IMPACT ON BUSINESS:

The food and beverage industry has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19. Normal
restaurant operations have shrinked and many businesses have been forced to pivot their
offerings in a bid to survive. It will take time to reassure its guests and build customer
satisfaction related to hygiene and safety standards. But one thing is for certain: change is
coming, and restaurants need to prepare.
Impact on Staff: It is crucial to prepare the staff in a way that they can deal with sick
patients, maintain daily health checklists, clean the delivery counter in regular intervals and
ensure that gloves, masks, hairnets and aprons are available for everyone. Every single staff
needs to be trained well and protocols are to be strictly followed as advised by our local
authorities. Rotate or stagger staff shifts and break times to limit the number of employees
working at the same time. Urge employees to stay home if they feel unwell.
Less Capacity: Apart from the safe and mutual understanding at both the ends, the industry
may face obstacles due to the restrictions in gathering and the hotels after opening doors
would have to maintain social distancing that will lead to operating on half the capacity of the
banquets, restaurants and lawns.
Extra Costs: Additional cost of advanced sanitation and safety equipment. Revenue might
shrink due to this
Shift to home-made meals: Competitor is home kitchen or home- made meals, so the
concept of home-made meals should be introduced which can attract customers.
Shift to contactless service: Robots / wooden planks, disposable menus etc for customers.
Disinfectant wipes on each table and removing common items like salt and normal tissue
papers. Encourage customers to use drive through, delivery or take out options. When taking
order, offer safe distancing operations. Customer chose no contact delivery option -
Customers prefer not touching package with bare hands but with gloves. If customer touch
the package, they prefer not touching the face. Delivery person leaves the order on door and
contacts customer to take the order from door. During dining, Presence of bar code scanner
to check the menu or disposable menus, utensils and condiments can be used.
Remember ABC: Always be Cleaning else customer may not prefer you.
Transparency of cleaning: Patrons will always be more comfortable and confident when
they can actually see the cleanliness and hygiene of a restaurant’s kitchen and its staff. So,
restaurants which have an uninhibited kitchen view, will subliminally send out more
welcome signals.
Innovative ways: Out of home breakfast is not such a big market in India, but then that is
where the inventiveness of good marketers will come. Besides full meal time menus, many
restaurants will offer in-between meals menus, snack menus, all-day menus and maybe even
late-night menus. Times, they are a changing.
Safe packaging: Branding will be identified through packaging and safety measures. After
news of a pizza delivery agent testing COVID-19 positive in south Delhi went viral and
raised alarm bells in the minds of the already terrified people. Customers prefer heated food
as virus can’t survive above 70 degree Celsius that is virus is susceptible to high
temperatures.
Shift to Digital: Presence on Zomato, Swiggy and other apps, moreover having more
contactless payments and delivery options. Presence on social media sites with appealing
visuals of new in-dining experience as Social media listening, also post pics on Zomato with
new normal experience of customers – zeroth and first moment of truth. Behind the scenes
video on social media sites and websites will be quite helpful for more transparency.
Physical Barriers: Install barriers such as sneeze guards or partitions at cash registers, host
stands etc.
Shift from finger bowls to washing hands and proper sanitization
Shift to wearing masks, cloves
FACTORS:
New normal factors:
 Temperature check for customer – Customers with higher temperature range should
not be allowed inside restaurant and should be given takeaways.
 Minimum distance of 6 feet - Presence of mannequins to accompany customers in
their leisure time and also presence of see through panels on tables for more friendly
and enjoyable experience. Change the layout of tables and chairs if no mannequins
can be used to assure social distancing. If it’s possible prefer outdoor seating.
 Sanitization of staff and the entire hotel area – sanitize door handles, phones, cash
registers, bathrooms, chairs, tables and countertops.
 Shift to contactless service – Robots / wooden planks, disposable menus, plates,
glasses Disinfectant wipes on each table and removing common items like salt and
normal tissue paper.
 Make sure that customer has downloaded Arogya setu application on phone and he
is fine as few people are asymptomatic.
 Staff following safety measures – masks, gloves and caps. If any staff is
claustrophobic or there is issue while communicating – they can use fish caps.
 Presence on social media sites with appealing visuals of new in-dining experience
- Social media listening Also post pics on Zomato with new normal experience of
customers – zeroth and first moment of truth
 Urge employees to stay home if they feel unwell
 Have enough supplies to support hygiene – soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels,
disinfectant wipes, masks and no touch trash cans
 Make the dining experience appealing using rock music
 Presence of bar code scanner to check the menu or disposable menus, utensils and
condiments can be used.
 Presence of website where customers can order sitting in restaurants and get
offers
 Notification for staff to wash hands through alarm – Request employees to wash
hands before, during and after preparing the food and after touching garbage. Instruct
them to wash hands at least for 20 seconds.
  Encourage customers to use drive through, delivery or take out options.
 Notification for customer to visit the restaurant in allotted time
 Courteous smile will be replaced by suspicious look and hushed whispers
 Install barriers such as sneeze guards or partitions at cash registers, host stands
etc.
 Rotate or stagger staff shifts and break times to limit the number of employees
working at the same time.
 Post signs and posters to promote healthy hygiene among staff
 Include messages about healthy hygiene while communicating with vendors and
customers

Food delivery factors

Online food delivery, the silver lining to the economic gloom set in by the coronavirus
pandemic, is likely to take a massive blow.
FACTORS:
 When taking order, offer safe distancing operations. Customer chose no contact
delivery option - Customers prefer not touching package with bare hands but with
gloves. If customer touch the package, they prefer not touching the face. Delivery
person leaves the order on door and contacts customer to take the order from door
 After order is ready, before being given to delivery guy his temperature is checked
 Delivery guy wears mask and gloves and use disinfectant spray
 Door dash delivery service is being used. Door Dash is an on-demand restaurant
delivery service. Door Dash was founded in 2013 and Door Dash is one of several
recently founded technology companies aiming to use logistics services to offer food
delivery from restaurants on-demand
 Customer prefer heated food as virus can’t survive above 70 degree Celsius that is
virus is susceptible to high temperatures.
 If cash on delivery, cash can be given in envelopes
 Branding will be identified through packaging and safety measures. After news of a
pizza delivery agent testing COVID-19 positive in south Delhi went viral and raised
alarm bells in the minds of the already terrified people.
 Brand loyalty can be affected by one bad customer review about the safety – zeroth
moment of truth. So, need to have good reviews on Zomato and Swiggy (which offers
contactless service) Food bloggers will first be writing about hygiene and safety,
then service, before they start to even talk about taste or presentation. 
 For online delivery – behind the scenes video on social media sites and websites will
be quite helpful for more transparency