirus shutdowns halting business. The owner, Mary Haglund, decided to auction off the iconic paintings hanging on the diner’s walls that were cartoons specifically made for her and her restaurant. Haglund auctioned off some of the paintings on social media and was shocked to find that people were having bidding wars. In the end, she made $5,000 from her paintings. Instead of keeping the money for herself, Haglund decided to give her earnings to a local Mexican restaurant called La Botana. La Botana is Haglund’s favorite Mexican restaurant in town and she became great friends with the owners, July and Rigo, over the years. Haglund thought it was the least she could do to help her friends keep their business. “When you can pay it forward like that, it’s not even a choice. Of course, I’m going to help these people, this is a family-owned business,” Haglund said to CNN. NYC Pride & Food Organization Hosts Fundraiser For COVID-19 Patients Each year NYC Pride and God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that cooks and home-delivers meals, joins forces to host an immersive culinary fundraiser. With the coronavirus pandemic, the celebration went virtual this year and is running for a week with special segments featuring celebrity chefs. God’s Love home delivers medically tailored meals to individuals that are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. The organization was originally created during the AIDS crisis and has now been a lifeline for COVID-19 patients. They have reported a 25% spike in clients and now deliver 10,000 meals a day with 60% fewer volunteers due to social distancing protocols. During each online event, viewers are encouraged to donate $10 to fund meals for a client. Quote Of Hope “Food is liberation, it’s freedom. Food is justice. Food is emancipation. Food is empowerment. Food is peace, food is love. Food is community.” – Chef Ameer Natson, acclaimed chef and faith leader

