What's the New Normal for the Restaurant Industry?
COVID-19 has directly affected practically every industry on Earth. And restaurants—once critical social hubs—are feeling the brunt of those changes. Social distancing, curbside pickup, and now contactless dining have shifted dining and hospitality culture more in the past five or six months than nearly anything has in the five decades prior.
Restaurants were never just about the food. The food was even sometimes an afterthought for many of us. For countless years, restaurants served as the backdrops for everything from first dates to golden anniversaries. You'd celebrate victories with your kids after a challenging soccer match. Your old college friends would meet you for some catching up. Birthdays, graduations, celebrating promotions at work ... restaurants were the go to spot for it all.
These important social gathering hotspots were forced in the age of COVID to adapt to a new normal: social distancing. Restaurants have become more reliant on food delivery apps like Doordash, Grubhub, and UberEats. Waitstaff are bringing meals to cars via curbside pickup rather than tables. And now there’s “contactless dining,” where eat-in customers are limiting their exposure to staff using technology.
This newfound need for social distancing is leading many restaurants to offer outdoor dining options. The fresh air is healthier, and social distancing outdoors is always a better option than doing it inside. And adding contactless dining improves the customer experience even more.
What is Contactless Dining?
A new tech-driven solution to social distancing is that of contactless dining. First, customers scan a QR code or NFC tag found on a sticker on their table. This allows them to view the menu, place their orders, and pay for their meals. And they do all of this without physical objects changing hands between diners and staff. A customer without a smartphone can alternatively use a tablet owned by the restaurant.
Several companies now offer contactless dining solutions. Presto, Bentobox, Zomato, Sevenrooms, and several other companies each offer their own takes on contactless dining, with kits (some of which are free for restaurants) that enable contactless dining functionality without the nightmare of juggling endpoint management solutions and complex website overhauls. These software platforms seamlessly integrate with compatible POS (point of sale) systems already in use by restaurants.
Despite COVID, some restaurants are thriving after adapting to these changes. And while diners may miss the atmosphere of their favorite establishments, many have welcomed the changes, too. What's not to love about enjoying restaurant quality meals at home?
Optimal Social Distancing with Contactless Outdoor Dining
Restaurants embracing social distancing protocols and looking for ways to keep their customers as safe as possible might not consider contactless dining by itself to be enough. Distancing laws vary from one state to the next; some restaurateurs might find themselves wanting to go a few steps beyond what local and state laws mandate.
We’ve all heard that outdoor dining is generally considered safer than indoor dining. And unless you’re operating a five-star restaurant with a cutting edge HVAC system, chances are dining outdoors in fresh air will be the safer bet for your customers ten times out of ten.
Some restaurants are utilizing party tents to create festive, aesthetically pleasing open-air dining spaces outdoors. And when you couple these party tents with contactless dining elements, you end up with brilliant customer spacing that perfectly respects the need for social distancing.
Creating these contactless outdoor dining spaces is easy and cost effective. Simply set up a few larger frame tents (or several smaller, cheaper ones). Add tent sidewalls, tent heaters, and tent lighting to vastly improve comfort levels inside the tents and help them stay usable throughout more of the year.
Last but not least, drop in some folding tables and folding chairs, decorated to your liking, and voila! A contactless outdoor dining experience that your staff can easily handle setting up for guests.
Give us a call today at 1-716-832-8368 and let us help you find the perfect party tents, party tables, and party chairs you can use to create a memorable outdoor contactless dining experience. Our team will gladly walk you through the various tents, tables, and chairs we have to offer and help you find the perfect options for your space. And don’t forget to ask about our financing options and our regular sales!