RESERVATIONS ABOUT DINING IN

Everyone and every business has been impacted by the pandemic. Restaurants across the country were forced to limit their service to delivery and drive thru or cease operations entirely. Many independent operators have made the decision to close their doors for good. While larger national and regional chains have found ways to adapt and survive.

Now, as all states begin to ease restrictions and reopen their economies, restaurant brands are struggling to determine when and how to welcome guests back into their dining rooms. Mandates, regulations and guidelines differ from state to state, making it extremely difficult to plan systemwide practices. Then there’s the issue of hiring new employees and retraining furloughed employees on new procedures to meet state requirements for safety and cleanliness. No small task.

As difficult as those challenges may be, at least they are things the restaurant can control. The greater challenge is the change in consumer attitudes and habits. Studies suggest that most consumers continue to have strong reservations about making reservations at any restaurant. As many as 52% say it will be 3-6 months before they are comfortable returning for dine-in service. And some say they may never return.

Restaurants must find a way to regain consumer trust and make them feel safe inside their restaurants again. Most are making physical changes to raise confidence. Spacing out tables, adding hand sanitizer stations, expanding outdoor dining, limiting condiments and point of sale on tables, plastic barriers between stations and at check out, just to name a few. McDonald’s is taking things a step further by adding foot pulls to their doors to minimize hand contact.

According to a recent Sense 360 study, these are the top 5 things consumers want their restaurants to do:

1. Sanitize tables and chairs between guests
2. Post health policies visibly in the front of the restaurant
3. Conduct temperature and wellness checks for employees
4. Add curbside pickup (if not previously available)
5. Add delivery (if not previously available)

Even more intrusive measures like checking customer temperatures before allowing them to enter the restaurant received a surprising 41% positive response in the May 15, 2020 study. This demonstrates the severity of the challenge to win back consumer loyalty. Don’t do enough and consumers will be nervous. Do too much and they may be annoyed. Striking the right balance for your customer will be essential.

While restaurants must make changes to address the changing concerns of consumers, they must also remember what attracted customers to their brand in the first place. They must stay true to their brand and demonstrate authentic care for their customers. It must be genuine, not robotic. Remember that dining out is more than just sustenance. At its heart, dining out is a social event that nourishes the soul as well as the body. People crave human interaction. Now more than ever.

Many restaurant brands will try a value play to attract customers. Deals, discounts and promotions have their place, but restaurants that make their guests most comfortable will be the ones that succeed. Keeping a close eye on consumer attitudes and changing sentiment will also be more important than ever.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that consumer habits don’t just change over time, they can change overnight. The current situation is still very fluid. Even our hard-earned progress could be upended by a resurgence of the virus. Being nimble and proactive are traits that will serve the industry well in the coming months.