100 ideas for the Food & Beverage industry post COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis led to major structural and operational changes for the restaurant industry, from the implementation of new health standards to adaptation to new customer expectations. We offer 100 ideas to allow independent restaurateurs or operating in hotels to meet these challenges and choose from this list the most suitable ideas for their activity.

PART I. Back of House

Hotel Kitchen

Train employees and display new sanitary measures in the kitchen
Buy local products and communicate with the customers
Control products traceability
Reduce food waste with Winnow Solutions technology
Set quantifiable targets for reducing food waste
Wearing a mask for cooks (linen mask for more comfort) and all other employees until the obligation is lifted
Ensure regular hand washing with a timer
Review the goods reception protocol (floor marking) and prohibit anyone from outside to enter into the kitchen (supplier/delivery person, etc.)
Remove packaging before storage or disinfect what cannot be unpacked
Wash all products coming into the kitchen (for fresh food, do not wash them with a cleaning product, but leave them 24h in the fridge before their use)
Reconditioning of all goods received in cleaned containers (plastic or stainless steel) before storage

Hotel Management and adaptation of the business model

Stay informed of the latest state support measures (example: State guaranteed bank loans) and regulations
Stay informed about the support measures for your region and your city (example: exemption from certain taxes, including the public domain occupancy charges for terraces and stands) and local regulations
Find out about partial unemployment measures and their duration
Ensure the permanent supply of consumables items (hydro-alcoholic gel, wipes, soaps, gloves, masks, trash bags, etc.)
Establish a partnership with bicycle delivery companies
Offer takeaway meals to compensate for the decrease in seating
Display the takeaway menu outside the restaurant and on the restaurant’s website
Ecological and quality packaging for takeaway and delivery dishes (adapt the meals so that they are easily transportable and keep good quality once delivered)
Offer tutorials on the internet to explain how to reheat the food
Provide takeaway meals at collection points at local shops (click and collect model)
Offer homemade derivative products, for example, delicatessen
Offer baskets of (organic) products with a recipe (to be cooked online afterwards with the chef)
Offer picnic baskets
Create vouchers payable in advance for loyal customers who want to support the restaurant
Reduce the menu offer to avoid losses and implement daily specials
Prioritize seasonal products
Partner with local producers

Hotel Sanitary / Cleaning during COVID-19 crisis

Establish and display a restaurant cleaning/disinfection plan, visible to customers to reassure them
Materialize by marking on the ground or any other ways, the distance of at least 1 to 2 meters between clients and employees
Remove the waste regularly
Use bins with lid and pedal
Check more often and regularly the cleaning of the toilets
Permanently check the presence of soaps and paper hand drying napkins (unplug air dryers)
Adapt the ventilation/air circulation system to new sanitary standards. Contact professionals for appropriate advice
Train all employees in new sanitary procedures (update the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, also called HACCP, if necessary). Control and retrain
Establish a health chart to follow and involve employees in its establishment (letter to sign)
Mention Safety and Health clause in the new employee contracts
Apply the ‘job advice posters’ of your Ministry of Labor (often available on the internet)
Organize meals for staff on a different schedule
Avoid personal items (cellular phone, bags, etc.) in the restaurant and the kitchen
Wash uniforms on-site preferably or make sure the uniforms are washed at 60 degrees and transport in a closed packaging
Define the number of people who can have lunch together and leave only the amount of chairs needed
Mark the chair location on the ground
Clean the employee room (surfaces or equipment in contact with the hands) after each break
Pedal taps in the toilets and at the bar
Swing doors or automatic door opening (including bathrooms)
Prefer furniture made of aluminium, steel, sky or any material that can be easily disinfected
Prefer tables and bar tables with a rapidly disinfectable surface

