12 good ideas to help your business during COVID-19

12 good ideas to help your business during COVID-19

It’s a brave new world out there – one that everyone is struggling to navigate, not least the hospitality and food services sector. Our team has been working on some ideas that we think could help our customers and friends who are currently running restaurants and cafes, during COVID-19. If you have any other good suggestions please feel free to add a comment below.

1. Offer a drive-up or pick-up service. New regulations mean your core business strategy will need to shift to take-away: where you have access to curbside, offer drop-off to the car. If possible, you can even implement a “zero contact” pickup option, where you’re able to leave the order inside a cage or milk crate outside your establishment right before pickup. Apps such as Skip and Hey You can circumnavigate the hand-to-hand payment issue.

2. Reassure your customers that you are taking the risks seriously through your processes and procedures. Go into detail as to what you are doing in your kitchen and with your staff, and communicate these actions in store and online. The Government has this advice for small businesses. This helps reassure your guests that their and your staff’s safety is your number one priority.

3. Go the extra mile for the customers that do choose to order with you. Give them the best experience you possibly can – a little freebie with their morning coffee, a smile and encouraging word or extra special latte art will help you not only drive more repeat business, but also reinforce good old word of mouth and online reviews.

4. Upsell where possible. When customers order pick-up or be sure to push those sides, pastries and sweet treats that they can enjoy with a coffee. Do this either online using popups or over the phone.

5. Be flexible as a business owner. People will always have to eat, so consider how you can maximise delivery within your business. That might be through Uber Eats, Deliveroo or Menulog, or no-contact drop offs in a certain kilometre radius from your cafe: DIY delivery can be a way to reutilise existing staff in the short term. Again, promote it online, to your database and on social media with appropriate keywords, to reinforce your commitment in reducing contamination.

6. Explore ready made and/or frozen meals. Do you have the ability to create ready-made meals? With families on lockdown, your business could find a whole new revenue stream in heat-at-home dinners, not to mention an additional way to keep staff on board.

7. Encourage people to buy gift vouchers. Suggesting customers buy gift vouchers for future visits or as gifts is a win-win: you don’t lose the income in the short-term, and they can enjoy a meal out in the future.

8. Explore your payment options, whether that’s loan and/or tax repayments, or chatting to your landlord about different options. The government has announced some subsidies for small businesses: make sure you claim them.

9. Pare back. Reduce operating hours to help reduce heating/cooling and staff costs. Offer a shortened menu – look to reduce stock holding, removing items that have short shelf life or are low margin. Use social media, and your database if you have one, to let your customers know you are trading and serving takeaway coffee and food, and to update them on any change in trading hours. You could add your personal contact number or email for increased engagement. 

10. Get everything squared away. Do a deep clean and get those small maintenance tasks done that you never have time for.

11. Build great content. Use the time to get creative, get the team coming up with brilliant ideas for social media and plan marketing initiatives for when you are back to full steam and ready to maximise your business.

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