24 Predictions for What Restaurants Will Look Like Post-Coronavirus

At the moment, a lot is still unknown about the coronavirus, so it’s not like anyone can know without a doubt what restaurants will look like a month from now, let alone next year.

That said, restaurants’ responses to COVID-19 so far can provide some clues as to what’s in store for the industry.

24 Predictions for Restaurants in a Post-Coronavirus World

Whether we see restrictions completely lifted or social distancing orders remain in place for a while, the industry won’t be able to resume business as usual. Even if restaurants try, guests’ fears with regards to sitting or standing in crowded dining establishments will likely keep that from happening.

So, if you’re curious to see what’s coming down the line for restaurants for the foreseeable future, here are 24 predictions.

1. Seats will need to be spaced out with at least six feet between each dining party. This will effectively reduce in-house dining capacity by about 50%.

2. “Risky” dining options and services won’t return for the time being, like communal dining, salad bars, and grab-and-go condiment areas.

3. To replace the reduced capacity in-house, restaurants will continue to rely heavily on takeout and delivery.

4. Because delivery costs more money and restaurants have less control over the diner’s experience that way, they’ll incentivize diners to choose takeout with discounted prices.

5. Smaller restaurants will have to pivot their business models in order to compete with larger restaurants and chains that can provide more convenient and cheaper dining options. Some of the routes they may take are:

• Selling locally grown produce as groceries
• Creating pre-packaged meals
• Providing diet-specific meals and plans

6. Fine dining will need to pivot as many people tighten their purse strings until the economy stabilizes. They’ll continue to offer white-glove service, just without the white linens. It won’t be farm-to-table anymore. It’ll be more like farm-to-your-front-door with daily menus prepared based on demand.

7. Restaurants will provide customers with open-air options if they’re not comfortable dining in-house or there’s no capacity. Mobile food trucks, pop-ups near local parks, and limited seating on patios or rooftops will enable guests to do takeout without having to eat it at home.

8. As people continue to work from home, restaurants in the suburbs will flourish as they take on business otherwise given to restaurants that serve the downtown workforce.

9. There will be a strong focus on creating a leaner, more efficient operation, which will help restaurants better adapt no matter what big changes come their way.

10. Restaurants will invest more money in safety:

• Food safety
• Personal hygiene practices
• Restaurant sanitization procedures
• Cleaning standards
• Safety training programs

11. For those that don’t have the options available yet, restaurants will move toward more touchless tech options, like mobile app ordering and payment, contactless payment, and QR code ordering.

12. Employees may be required to wear protective gear like gloves and masks in the early days post-coronavirus.

13. Restaurants will do away with reusable menus in favor of cheap disposable menu options or mobile app menus that customers can access from their smartphones.

14. They might look for other ways to decrease the risk of human-to-human transmission with one-time-use silverware, plateware, and glassware.

15. As restaurant jobs prove to be more hazardous and essential during this crisis, restaurants are going to have to raise wages across the board.

16. Tips are likely to disappear as restaurants will be unable to return to full capacity in the near future. As a result, more states will also likely push for a higher minimum wage so that all waitstaff and other tipped employees can make $15 an hour or more.

17. Restaurants will create more comprehensive employment packages for staff that include things like better health insurance coverage, paid-time-off policies, 401k contributions, and wellness benefits.

18. Roles in the restaurant will change as the business model changes. Staff will likely move into new roles like:

• Takeout manager
• Delivery driver
• Website manager
• Loyalty app manager
• I.T. manager
• Safety specialist

19. There won’t be as great a focus on counting heads anymore. For restaurants to survive in this new landscape, they’ll need to start counting on the loyalty of local customers.

20. More restaurants will launch rewards programs and/or loyalty apps. If they can’t provide memorable experiences and extra value in house, then they’ll need a way to do it remotely.

21. Restaurants will need to put more money and time into digital marketing if they can no longer rely on foot traffic. This may involve:

• Redesigning their website so it can do more than just advertise their menu (like process takeout orders and accept payments).
• Create a more active presence on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook and start building a stronger local community around the restaurant.
• Build up their presence in Google searches and on Google Maps so that customers looking for “takeout near me” or “delivery near me” more easily find them.

22. They’ll have to invest more money in the takeout and delivery sides of their business. Not just in terms of staff, but also in things like building a takeout counter, buying new packaging that travels well, and finding third-party partners they trust.

23. Restaurants will put greater protections in place for their businesses as well as their employees, which could lead to more local unions or restaurant groups forming.

24. Many restaurateurs will look to diversify their offering with other (but still related) income streams, just in case another lockdown goes into effect. For example, they might:

• Open a small market next door
• Sell retail items (e.g. branded clothing, mugs, shot glasses, gift cards, etc.)
• Provide do-it-yourself meal prep options
• Write and publish a cookbook
• Create a subscription cooking show or sell access to classes one-by-one

Wrap-Up

Honestly, no one really knows what the future holds because the present is still so touch-and-go.

That said, a lot is going to have to change in the short-term for the restaurant industry and may possibly continue to alter the restaurant landscape for a lot longer than that.