Many of the restaurants that were able to weather the pandemic shutdowns did so by creating new business models to address the need for safety during the pandemic. Now, with the possibility of opening dining rooms looking likely, operators must ask themselves if they want to return to their old business model, stick with their current operation, or create a hybrid of both.

Get Clear on Your Concept

The first step should be to determine what your goals are. If you want to return to business the way it was before the pandemic, you will need a clear plan with objectives and action items to get to that point. You’ll need to determine when you want to discontinue delivery and begin de-emphasizing takeout if you are choosing to do that. If you want to switch or combine business models, likewise, you’ll need to map out what it would take to make that a reality. Bring your management team together for a discussion of what you can realistically achieve within a year or 18 months, assuming that the timeline may be disrupted along the way. Only by articulating exactly what your goals and expectations are can you hope to achieve them.

Take Advantage of Remaining Downtime

Between now and the spring, you will likely continue to have some slow time, so use it to your advantage to get everything ready for whichever path you choose. This includes deep cleaning, repairs and maintenance (now’s a good time to get HVAC estimates since it’s not the height of the summer), staff training, rewriting the employee handbook as necessary, and creation of any new marketing materials, either printed or digital. If you need to buy or sell equipment from takeout and delivery operations, now’s the time. Make a list of the objectives you can tackle while you’re waiting for outdoor dining and limited-capacity indoor dining to resume, and delegate tasks accordingly.

Check in with Staff

Host a staff meeting where you discuss frankly your plans for the near future and answer any questions from your team. If you have had to furlough staff, now is the time to figure out what bringing them back on will look like. If you will need to hire new staff, announce that you’re hiring on social media and other outlets. Leave yourself plenty of time for interviews, hiring, and training, and create paid opportunities for your team members to train new hires. If you are hoping to juggle increased dining as well as a robust delivery business, have a deep think on what staffing will look like, and speak with your accountant about what that will mean for your financial planning.

Connect with Guests

Let your customers know what to look forward to in the coming months. The most important aspect of customer satisfaction is communication, so be clear about what guests can expect when it comes to your hours, ordering, in-person dining, etc. It may also be a good time to offer limited-time incentives to encourage guests to give your restaurant another try. Design incentives with your goals in mind (more in-person dining or more takeout/delivery), and make them trackable so that you can assess their efficacy when the promotion ends. Share menu teases and behind the scenes peeks at your process getting ready to serve guests safely for the remainder of 2021!