Your Restaurant Reopening Checklist – The Questions You Need to Ask
Great news, it seems that more states are allowing restaurants and other gathering spaces to open as the weeks go on. If you’re in a location where restaurants are allowed to open once again, you probably have one main question – where do I start?
First and foremost, we’ll provide a warning because reopening doesn’t mean that everything will be normal again from the first day. Instead, you need to think about bringing back staff (or hiring a new team), getting in touch with suppliers to see if they’re open, implementing new cleaning and hygiene routines, and ordering all sorts of safety equipment for customers and staff.
With this in mind, we’ve broken down everything you need to remember before opening the restaurant doors once again. Here are the questions you need to ask in your restaurant reopening checklist!
The Staff
- Do you want to introduce an altered schedule? Or reopen to full hours? Try to go for a flexible system that will allow for adjustments as demand fluctuates.
- Are your current training materials good enough? Or should you think about creating new ones which include online ordering, sanitization, capacity, and other changes?
- Can you update your job description compared to previous recruitment drives to account for the changing environment?
- Can current employees recommend friends or former colleagues that are now available after the lockdown?
- Which employees from before 2020 were the best performers? Are they still on your roster?
- Do you need to update sick leave policies with the current COVID-19 pandemic?
- Have you considered the fact that staff members may be forced to isolate for 14 days? Do employees understand that they should stay at home while experiencing COVID-19 symptoms?
The Logistics
- Are all the same suppliers and ingredients available? If not, you may need to adjust the menu.
- Can you assess the profit and loss statement to reevaluate food costs and menu profitability?
- Are all vendors operating in the same way as before with delivery and turnaround time? Are they struggling to acquire certain ingredients?
- Can you remove tables and chairs to create an environment that encourages social distancing and instills confidence in guests?
- Do all employees understand how curbside collection and delivery procedures work?
- Do you have an ample supply of face masks, gloves, and all the protective equipment required for employees?
- Do all staff members know how to clean and sanitize surfaces correctly? This means both back-of-house and front-of-house. If you’re unsure, follow the guidelines and advice available in your state.
The Marketing
- Have you informed customers of your reopening schedule and the new protocol for cleaning, sitting down, ordering, etc.? This can be done through email marketing as well as on your website and social media channels.
- Have you created images and infographics for social media that you can post every so often to inform of important details?
- Will you offer special deals and promotions to those who want to order online or visit in-person?
The Opening Day
- Have you planned to limit capacity and keep guests a safe distance from one another? This goes for your opening night in addition to all future nights (including quiz nights, live band nights, and other events).
- Are you prepared for honest and open communication with all customers to ease concerns and welcome them safely? Important details include dining room protocols, ordering systems, menu changes, and safety procedures.
- Will you keep curbside collection and delivery for those not yet confident enough to visit?
- Have you prepared signs and warnings to help diners through the experience? Signage should help with one-way systems, restroom etiquette, seating arrangements, touching rules, and cleaning/sanitization notices.
- Do customers understand that ordering online for delivery is better than attending in-person when feeling unwell?
- Are procedures in place to sanitize stools, tables, chairs, POS terminals, payment devices, light switches, restrooms, the bar top, and all other surfaces? We recommend this after each customer or on a strict cleaning schedule.
- Can you prop the doors open to prevent customers and staff from having to touch the handle?
- Do you have hand sanitizing stations available for customers to use when at the host stand, restrooms, and bar?
- Do you have a crisis management plan just in case something goes wrong? This should include contacting the local health department, sheltering customers and staff, and closing the restaurant.
The POS System
- Have you updated the POS system to reflect any changes in pricing or ingredients that may have happened since closing?
- Are the online ordering settings up to date and will the stock management aspect be accurate as customers start to order their favorite dishes? Online ordering things to check include menu items, pick up procedures, prices, and hours.
- Do you have the right bank account linked for payments?
- Is the system and all terminals still connected to the network? We recommend checking all access points, modems, and routers necessary.
- Are all new staff on the system and ready to get working?
- Have you contacted your internet provider to check on performance and see if there’s anything you can do to boost it?
- Have you deactivated all old staff and removed access for ex-employees?
- Have you rebooted the terminals and gone through a sample order to check functionality?
- Are all POS terminals charged for the first day and are the batteries lasting as they should?
- Have you tested payments on swipers and EMV readers?
- Does the KDS feed through to the kitchen in the correct way and is it connected?
- Do all printers work with all terminals?
- Do you have the contact information ready for your POS system provider in case something goes wrong when reopening?
The Coming Weeks and Months
- Do you have a plan to expand capacity as the guidelines change? Although you might start with under 50% capacity, this will eventually increase (hopefully!).
- Is there a system in place for tracking disclosure forms and dealing with temperature checks?
- Do you have a reliable supplier in place to deal with fluctuating demand for protective equipment, hand sanitizer, gloves, and other safety equipment? As time goes on, we’re starting to realize that masks are one of the best ways to keep the country running while protecting the population.
- Do you have the resources to continue with takeout and delivery options? While some people are comfortable returning to the restaurant environment, others simply aren’t. Even when you can open to 100% capacity, this doesn’t mean you will achieve it immediately. Instead, prepare for increased demand for takeout and delivery.
- Can you spread risk by generating new revenue streams? Some examples include gift cards, merchandise, cocktail delivery, ingredient sales, and cooking classes (online or otherwise).
With this, you have a solid checklist to follow as you reopen the restaurant and move into the next phase of recovery. Good luck!