Read More

Read More

Stats Of The Week The State Of The Industry According to a National Restaurant Association survey, 75% of restaurant operators don’t expect to turn a profit within the next six months. With dine-in operations resuming across the country, the survey asked why some operators are not reopening dining rooms if allowed. 66% of respondents that continue to offer take out and delivery said it is too soon to reopen dining rooms, citing health as their main concern. About 34% of those same operators responded that there are not enough customers opting to dine-in to justify fully reopening. The restaurant industry lost $40 billion in May with the total economic losses due to the COVID-19 crisis coming to $120 billion, according to a report released by the NRA. RW Poll Results This week we asked our Restaurantware followers how they were feeling about restaurants reopening across the nation. When asked if respondents would rather dine-in or order take out from a restaurant, 72% voted for take out while 28% chose dine in. 79% of respondents said that a restaurant’s social distancing and sanitation guidelines are a major influence when deciding where to eat. Even though many restaurants are allowed to open dining rooms, 74% of respondents said they haven’t eaten at a restaurant since restrictions were lifted. 85% of our followers said they felt more comfortable dining outside rather than inside an establishment. What’s Trending Coronavirus Spike Puts A Pause On Reopening As positive COVID-19 cases have risen in the past week, states are weighing the health risks of continuing gradual reopenings. Utah and Oregon have put any further reopening of their economies on hold while Texas, Arkansas, and Arizona continue to move forward despite major spikes in those states. Experts are crediting the rise in cases due to the gradual reopening of businesses over the past few weeks. Texas seems to have been hit the hardest after reaching highs this week for hospitalizations and new coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, the state continued on with their next reopening phase and allowed restaurants to expand in-person dining from 50% to 75%. Houston’s top county official, Lina Hidalgo, told the Boston Globe, “we may be approaching the precipice of a disaster.” NY Governor Plans To Punish Restaurant Violators As New York City remains in Phase 1 of reopening, where restaurants can only offer food for pickup or delivery, some restaurants have chosen to take their chances and begin offering outdoor dining services along with cities within the state that are legally allowed to. In one of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily press briefings, he addressed the illegal increase in outdoor dining and a lack of social distancing across NYC. He threatened to punish restaurants that violate the law by revoking their liquor license. Cuomo tweeted that he has received 25,000 complaints of reopening violations and urged the local government to enforce the law. NYC plans to enter Phase 2 in July, which will allow limited capacity dine-in and outdoor dining, but with recent reopening violations, plans for Phase 2 may be postponed. Food Halls Make A Comeback During COVID-19 At first, you may think food halls would be the last dining destination customers would go to given their multi-concept operations in close proximity of one another and communal tables, but Time Out Market has created a plan to make their food halls social distancing-friendly. Didier Souillat, CEO of the six Time Out Markets worldwide, has kept its Lisbon, Montreal, Chicago, Boston, Miami, and New York locations closed since mid-March. Souillat has laid out a new customer experience to allow customers to dine at their favorite food halls while maintaining social distancing and sanitation guidelines. When Time Out Markets reopen, customers will be greeted by an ambassador at the door to explain the new health and safety