Before You Re-Open Your Restaurant, Read This

A note to restaurant operators from Results Thru Strategy Founder Fred LeFranc:

Today, the majority of America’s restaurant owners are waiting for their governors to utter the words: “Open up the dining-room doors.” In preparation, many are no doubt also wondering: What are the proper protocols for re-opening apart from social-distancing, which means fewer tables and chairs.

To help owners as they undertake this crucial task of re-opening, my company, Results Thru Strategy, and HUB International Insurance Services created a useful guide that offers a safe plan to re-open a restaurant. It’s important to note that we’ve written it as a supplement to state and local guidelines — and that we will be updating the e-document as rules change the requirements for restaurants and bars.

“An Incomplete Guide to Re-thinking, Re-imagining, and Re-opening Your Restaurant” is designed to follow your guests on their journey through your dining room, from greeting to goodbye. It does so through a series of important checklists: Pre-arrival, Arrival, Seating, Kitchen Operations and Serving.

The Guest Journey section itself details key elements and touch points. It will help you understand why training your staff to apply them will lead to positive guest experiences.

We realize that today many restaurant operators may be reluctant to re-open their restaurants. The danger inherent in COVID-19 disease would appear to outweigh taking a chance on infecting employees and customers. We sympathize with that position.

Yet we are also convinced that by following guidelines influenced by medical science restaurants can safely operate their on-premise dining services. That means you can finally get back to doing what you to do best: Providing sustenance and community for all.