The restrictions imposed by the authorities had a significant effect on the revenues of restaurants during the pandemic. Many restaurants closed due to low revenues. The industry saw sales at the end of 2020 go below its pre-pandemic forecast.
Restaurants had to implement measures to prevent infection among their customers and employees. And after the economy started to recover, many restaurants worked on improving their revenue even though the pandemic was not yet over. Here are some ways for restaurants to increase their revenue during the pandemic.
Optimize the Menu
At the height of the pandemic, people stayed home and had food delivered by their favorite restaurants. Restaurants that catered mainly to dine-in patrons should adjust their menu to optimize them for deliveries. They should make sure the food they deliver remains fresh and looks appetizing when it reaches the customer.
Restaurant owners should also check the items on their menu that are not moving. If these items are not popular in their market, they should remove them to reduce inventory costs. It also makes it easy for their customers to choose the items they want to buy. Additionally, restaurants should adjust their prices to take into account market trends.
Go Online
Similar to many industries, restaurants should connect with their customers online. This means they should optimize their websites to increase their online presence. They should also make ordering easy by creating a mobile application.
Restaurants should also work with food aggregators to expand their market. Even though the fees that these aggregators charges are high, the benefits restaurants get outweigh the commission that these food delivery apps charge.
Prepare for the New Normal Dining Experience
With the situation becoming better over a year after the pandemic started, many people are going out again. While some people have started to visit their favorite restaurants, others are still wary due to the emergence of new variants of the virus. So, restaurants should take the necessary measures to ensure customers’ safety if they patronize their establishment.
With this, restaurant owners should increase the dining area in their restaurant. If indoor space is limited, restaurant owners should consider expanding their al fresco dining area. They should look for reliable PVC plastic sheet suppliers in their areas. Using this material is cost-effective since it is durable and affordable. Once they have the material, restaurant owners should build a roof over a part of the restaurant’s parking area to extend its dining area.
Restaurants should also clean and sanitize their dining area regularly. Setting up handwashing stations in strategic areas in the restaurant is also a good idea. Additionally, restaurants should continue offering delivery and takeout services to cater to the needs of their market.
Use Social Media Platforms
Around 72 percent of American adults use social media platforms. Due to this, restaurant owners should use social media marketing to connect with their customers. They should create an account on different social media platforms and work on reaching their target market.
They should offer discounts and promote a loyalty program through their social media accounts to entice potential customers to buy their products. Incentivizing orders also increases the appeal of the restaurant to its market.
Restaurants should also encourage existing customers to share their posts to expand their reach in the market. Due to this, restaurant owners should create engaging posts that promote this behavior among their customers.
Incorporating social media into the restaurant’s ordering system also increases its sales channel since it allows customers to order through the restaurant’s social media accounts.
Offer Catering Services
Restaurants should also offer catering services for customers to increase their revenue channel. The service also improves the restaurant’s cash flow since they do not have to rely on delivery and dine-in services.
The catering service also expands the market of the restaurant. The service allows the restaurant to target companies and organizations with upcoming events requiring a catering service. But restaurants should have a separate menu for their catering service since preparing food for these events require a different approach from dine-in or delivery service food preparation.
Modify the Kitchen
Restaurants should also modify the kitchen layout to allow them to fulfill dine-in and delivery orders at the same time. This is necessary to ensure the restaurant does not lose potential revenue from these services. If the restaurant offers catering services, it should ensure that the kitchen can accommodate the bulk food preparation required for these services.
The pandemic made it necessary for the restaurant industry to make adjustments to stay afloat and thrive during a health crisis.