Social distancing: it’s a word most of us had never heard until recently.

We’re told to
keep six feet apart and to limit gatherings to 10 people or fewer.
“Of course, just like everybody else there was panic,” said Liz Sfeir, owner of Well Done
Catering. “I have full-time employees that need to stay employed, I have rent to pay and
all my bills, and I just had to think how I could reorganize to stay open.”
Sfeir’s business depends on big crowds gathering to celebrate events like weddings,
baby showers and graduations, all of which are now on hold.
“Exact opposite of what we were allowed to do, so I just think of how many people I
could have been in here so with one employee what could I do? What do my clients
want and at this point what do they need?”
She says they’ve been doing about 30 orders a day and they usually sell out.

1. Click & Collect | DELIVER

With Starbucks, Costa and Greggs running UK drive-throughs, supermarkets offering

click & collect, workplace providers now need to focus on bespoke click & collect
services offering ready-to eat meals, professionally prepared, ordered online but to be
eaten at the desk as well as to be taken home (to reassure the people you work for you)
you’re protecting them at work and at home. More information

2. Touchscreens | REMOVE

Heightened hygiene awareness may cause customers to be wary of public

touchscreens to order and pay for goods in spreading coronavirus, as is being
discussed in countless global forums today, so they ought to be removed and replaced
with other methods.

3. Protective Screens | INSTALL

Highlighted as a protection against numerous viruses, protective screens are almost a

standard feature of the store, and so too should they be a feature along every
restaurant servery.

4. Contactless Payments | VALIDATE

Follow the retailers applying ‘walk out’ technology reducing: (a) staff and customer
contact, (b) staff reliance, (c) customer journey time for a more efficient service reducing
the risk of spread.

5. Signage & Stickers | EDUCATE

Digital signage allows for greater flexibility, but investment must be made to educate
customers into the new social distance measures, serving staff, customer journey / flow,
menus and safety – eye level and on the floor.
 6. Fixtures & Fittings | ACCOMMODATE

Can your restaurant flex tables, chairs, stools, and bench layouts to meet short and long
term physical distancing requirements? If not, convert them into freestanding tables and
benches to adapt.

7. Tone of Voice | HUMANISE

Tone is often overlooked. During the pandemic, it’s clear who’s created a reassuring
tone of voice. To reassure and validate customers how to navigate a ‘new normal’,
communicate clearly, perhaps using a video?

8. Dark Kitchens | EVOLVE

A dark kitchen (also ghost or cloud kitchen) refers to food preparation at non-restaurant
premises to take-away. With many relying more on home delivery today, why not invest
in take home capabilities whilst maximising staff and space (with a separate on-site
area on site that could be evolved into a dark kitchen). That way, you’re also making
employees re-evaluate physical shopping, after work.

9. Zero-Waste initiatives | ACHIEVE

Operators must reconsider food thrown away, post COVID-19. Whilst Caterers and
foodservice providers had ramped up packaging and food waste reduction measures,
these are more critical. According to WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action
Programme), the food sector produced 400,000 tonnes of avoidable food waste each
year costing a staggering £682 million. Reducing food waste will help businesses save
money, avoid over-buying, storing and labelling food correctly, help the environment
and benefit the local community. WRAP estimated 21% of food waste was due to
spoilage. It’s important now to have a stock management and rotation system in place.
You could even set up a link with a local charity to donate leftover meals to those in
need (i.e. elderly, vulnerable or children, given schools are not predicted to go back until
1st June and this, of course, will be subject to parents being reassured there is no risk
to their return). More information

10. Digital Communications | DISPLAY

The right screens in the right places are now an essential. Follow the lead of high street
retailers, like McDonalds, with well-positioned screens, clearly and prominently
communicating important customer updates, as well as investing in personalisation,
artificial intelligence, voice recognition and developing a customer engagement app. 

During a health crisis, ensuring the quality of food production is important, as

sanitation is more crucial now than ever. Limiting the contact between food and
those who prepare it is vital, thus reimagining the production process is a key
step. This stricter system has been utilised by many, including Wildflour
Restaurant where wearing masks is imposed as well as frequent temperature
checks. For the Foodee Global group, Eric Dee shares that they have streamlined
the cooking process to lessen the contact between food and personnel. In The
Moment Group, Abba Napa tells us that all of their staff undergo health checks
before coming into work.
Every team member must complete a daily health check before entering our shops. Whether in the
kitchen or on the floor, our lean teams practice social distancing of atleast three feet, wash their hands
every 30 minutes, and disinfect themselves regularly

— Abba Napa