How are you planning to prepare your venue for reopening once government restrictions are lifted?
The hospitality and leisure industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. We are slowly starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Businesses are being advised to prepare to reopen, with enhanced hygiene practices and social distancing in place.
So what will the future of the night-time industry look like, and what rules and regulations must businesses follow to ensure the safety of their staff and customers? Prepare your venue for “the new normal” with the advice below.
Official guidance and advice
- The Food Standards Agency has released official reopening guidance to help food businesses reopen safely. From reviewing your Food Safety Management System right through to implementing social distancing measures, all the information you need to know can be found here.
- UKHospitality have launched daily updates for hospitality businesses. To sign up, click here.
- Pubs are urging the UK government to revise strict 2 metre social distancing rules. The official WHO guidelines advise a 1 metre distance is sufficient, which could assist in allowing hospitality and leisure businesses to reopen safely. Research suggests this would allow around 120% more pubs to be able to reopen.
- Though previous statements suggested pubs, hotels and restaurants would be allowed to reopen from 4th July at the earliest, the government are now considering an earlier reopening.
- UK Hospitality’s draft recommendations, which were submitted to the government, will help hospitality businesses gather ideas on how to reopen safely.
Useful technology
- My Smart Bar is a new technology allowing smaller venues to operate an app ordering system. Customers can browse your menu and order on the app from their table. The app is particularly cost-effective too – you’ll pay an initial set-up fee of £99 and then just one penny per order.
- Wireless Social in collaboration with Purple AI is offering a comprehensive track and trace solution. It will provide guests with a unique code, removing the burden on operators. If you aren’t already running Wireless Social, the company are offering vendors the chance to join the network for free for up to three months in order to access the solution.
Insights and opinion
- How might pub kitchens be able to operate with social distancing in place? This article provides some expert opinion on the subject.
- Brewdog’s 10-step plan will help keep members of the public safe once they are allowed to reopen. Will other businesses follow suit? These measures include contactless ordering or cashless payments, PPE for staff, visible signage and guidance, enhanced hygiene measures, different furniture layouts, single-use menus and more.
- Businesses are already diversifying their offering to include takeout options and incorporating outdoor seating. Will the future of hospitality remain outdoors for the foreseeable?
- Read Philip Kolvin QC’s thoughts on the future of the leisure industry. The article explores how can we work together to respond, recover and restore.
- Access Hospitality have released an e-book on social distancing guidelines for the industry.
Spotted some useful guidance or an opinion piece others in the industry ought to know about? Get in touch to let us know. We’ll be updating this article regularly with news and insight from the industry.