PARTIE II. Front of house

Give priority on reservations to avoid unforeseen groups
Have an online reservation system
Have a pre-order system via mobile app or restaurant website
Extend hours of operation and service
Give priority to outdoor spaces and have signs and floor markings. Control the flow of clients to avoid overcrowding (safety first, but it is also part of your reputation too)
Implement an uninterrupted service and spread out customer arrivals
Have a hydroalcoholic gel dispenser available at the restaurant entrance, on the tables and at the toilet entrance (adapt this measure to the type of establishment, for example upper-luxury hotels will prefer more personalized options)
Provide a mask to your customers if needed
Take the temperature of customers upon arrival
Establish a unique and logical flow of circulation in the restaurant to prevent people from crossing paths
Provide a cloakroom at the entrance and avoid coats in the restaurant
Take customer contact details to ensure contamination tracking/traceability if necessary
Use the COVID-19 tracing applications but consider the right of privacy of each individual
Respect the distance between tables
Install customers in staggered rows on rectangular tables
Place individual disinfectant wipes on the tables
Install a screen between tables when social distancing is not possible
Install a plexiglass display case in front of the bar
Eliminate unnecessary items on the tables
Invite the customer to download the menu to their mobile phone using a QR code
Display the menu on a blackboard or overhead projection on the wall
Display the drinks menu behind the bar
Display the bottles of wine/alcohol on a wine list
Post the origin of the products and goods to inform the customers
Eliminate dressing items on tables or have individual portions of salt and pepper
Avoid aperitifs (e.g., chips, peanuts) to share on the table
Wearing of the gloves according to the type of service while being very vigilant about regular hands disinfection
Place drinks on the table and let the customers refill their glasses
Serve individual bread in a paper bag or on request
Place the cutlery wrapped in a napkin or in a paper envelop
Protect cheese and dessert carts with plexiglass windows
Take orders on an electronic device with instant impression in the kitchen and at the bar
Have a light signal when the toilets are occupied to avoid too much traffic in the restaurant
Send the bill via a mobile application directly to the customer’s phone
Add to the electronic bill an online customer satisfaction questionnaire (including hygiene to improve) to be returned by the customer within 24 hours, and act on it
Prefer contactless payment and disinfect the bank card machine after each use
For hotels, develop the room service offer
Target/broaden your clientele base to local customers
Offer plate service only
Prioritize the portions on a plate and individual portions on the buffet (if buffets are allowed)
Develop Show Cooking and Live Station to maintain a buffet and avoid the touch/contact with customers. Install plexiglass screens and sneeze guards to protect the food from customer
Carry out feedback and share experiences of the uncertainties of the day to adapt the procedures and measures initially planned
Be present and active on social media and update the website to inform customers on the hygiene and sanitary measures taken in relation to COVID-19 (have an Instagram page, post stories and photos…)
Work with e-reputation and digital communication agencies or train an employee
Know and contact influencers on social media to develop local customers and compensate for the loss of international clientele
Have proactive communication: newsletters and emails sent to customers to reassure them and encourage them to come safely to the establishment

Creative ideas Out of The Box

Write the servers’ first name on their masks
Draw a smile on the waiters’ mask
Concept PLEX’EAT from Christophe Gernigon
Film the kitchen and project live on a screen in the restaurant
Have an open kitchen to the room or glazed

Written by

Marie-Amélie PONS Roinson, École Hôtelière de Lausanne Alumna and Stéphanie Fichter, Hospitality Management Consultant, with the participation of Eliana Levine, Vani van Nielen, Larina Maira Laube, and Paloma Guerra École Hôtelière de Lausanne Students and Alumna.

Global Asset Solutions, your key partner in hotel asset management, has partnered with a team of three students and two graduates from l’École Hôtelière de Lausanne, with the collaboration of Remy Rein (EHL Lecturer). We are working together to compile best practices to help hotel owners and operators to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. By combining diligent research, expert opinions, and our own experiences, we will be publishing the best practices on the most current topics facing our industry.

Co-Published with Alex Sogno (CEO – Senior Hotel Asset Manager at Global Asset Solutions). Mr Sogno began his career in New York City after graduating with honours at Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland. He joined HVS International New York, and he established a new venture at the Cushman & Wakefield headquarters in Manhattan. In 2005, Mr Sogno began working for Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI), founded by HRH Prince Al-Walid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud member of the Saudi Royal family, and asset managed various hotels including Four Seasons, Fairmont, Raffles, Mövenpick, and Swissôtel. He also participated in the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of KHI at the London Stock Exchange as well as the Dubai International Financial Exchange. Mr Sogno is also the co-writer of the ‘Hotel Asset Management’ textbook second edition published by the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA), the American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute, and the University of Denver. He is the Founder of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association Asia Pacific (HAMA AP) and Middle East Africa (HAMA MEA).

Thank you to the Food & Beverage professionals who shared their vision with us:

Morad El Hajjaji, Restaurant INDA-BAR, Geneva, Switzerland
Patrick Ogheard, Associate Dean, Practical Art, École Hôtelière de Lausanne