COVID-19 has affected virtually every person and business on the planet. In addition to the millions of infections and thousands of deaths, the pandemic has disrupted countless aspects of our day-to-day lives.
It’s safe to say bars and restaurants have gotten hit especially hard. Unfortunately, available evidence shows that COVID-19 seems to spread indoors and that restaurants and bars are hotspots for this spread.
The good news is that this spread gets minimized by shifting dining to outdoors. This has forced restaurants and bars to make significant changes to their operations.
Here are some ways dining establishments can create outdoor seating with minimal investments:
Purchase tents: No matter how gorgeous your weather is, you will need to protect from the beating sun or the elements, including rain. Thankfully, these tents don’t have to be incredibly expensive or fancy – as long as they protect your customers, they will get the job done. Furthermore, you should be able to get a tent that fits your decor and your branding. Tents like those available at Instent.com are customizable and can provide whatever your needs are.
Create newly dedicated dining areas outside: Many restaurants don’t have outdoor dining areas, or suddenly need to expand what they already have. Fortunately, there are ways you can easily do this. Using tents and barriers, you should be able to create a set-up that allows you to create dining areas. A parking lot is an ideal location for this, as limiting your parking will also reduce your overall capacity – something you likely need to do anyway to comply with local restrictions. When you are creating these outdoor seating areas, make sure to keep social distancing in mind and allow for the safe passage of waiters and servers. You also want to make sure that you keep tables at least six feet apart.
Check local code options: Under normal circumstances, shifting vast chunks of your operation outside would be a big no-no, as most local governments have stringent rules about where you can and cannot sit. However, these are obviously not normal times. Many governments have temporarily waved requirements or regulations against outdoor dining. As such, your best bet is to check with your local unit of government and see what sort of rules they have in place. The odds are good that they will be able to accommodate your new and temporary seating arrangements, but you should check with them to make sure you aren’t violating any laws.
Create pick-up and delivery areas: In a situation like this, space will be at a premium. Furthermore, you will want to keep the dining atmosphere as comfortable as possible and as much like pre-COVID times as you can. As such, do what you can to create a separate delivery and pick up area. This will keep customers and delivery drivers moving from one location to another and will help to ensure that they stay out of the way of your seated guests. Just like with your new dining space, make sure that you monitor for social distancing. You may want to install markers on the ground that are six feet apart to allow for people to safely stand in line when waiting on their food.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.