The COVID-19 Issue

The Long Road to Rebuilding Restaurants

Chart a course for the winter months.


Winter is on the horizon, and for restaurants in most states, this means cold weather. And with the cold comes a slew of questions with no easy answers.


Despite this, the community continues to persist, with owners and operators charting a course and figuring out how they can adapt operations to keep their businesses running and communities fed.


Some restaurants are tapping into early lessons from those who found success during COVID-19 by not only adopting, but optimizing, digital ordering channels like online ordering, curbside pickup, and contactless delivery. Others are rethinking their business models and finding ways to diversify their revenue streams.


Every restaurant is different and will require a different action plan for the coming months. But even if your restaurant’s not in a cold-weather city or state, the situation surrounding COVID-19 could shift at any time. And you need to be prepared.


We've created this special issue to arm restaurant people with actionable information and insights, covering monitoring your metrics, prepping your space, managing your staff through this tough time, and more.


You’ve gotten this far by staying on your toes and adapting in the face of overwhelming change. These same skills will serve you and the community well as we continue on this long road to recovery. Together, we can rebuild our industry.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Industry News

Your Guide to the Restaurant Guest During COVID-19

700+ restaurant guests share how their expectations have changed during the COVID-19 health crisis.

Operations

How to Pivot to Takeout and Delivery During COVID-19

Restrictions around COVID-19 are changing quickly every day. Here's how to adapt your service model to the situation as it stands.

Restarting Your Restaurant Operations

Industry News

How to Come Back from A Restaurant Closure

If you were subject to a forced restaurant closure, here are the steps you can take to weather the storm and eventually reopen.

Operations

Should You Have a Soft Opening?

The soft opening — a curated experience special to this one night — tests your operations and showcases the best you've got.

Operations

How to Open a Restaurant With No Money

When you're starting a restaurant, access to funding is hard to come by. Here are some creative ways restaurateurs have got started.

Accounting

How to Balance a Restaurant Budget

After you set your restaurant budget, balancing month-to-month cash flow can be complex. We spoke with restaurateurs about how they keep their costs in check.

Prepping Your Space

Training

How to Clean a Restaurant

Here are some tips from the front lines to make sure your cleaning routine creates an atmosphere that keeps your customers, and the health department, happy.

Training

Train Your Team With a Server Side Work Checklist

Keeping everyone accountable just got easier.

Training

How to Make the Health Inspector Happy

Is your restaurant up to code? Learn how to train your team to avoid these common health code violations.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Culture and community are two cornerstones on which Black Sheep has been built, but we have never been truly tested before. And I can hand-on-heart say that now we have, and I have never been prouder of what we have built here.

Syed Asim Hussain, Co-Founder, Black Sheep Restaurants

Operations

Nina Compton Is Not Giving Up

We spoke to the Top Chef about how she's running her business during a global pandemic. “We need each other during these times."

Operations

There’s Always Room at Briana Riddock’s Table

Riddock didn't start in traditional kitchens, but her passion and grit shine through in the intimate dining events she hosts in her hometown of Atlanta.

Operations

Herb & Beet Gets Creative to Bring in Revenue with Restaurant Reopening on Hold

When the shutdowns started, the Herb & Beet team didn’t falter on their mission. Instead, they found creative ways to keep their community fed, employees working, and revenue coming in.

Training

Black Sheep Restaurants Creates a COVID-19 Playbook to Support the Community

After setting up procedures to keep their staff and guests safe, the Black Sheep Restaurants team looked outward and asked, “How can we help others in the restaurant community?”

Operations

Immigrant and BIPOC Restaurateurs Face an Even Tougher COVID-19 Reality

“There’s so much that needs to be done to level the playing field,” says Cheryl Straughter, owner of Soleil Restaurant and Catering.

Managing Your Staff Through Reopening

Advocacy

How to Take Care of Your Staff During a Health Crisis

Restaurant workers need security now more than ever. Here's how restaurants are adapting their policies to take care of their teams.

Training

The Importance of a Great Pre-Shift Meeting

Learn how to lead a pre-shift meeting that sets up your restaurant staff for a productive and profitable shift.

Retention

Boosting Morale Could Be Your Key to Retention

Looking to improve staff retention? Turn your attention inward and focus on boosting employee morale.

Training

How to Write a Restaurant Employee Handbook

Use this guide to teach your new staff about acceptable workplace behavior, expectations, roles, systems, and responsibilities.

Training

Create Safe Spaces for Open Communication

Besides providing his staff with on-the-job skills training, Logan Hoffstetter found that one of his best employee retention assets is to train his team on open communication.

Training

How to Create a Staff Training Manual

A restaurant training manual makes it easier for you to lead and for your staff to succeed.

Marketing Your Restaurant Reopening

Marketing

How to Create Your Restaurant Marketing Budget

Planning your restaurant promotions with a budget in mind will help streamline your success now, and later.

Marketing

Guide to Restaurant Social Media Marketing [With Examples]

Your customers are on social media. Here's how restaurants are using social to bring in new customers and engage their current ones.

Marketing

How to Turn Your Menu Into a Marketing Tool

Your menu is the center of your business. Getting it online and optimized is critical for bringing in new customers.

Monitoring Your Metrics

Accounting

How to Calculate Restaurant Performance Metrics

See the seven most important restaurant metrics owners need to track and how to calculate them correctly.

Operations

How to Calculate Cost of Goods Sold

Calculating your restaurant cost of goods sold might seem like a pain, but it's an important part of making sure your business is healthy. Here's an easy way to calculate it.

Operations

Which Inventory Costing Method Is Right for Your Restaurant?

Inventory costing can help make the process of managing inventory easier — and more profitable. Here are the differences between the FIFO, LIFO, and WAC methods.

Accounting

How to Calculate Your Restaurant's Prime Cost

Tracking prime cost helps you stay informed about the financial health of your business, so you can confidently adapt your operations and strategies.

REOPENING GUIDELINES FROM STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Should You Reopen? This Tool Will Help You Decide

CDC

Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19

OSHA

Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-up/Delivery Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

FDA

Guidance on Cleaning and Disinfecting Workplaces

CDC

Safety Tips for Restaurants Providing Curbside Pickup and Takeout Service

Department of Labor

Getting Your Workplace Ready for Coronavirus

World Health Organization

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Restaurant Reopening Checklist
icon RESOURCE

Restaurant Reopening Checklist

Learn how to approach reopening your restaurant during COVID-19 with this 78-item checklist.

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