Tips for Hospitality and Bar/Restaurant during this crisis

As the virus takes over the world. I can’t help but feel sorry for the small businesses out there that are struggling to survive especially the restaurant and hospitality industries. Having worked in both industries I revert back to having to clean the kitchen, the bar, and many a hotel bathroom. Scrubbing walls, equipment and toilets when there was either a health inspector or quality control inspector about to show up. Not only were these inspections a pain in the butt, but they were also always last minute to ensure that the establishment was up to par and clean to within an inch of your life.

During this time where restaurants and hospitality establishments are petty much closed to customers and guests, it is the perfect opportunity to review that to-do list that never seems to get done You know the list of those repairs that never get done or cleaning those pieces of equipment that have been on the to-do list or refurbishment lists and then begin to checking them off one by one. Restaurants and Bars should consider stripping equipment and degreasing everything, cleaning out the fridge and freezer to ensure that everything is fresh and new. How about changing the fryer grease and cleaning out that fryer? Strip that kitchen down completely and ensure it is thoroughly clean for when you reopen the doors when this stay at home demand is finished and we’re allowed to return to social interacting once again.

Hotels should do the same. Strip each room then thoroughly clean every inch of the place. Maintenance should consider replacing the caulking in the bathroom, paint those areas that need painting. Replace broken furniture or even better wallpaper falling off the walls. How about taking the drapes down and washing them, or repairing them where needed? Disinfect the rooms completely so that no one can become sick once your doors are opened again. If there is a restaurant in the hotel, consider stripping them down and cleaning every aspect of the area to include equipment, freezers, refrigerators, chairs, and tables. Empty condiment containers and put them through the dishwasher.  Hotels should also realize that if they want to charge high rates for a room, consider adding real value to the room so it warrants the higher price; such as adding a fridge, coffee maker and a small microwave to the room. You don’t have to include shampoo’s, conditioners and hand lotion, but small appliances in the room could be purchased in bulk to add value to the room. Unless you plan to add additional value to your establishment, don’t go increasing the price of your rooms to make up revenue when this crisis is over, because you will lose in the end.

So what I’m suggesting here is this, the restaurant and hospitality industries should take this time to complete that to-do list that has been building over the years while their locations are shut down through this crisis. It would greatly benefit their future business if they used this time to get squared away rather than wait until later on in the year and regret not using the downtime to clean, spruce up and redo various parts of their business that they could have given a little TLC to when they had the chance. In the business world, this is called Investing in your business. Investing in your business is not always about large amounts of cash, but it could small amounts of cash that cover paint, cleaning supplies and making sure your employees know that you are willing to make a positive move to help them keep their jobs. Be sure to thank those employees that bust their butt to help you complete those items on your to-do list. Praise them for their efforts and accomplishments.  This type of positive reinforcement behavior is also a large investment in your company.