rules and procedures. Complete instructions about social distancing, ordering, and sanitation will be listed in the food hall’s lobby and cleaning crews will be visible in yellow vests. During the shutdown, Time Out developed a new app that allows customers to preorder their food, come in, and immediately sit down and wait for their food to be served to them instead of going up to the vendor’s stalls. Their long communal tables will be placed six feet apart with color glass partitions between parties. “Since Time Out is a media company, we are inscribing the partitions with information about what’s happening in the cities where we’re located. We are beating the fear factor and replacing it with a fun factor,” Souillat said to Restaurant Business. New Chain Locations Open During The Pandemic As restaurants around the country begin to reopen, some chains have opened new restaurant locations. Restaurant chains are capitalizing on the increased real estate market along with customers’ increased anticipation to leave their homes and dine out. These locations must still enforce social distancing guidelines in accordance with the CDC, but it seems they’ve all opened in states with light restrictions, like Texas and Arizona. El Pollo Loco opened a new unit in Arizona, Sweetgreen is expanding business with its first location in Colorado, Fatburger is also opening its first location in Texas, and many other chains are following suit. Uber Eats Creates A Restaurant Loyalty Program Uber Eats has recently added a new feature where restaurants can provide loyalty rewards through the Uber Eats app. This program is aimed to build relationships between restaurants and consumers without Uber taking credit for the rewards restaurants choose to offer. Restaurants can choose to participate in the program with no upfront cost. The only cost to restaurants is when a customer redeems their reward. Adding a loyalty program is another way Uber Eats is trying to differentiate itself from other food delivery apps. This program can particularly benefit independent restaurants that don’t have the same infrastructure as chain restaurants. Image credit: gillianvann - stock.adobe.com Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Local Restaurant Gives Free Meals To Children In St. Pete, FL, Eric Atwater, owner of Atwater's Best BBQ & Soul Food, is a very hands-on owner that is always ready to serve customers. Once the COVD-19 pandemic started to affect his local community, Atwater began offering free meals for children. He has ‘kids eat for free’ spray-painted on a sign outside of his restaurant where he passes out prepared meals to families. The idea came to him when kids were told they would not be returning to school due to COVID-19 and therefore missing out on free meals from schools. “Honestly I was going to retire this year, but because of corona and all the hype, I stayed to feed the people," Atwater said to Bay News. Cafe Receives Anonymous Donation To Stay Open When Bill’s Cafe in Naples, FL was forced to close due to stay-at-home orders, one of its regular customers took the owner, Bill Salley, aside and gave him two envelopes. The customer gave Salley an envelope for himself and one for his staff. The donor asked Salley if he would be willing to make 100 sandwiches a day for the Naples Community Hospital across the street. Salley took him up on the offer and delivered food to healthcare workers every day for free. The anonymous customer distributed the donations over the course of a few weeks with the total donations coming to $40,000. Quote Of Hope “Whether it’s World Central Kitchen, City Harvest, Daniel Boulud, all these leading chefs have been the first people on the front line saying, ‘What can I do? How can I give back into my community at this time?’ And that’s why we love restaurants. That’s why we love restauranteurs and chefs, because they actually bring us together.” - Charles Gibb, CEO of Fever Tree

