How to run a restaurant in the face of uncertainty
The hospitality industry is being hit hard. With small margins, any sustained drop in covers has a big impact. Nearly every restaurant has felt the impact and preparing for likely shifts to come. No matter what scenario you’re in, OpenTable is here to offer steps you can take based on what we’re seeing in the industry at large.
Updated July 7, 2020
Guests’ behaviors are changing. You’ll want to stay in touch with guests who’ve already booked, while continuing to be discovered by those looking to dine out in cities where restaurants remain open.
People are understandably nervous. Make it easy for people to choose your restaurant and realign the way you operate during these uncharted times.
With closures for dine and an increase in delivery and takeout orders, you will likely have a shift in staffing needs and staff members are likely to be concerned. There are ways to take care of them.
The more you can do to go above and beyond to protect your guests and reassure them about your hygiene efforts, the better.
As the COVID-19 pandemic keeps people home and some cities, states, and countries limit restaurant operations, our community of nearly 60,000 restaurants faces unprecedented challenges. We’ve summarized the data from the restaurants on our platform of year-over-year seated diners and are updating it daily.
Andrea Johnston, OpenTable COO