Your Guide to Navigating the Omicron Wave
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re facing another curveball: the Omicron variant.
In many states, COVID-19 cases are spiking, shutdowns are beginning, and restaurants are facing hard decisions about how to successfully navigate this next wave. Interpreting ever-evolving CDC guidelines, deciding on how (or whether) to close indoor dining, and charting a course for 2022 is leaving many restaurant owners and operators understandably unsure of how to run their businesses.
Despite this uncertainty, the industry persists. Many owners and operators are successfully adapting their operations – yet again – to keep orders coming in all while looking out for the health and safety of their staff and guests.
Some restaurants are tapping into lessons learned earlier on during the pandemic. Since March 2020, many restaurants have not only adopted but optimized digital ordering channels like online ordering, curbside pickup, and contactless delivery. Others are rethinking their business models and finding innovative ways to diversify their revenue streams. Some have also successfully revamped their approach to staff management – all the more critical during The Great Resignation.
Every restaurant is different, of course. Each requires a personalized action plan for the coming months. But with ever-changing guidelines and new cases, the situation surrounding the Omicron variant is shifting by the moment. And you need to prepare as best you can.
You’ve gotten this far by staying on your toes and adapting in the face of overwhelming change.
In this guide to navigating the Omicron wave, we've outlined five steps to follow as you navigate your restaurant through the complexities of yet another surge:
Step 1: Maintain a Clean and Healthy Workplace
Step 2: Incorporate Tech to Offset Staffing Shortages and Prevent Burnout
Step 3: Use Online Ordering and Delivery to Drive Revenue
Step 4: Gain Insight into Changing Inventory Costs and Product Availability
Step 5: Drive Repeat Business with a 2022 Marketing Plan
The following five sections are filled with expertly authored resources, tools, and articles that will help you and your team not merely survive, but thrive in spite of Omicron.
DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only. It is neither legal nor tax advice. If you have specific legal, accounting, or tax questions, you should consult your attorney, accountant, or tax advisor, as appropriate.
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FEATURED RESOURCES
Step 1: Maintain a Clean and Healthy Workplace
RESOURCE Restaurant Reopening Checklist
Learn how to approach reopening your restaurant during COVID-19 with this 78-item checklist.
Step 2: Incorporate Tech to Offset Staffing Shortages and Prevent Burnout
RESTAURANT RESOURCE Training Manual Template
Use this restaurant training manual template, a customizable Word Doc, to provide your staff with the rules, guidelines, and clarity they need to do their jobs efficiently.
We’ve always been a family, and here in Guelaguetza, we’ve always treated people as such. I remember the first few weeks when nobody knew what was going on. We'd have people lined up here and we’d take care of them. And I think that goes a long way.
Step 3: Use Online Ordering and Delivery to Drive Revenue
RESOURCE Restaurant Website Checklist
This template will help you update and optimize your website, so guests can easily find and order from you.
Step 4: Gain Insight into Changing Inventory Costs and Product Availability
RESOURCE Par Inventory Sheet Template
Seamlessly track inventory with the help of this customizable par inventory sheet template.
Step 5: Drive Repeat Business with a 2022 Marketing Plan
RESOURCE Guide to Restaurant Social Media Marketing
Learn how to optimize your social media presence to showcase your brand, tell your story, attract new customers, and engage with your audience.
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