Read More

Stats Of The Week The State Of The Industry Following weeks of dining room closures, to-go sales have increased by 96.4% in May from 66.8% in April, according to data from Black Box Intelligence. Their data represents more than 15,000 restaurants across 300 chain companies. During the coronavirus pandemic, dine-in sales declined by 99.3% in April with a slight improvement to 88.4% in May. The amount of chain and independent restaurants utilizing third party delivery grew about 36% from March 13 through April 13. Full-service chains had the largest increase with 104.8% growth in the adoption of third-party delivery channels. Texas Restaurants Give Mixed Reviews On Reopening According to a survey conducted by the Texas Restaurant Association, 60% of operators say it is unlikely their restaurant will be profitable within the next six months. On average, Texas restaurant operators reported a 54% decline in sales from May 1 to May 15 compared to the same period in 2019. Nearly 28% of full-service restaurants responded that the number of dine-in customers has been “steady”, while 26.3% rated business as being “slow”. Only 1.4% reported that they have been “packed” and 12.4% responded that traffic has been “very slow”. What’s Trending The President Signs The PPP Flexibility Act On June 5, President Donald Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act into law. The law had been passed by the Senate the day before with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stating that businesses can’t wait any longer and are really suffering from not being able to utilize the changes proposed in the Act. The main benefits of this act are that it reduces the percentage of PPP funds restaurants are required to spend on payroll from 75% to 60%, it extends the time period businesses have to use the funds from two months to six months, and extends the amount of time restaurants have to pay back their loans. Parts Of New York Enter Phase 2 After being shut down for nearly 3 months, regions of New York are reopening to allow residents to walk into retail stores or dine outside at restaurants. Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the seven regions of NY that have entered phase 2: the Capital Region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier, and Western New York can reopen outdoor dining. To comply with restrictions, restaurants must space outdoor tables six feet apart, all staff must wear face coverings, and customers must also wear face coverings when not seated. Cuomo also unveiled plans for phase 3, which is expected to take place in July, where restaurants can reopen dine-in services. For phase 3, restaurants can reopen with half capacity indoors and tables must be placed six feet apart. For tables that can’t be placed six feet apart, the phase 3 guidelines call for restaurants to install barriers that are at least five feet tall. Chef José Andrés Speaks To Dr. Fauci About Restaurants Reopening Chef José Andrés hosted an Instagram Live with Dr. Anthony Fauci to address questions operators have on reopening dine-in services during COVID-19. Andrés started the conversation by asking Fauci how restaurants should determine when it is safe to reopen their dining rooms. Fauci responded by saying the intensity of the virus varies greatly city to city, and restaurants should consult their local health officials who are tracking local case numbers and monitoring the spread to determine when to reopen. When it comes to effectively sanitizing restaurants, Andrés asked Fauci if owners should explore new technologies like UV lights. Fauci suggests a much simpler solution by wiping down surfaces with alcohol-based cleaners, which the virus is very sensitive to, and he adds that employees should be constantly washing their hands and use hand sanitizers themselves. Andrés asked Fauci when he thinks things will go back to normal and what words of wisdom he has for business owners. “I would hope that as we get further into late spring and early summer, we’ll start to see a diminution. You may not get back to absolutely normal, but you’ll get back to something that resembles normality where you can start gradually opening up,” Dr. Fauci said. McDonald's Franchisees Are In Favor Of Keeping A Limited Menu A McDonald’s franchisee advocacy group, called The National Owners Association, is advocating to keep their limited menu as stores reopen post-pandemic. The organization told members in a letter obtained by the Nation’s Restaurant News that the limited menu and ease of operations allowed their teams to focus and provide blazing fast service. In a statement sent to Nation’s Restaurant News, McDonald’s USA said their temporary limited menu helped provide the best possible customer experience while simplifying operations in their kitchens along with simplifying operations for their crewmembers during the pandemic. “We are partnering closely with our franchisees to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on restaurant operations and evaluate the best path forward for our national menu,” the company said. Safety Is The Key To Reopening Jack Li, founder of menu research firm Datassential, said restaurants should focus on safety and menu innovation over meal deals at a digital conference organized by Nation’s Restaurant News. Li said as stay-at-home restrictions begin to ease across the country, customers are entering a new phase from a place of helplessness to a place of caution. According to Datassential, the types of venues that guests feel safest at are restaurants with outdoor seating, quick-service chains with contactless drive-thru, fast-casual chains, and businesses that provide prepared foods or grocery deli. Li cited consumer data by Datassential showing that once shelter-at-home orders are lifted, consumers rank dining out as one of the top three things they look forward to doing. “Eating at a restaurant is right up there with seeing family. That's remarkable. The mental benefit and the psychological benefit we get from restaurants and this feeling of normalcy that we derive from those sit-down restaurant experiences cannot be overstated,” Li said. Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Chef Comes Up With A Unique Dish For Social Distancing Chef Ethan Rodgers has come up with an innovative lunch special for two people who want to share lunch while following social distancing guidelines: the “Back to Work Baguette”. Measuring 6.5 feet long, the massive bacon and sausage sandwich was created with the help from a bakery, deli, and restaurant in Cirencester, England. While dining-in restrictions aren’t planned to loosen until July in England, Rodgers has been happily sharing the sandwich with the staff members that helped him create it and offers the sandwich for £20 for delivery only. Red Lobster Reignites Date Night As the majority of the country chooses to stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, Red Lobster is looking to keep love alive by providing all of the tools need for a romantic night at home while social distancing. The restaurant chain has created Date Night Deals that serves two and comes with an appetizer to share, an entree, and a side that serves two, along with two desserts. The deal also includes virtual elements like a customized playlist and unique Zoom backgrounds to recreate the experience of dining in a restaurant. Quote Of Hope “My advice to the people in the restaurant industry is that, please try and hang in there because this will end. It is not going to be forever. Part of our culture that makes us happy is going out to restaurants. It’s a very important part of our culture. Don’t give up. We will come to an end to this, really.” - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, said.

