Restaurants during Covid

 How the Pandemic Changed the Way Restaurants Work

It’s been nearly two years since we saw the beginnings of COVID-19. Restaurants and take-aways, once the pillar of a good night out, has seen a major change since the start of the pandemic. However, in those two years, the hospitality industry, particularly restaurants, have seen a huge shift in the way they operate.

The food and beverage service industry produced a turnover of £78 billion in 2019 alone. It’s become a backbone of British culture with restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world lining up, waiting for a customer to come in.

We saw the first national lockdown take place in late March 2020. Strict rules meant that only essential shops were allowed to be open. The hospitality industry took a big hit. However, this also pushed restaurants to start being inventive in the way they market themselves.

The easing of restrictions in July 2020 meant that restaurants and takeaways could finally reopen and set to work in this ‘new normal’. This also meant that they had to adapt fast to the new restrictions surrounding COVID-19.

It’s not just the mask mandates and various hand sanitiser stations popping up that changed around the restaurant industry.

The service trade requires a lot of contact with its customers from serving customers, to delivering orders. New restrictions pushed restaurants to go as contactless as possible. Some restaurants have started to only accept card payments or have become reluctant to take cash.

Others have gone further by creating no-touch digital menus. By using QR codes, customers are able to order exactly what they want without being in contact with a member of staff.

Another major tool that restaurants have utilised during the pandemic was social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have always been important to businesses. However, the start of the official lockdowns really pushed for them to use these platforms to push their business further afield.

Suddenly, TikTok feeds were filled with restaurant staff performing trending dances, Twitter saw the professional business accounts start to get a lot more personal with their customer base, and Instagram started showing the behind the scenes along with the beautiful flat lays of delicious meals.

Seeing how your favourite food haunts were preparing for social distancing services opened many customers eyes to what goes on in the restaurant industry.

Now, the question to ask is, has the pandemic created a new side to how we view the restaurant industry?