Six things that restaurants can do during the Covid-19 pandemic
By Alicia Gartrell, Strategic Content Coordinator
Small businesses are facing tough times as we—as a nation—face the novel Corona virus and are instructed to practice social distancing. Governor DeWine announced Sunday, March 15 that all restaurants are to close dine-in options and may only provide carryout food.
Here are six quick tips to help your restaurant weather the storm:
1) Get the word out. Advertise if you will be open and what precautions and prevention measures your business may be taking along with your hours and best way to reach your business.
2) Share your menu. By taking a photo of your menu and uploading it to social media or sharing your menu page from your website to social media, it allows your followers to easily access your menu. Many communities have made groups in support of local restaurants that will remain open, you’ll want to seek out and post to those pages to reach beyond your followers.
3) Update your Google listing’s accuracy. Make sure your phone number and hours are correct on your Google listing to ensure customers will be able to reach you. If your business hours have been adjusted because of the pandemic, those hours should be reflected on your Google listing.
4) Share your story. As a community we want to see our local businesses get through this. If your turnout is low, share it and request help. Share gratitude and photos of customers picking up their orders or photos of your menu items.
5) Run a special. By running a special on gift cards or apparel, you can incentivize customers to buy more than a lunch or dinner.
6) Offer delivery. Offering delivery makes it even more convenient for those to maintain social distance. If your staff is unequipped to deliver, look into delivery services like DoorDash. Sign up is free, however a commission fee is taken off, so you will want to look into whether it’s feasible based on your margins.
We are in this together and we will get through this together. For more tips and tricks, contact us for digital help at mimi@mimivanderhaven.com or 330-220-8610.