Read More

Restaurants Show Their Support Amid recent protests, many restaurant owners are expressing their support of peaceful demonstrations shining a light on police brutality. Just as restaurants were planning to reopen after months of being closed due to COVID-19, many have now chosen to remain closed to keep their staff and customers safe during this unprecedented time. Taking it a step further, restaurants are showing their solidarity of the movement by providing informative messages on social media, providing links for followers to donate to organizations, posting signs of support in their windows, and even closing to allow employees to attend the marches. The restaurant industry continues to stand together through the coronavirus crisis and now through nationwide protests, further proving that they are the heartbeat of the community. “We are okay, but now is not about us. There is a bigger issue at hand here that we all need to pay attention to and listen. We see you, we hear you, and we stand with you. We have a lot to do to get through this storm, but please know we want to be a part to help bring this so badly needed change,” Kim Finch, owner of Double Wide Bar in Dallas, TX, said. Stats Of The Week State Of The Industry Nearly two-thirds of publicly-traded restaurants are at risk of bankruptcy, according to a new study from consulting firm Aaron Allen & Associates reported by Bloomberg. Smaller companies like Potbelly, and dine-in restaurants, like Bloomin’ Brands and Brinker International, are at the highest risk of bankruptcy. The study analyzed risk scores for 46 companies using data including capital and earnings. They found that 65% of those companies, which represent about 73,000 U.S. restaurant locations and $85 billion in annual sales, fall within the “distress zone”. The consulting firm told Bloomberg that larger companies with strong balance sheets are more likely to survive and consolidate with smaller, weaker companies. What’s Trending Texas Restaurant Association Adds Vandalism To Relief Fund The Texas Restaurant Association is expanding its TX Restaurant Relief Fund to include vandalism damage in the wake of recent protests. The relief fund was originally created to raise money to help operators survive through coronavirus-related issues. A number of foodservice establishments were damaged in the wake of protests across the country this past weekend. “This violence is another huge setback for restaurants, bars, and other foodservice businesses that are still suffering crippling losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Texas Restaurant Association said in a media release. The House Passes Bill To Extend PPP Loans The House approved, 417 to 1, the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act that would rewrite some of the rules limiting how businesses can use PPP funds. The bill would extend the time restaurants would have to spend the funds from eight weeks to 24 weeks to give restaurants more time to get past the transition period of limited-capacity reopenings. The Flexibility Act would also allow operators to spend up to 40% of PPP loan funding on non-payroll expenses, such as paying rent or utilities and purchasing protective clothing for staff. The bill was a bipartisan effort that was approved by the House and now faces uncertainty in the Senate. The Key To Successfully Reopen Your Restaurant The best way for restaurants to regain their customer’s trust is through transparent marketing. Restaurants that clearly state their new safety operations and sanitation procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic on social media or on their website will reap the benefits from customers. The way restaurants evolve their messaging and marketing strategies should make customers aware of how operations are changing to adhere to social distancing and sanitation guidelines. This way customers can have an idea of what to expect when dining-in at your establishment. “Restaurants need to remember that the principle by which they need to guide themselves in any tactic that they might employ is trust, customer trust,” Joel Staley, senior communications executive and media trainer at JCS Communication, told Restaurant Dive. Outdoor Dining Becomes The New Dining-In With full dine-in operations being weeks away for some states and cities, outdoor dining has become the current solution for restaurants to offer more seating. States like Minnesota, Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Rhode Island, and others are either allowing full-service restaurants to offer al fresco dining only or are specifically encouraging restaurants to serve guests outdoors when they plan to reopen. Local governments across the country have relaxed rules on outdoor dining to allow for tables to be set up in parking lots or on public spaces such as sidewalks and streets. Though social distancing guidelines will still apply, this gives operators a chance to serve more guests and increase their sales. Customers Love A Good Deal As we’ve seen throughout the past few months, family-style meals have skyrocketed in popularity during the pandemic. Restaurants were quick to transition their menus to include large meals at a reasonable price for customers to enjoy while sheltering at home. Even quick-service restaurants with drive-thrus began offering value meals and deals. A study done by Technomic found that as a result of the economic crisis, budget-friendly to-go meals were a major draw for customers. Participants in the study ranked Texas Roadhouse’s family value ribs priced at $39.99 as the highest draw and noted that the word “value” in the name as a major selling point. In terms of value meals, respondents ranked Burger King’s 8-piece chicken nuggets priced at $1 as the best value and found the portion size satisfactory. Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Restaurants Help Raise Money For Food Banks Restaurants around the country are participating in a nationwide fundraiser that will provide meals to local food banks. The Takeout for Good fundraising event is facilitated by GroupRaise and aims to help restaurants stay afloat while raising money for families in need during the COVID-19 crisis. The fundraiser works by customers using the GroupRaise platform to RSVP with the restaurant of their choosing, then they order their food on June 2, and the restaurants will donate 15%- 25% of the proceeds from those orders to local food banks. Restaurants Show Excitement To Reopen As many states are loosening stay-at-home orders, foodservice establishments are able to open their dine-in services for the first time since mid-March. Restaurants shared their excitement to see customers come out for a bite and show their support. Jolene Chatfield, general manager of Olde Brick House in St. Cloud, MN, said to the SC Times that her staff is super pumped to reopen. “We kind of look at it as opening up a brand new restaurant almost in a sense because it's nothing like we've ever done before, so it's definitely new." Martin Vazquez, owner of La Siesta Restaurante in Winthrop, MA, said to MSN that his loyal customers have been supporting him through take out, but he is thrilled to have customers come in for outdoor dining. “It will be a big help and it will be great for our customers to start coming in little by little.” Quote Of Hope “I believe that our community is going to gel and we’re going to be better on the other side of this - more efficient, more communicative, more of a united voice.” - Erick Williams, chef and owner of Virtue in Chicago, IL

