The New Normal: Tech-driven Dining

The Restaurant Industry is Making Lemonade out of Lemons

While COVID-19 has had an immense impact on a wide range of industries, few have been harder hit than the hospitality industry. Restaurants, in particular, were immediate victims and felt the financial impact early on in March, with 78% reporting lower total sales volume and 92% of operators expressing serious worry about the fate of their operations. For an industry that contributes 4% to Canada’s annual GDP, these numbers are devastating. However, many resilient operators, and steps taken by the industry as a whole over the past few months have illustrated how they are able to make lemonade out of lemons – food service pun intended.

The New Way Forward

Restaurants have proven resilient and responsive, implementing novel ways of keeping staff and customers safe amidst the new normal. Digital menus, online and web ordering, and stringent new cleaning measures have all been added to many dining establishments virtually overnight, demonstrating the adaptability and grit of the industry and its operators. Through the use of several Covid-19 Safety Solutions outlined below, offering remote or socially distanced services in alignment with government requirements and customer demands, restaurants are bouncing back and keeping guests happy and safe. To illustrate just what we mean, the four offerings outlined below are examples of the innovative ways restaurants are using technology to enable their businesses to thrive going forward.

How to Ensure Safer Interactions with your Customers

Contactless Ordering and Payment

“17% of diners in Q2 2020 are ordering their food through mobile or web-based applications compared to 5% in Q1 2020” (Source: Technomic Ignite consumer brand metrics data)

Many restaurants now offer contactless ordering and payment, whether via mobile or web or both. Aside from the socially distanced benefits, this technology has become a staple for on-the-go customers looking to be as efficient as possible and allows restaurants to provide several ordering options and increase revenue streams. The technology is easy to install into existing POS terminals and makes taking or making payments easier and more seamless than ever.

Self-Serve & Temperature Screening Kiosks

Temperature Screening Kiosks are an innovative response to an unexpected set of circumstances. The kiosk not only provides a safer shopping experience for guests, but also for your business’s team members. Equipped with an infrared temperature sensor, these devices provide an alert if an individual is running a fever – preventing contamination within your business.

Cashier Safety Shields

By now, customers and businesses alike are familiar with the use of cashier shields – a simple and easy-to-install solution that provides both customers and team members with immediate relief while doing business. Not only that but the design is curved, adjustable, high quality and easy to clean to provide maximum protection while being space-saving, which ensures easy customer access to payment terminals, scanners and receipt printers.

Sanitizer Stations

This final offering has become customary in most retail and other business settings. Sanitizer stations are highly useful in environments with high footfall, or those that are especially hygiene-sensitive like healthcare. Much like the Covid-19 Shield, this offering is easy and cost-effective to install, and provides a simple and solid solution for customers looking to receive service in the new normal.

Key Takeaways

When operating a restaurant, making sure your customers are safe is a number one priority. The use of any of these solutions can help prevent a Covid-19 outbreak – an essential, given anything other than safe operations could cost you hundreds of thousands due to anything from lost sales revenue, to sick employees, to total store closures. These solutions enable businesses to operate as close to “normal” as currently possible, ensuring they are able to do what they do best: providing customers with smooth and high-quality service, always.

For more information about Volanté’s Covid-19 Safety Solutions or to purchase any of the offerings outlined above, Contact us.