Read More

Read More

Stats Of The Week The State Of The Industry According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey, 75% of 22,000 small businesses said they sought federal aid through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). However, only 38% of respondents said they had received loan funding. The survey showed the pandemic’s impact appeared to be felt most intensely by hotels and restaurants with 84.5% reporting they applied for a PPP loan. About 31% of respondents said they expected it would take more than six months for their business to return to normal. What Customers Expect When Restaurants Reopen As restaurants begin to make the difficult decision to either reopen their businesses or not, one goal is at the top of the list: keep customers and employees safe. Many customers are excited to leave their homes but are hesitant to choose in-person dining in fear of spreading or contracting COVID-19. A poll conducted by VIPinsiders asked consumers what they’re looking for when deciding which restaurants are the safest to visit. 61.9% of respondents said they’d feel most comfortable with restaurant employees wearing both gloves and face masks while on the job. When asked how long customers expect it will take for their dining-out routine to go back to normal, 14.5% said immediately, 16.3% said a few weeks, and 13.8% believe it will take at least 30 days, with the other 55.4% choosing answers 60 days or longer. What’s Trending Financial & Health Fears Create Cautious Consumers Financial distresses and worries about health and safety are pivotal factors that are predicted to change consumer purchasing behaviors. Even as states begin to reopen businesses, consumers are still hesitant to venture out to public spaces. According to a survey conducted by Datassential, 41% of respondents reported there was no way they would immediately visit a restaurant after stay-at-home orders are lifted. “The restaurant industry will never go back to ‘normal’ again. Memories are short; people will come back. But it will take a couple of years for traffic to get back [to the way it was before]. You’ll see a spike when we reopen the country — people are landlocked right now and want to get out — but that will soon level out,” Gary Stibel, an analyst at New England Consulting Group said to Nation’s Restaurant News. Safety First, Takes On A Whole New Meaning The James Beard Foundation has partnered with the Aspen Institute, World Central Kitchen, and Off Their Plate to create a safety guide to instruct chefs, restaurant owners, and operators on how to protect their customers during the pandemic. They have compiled a list called ‘The Baker’s Dozen’ which is 13 commandments of basic operating rules that kitchens should follow when they choose to reopen their businesses. From off-premise operations to in-person dining, the guide lays out how to safely operate any function in your restaurant. Here are the top 3 tips listed in the guide: Understand how COVID-19 is spread and think about this with every decision Assign a workplace COVID-19 coordinator Establish and clearly communicate policies and procedures for preventing COVID-19 transmission Panera Bread Implements New Technology For Pickup Panera Bread has added contactless curbside pickup with geofencing technology to its off-premise operations. Geofencing uses WiFi technology like Panera's free WiFi which they've expanded to reach their parking lots. This technology immediately alerts employees when a customer arrives to pick up their order and eliminates the need for customers to call or text the store. The new initiative is part of Panera’s business strategy to pivot during the pandemic which includes grocery items added to menus, plexiglass barriers in cafes and drive-thrus, anti-microbial screens for customers to use when ordering from kiosks, and hand sanitizer available at all cafes.  Image credit: ablokhin - stock.adobe.com Buffalo Wild Wings Creates A New To ‘GO’ Concept Buffalo Wild Wings opened its first ‘GO’ model restaurant in Georgia that focuses on take out and delivery orders. The ‘GO’ unit features a walk-up counter, digital menu boards, limited seating, and televisions for guests to be entertained while waiting for their orders. Customers who order ahead will be able to pick up their meals from heated take out lockers for a contactless experience. John Bowie, Buffalo Wild Wings chief operating officer, said in a statement that they’ve seen much success from this model over the past six weeks with their take out and delivery business growing over 140%. Restaurants Around The World Get Creative Post-Pandemic Just because restaurants around the world are reopening that doesn’t mean restaurants are operating as normal. Most safety guidelines require guests and employees to follow social distancing restrictions to lessen the risk of spreading coronavirus. Many states have enforced limited dining-in capacities to 50% or 25% to gradually ramp up business. Some operators have taken the creative route to come up with solutions to build consumer trust. An independent restaurant in Virginia is seating mannequins, dressed in full outfits, jewelry, and wigs, at tables blocked off to maintain social distancing guidelines. A sushi restaurant in Miami has taken inspiration from China and has created pods for each table. The pods are separated by eight feet tall plastic sheets that are framed with wooden borders. In Amsterdam, a restaurant is offering its menu in individual greenhouses where parties up to 2 to 3 people sit in their own glass-enclosed homes. Bright Spots In A COVID-19 World Restaurants Honor Veterans For Memorial Day Outback Steakhouse is celebrating service members with its “heroes discount” which gives 10% off to military personnel and their immediate family members. This year, nurses, doctors, medical staff, police officers, and firefighters are also eligible. Johnny Rockets is honoring military members with 50% off when they wear their uniform out to eat. Hooters is giving 20% off to all military personnel, healthcare workers, and first responders. Guy Fieri & Bill Murray Host A Nacho Showdown For Charity Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri and Actor Bill Murray faced off in the Food Network’s “Nacho Average Showdown”. They were both joined by their sons and were challenged to come up with the best plate of nachos. The event was held on the Food Network’s Facebook page through video calls. Since everyone was practicing social distancing, the judges couldn’t actually taste the nachos which tasked the chefs with describing their dishes in specific detail. In the end, the Fieris were declared the winners. The event raised money for Fieri’s Restaurant Employee Relief Fund which gives financial assistance to employees impacted by the coronavirus shutdown. Quote Of Hope “We are going to open up, we are going to be back strong and treat this as a new opening and something better than we were doing before we closed.” - Gordon Ramsay, celebrity chef and TV host

Read More

Read More

Read More