THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR IS FACING UP TO ITS BIGGEST CHALLENGE EVER WITH CORONAVIRUS

IMPACTING THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY. AT THIS STAGE RECOVERY APPEARS TO BE A MILLION MILES

AWAY BUT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME STEPS BUSINESSES CAN TAKE NOW IN ORDER TO

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE (WHATEVER THAT MAY LOOK LIKE!). OUR AIM IS TO HIGHLIGHT SOME

OF THE AREAS BUSINESSES CAN CONSIDER AND IN THE COMING WEEKS WE WILL CONTINUE TO

SHARE OUR THOUGHTS ON HOW RESTAURANTS NAVIGATE THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES.

W H E N R E - O P E N I N G C O M E S …

Looking for positives in the situation has been difficult as we all grasp the severity and what it means to our business and personal lives. We see that our job is to a shine a light on the opportunities that present themselves during these times. The new world means less resistance to improvisation and experimentation from customers, markets and businesses. In these unprecedented times business can learn and progress quicker than ever before. The ways they learn today will impact and influence their performance in tomorrow’s changed world. Agile will cease to become one of the industry buzzwords and will become the blueprint as businesses look to re-establish and reconnect with consumers, employees and suppliers.

The crisis seemingly provides a sudden glimpse into a future world, one in which digital has become central to every interaction, forcing both organisations and individuals further up the adoption curve almost overnight. A world in which digital channels become the primary or sole (in some cases) customer-engagement model, and automation has become a primary driver of productivity. Staying agile has become a prerequisite to meeting the daily challenges to changing customer behaviour.

If businesses can implement the changes needed then not only will they be able to make progress during this period but will be more likely to achieve longer term success in the new world.

THROUGHOUT THE CORE COLLECTIVE, WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE YOU KNOW AND TRUST, GREAT THINGS WILL HAPPEN. EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE CORE COLLECTIVE HAS WORKED AS A TEAM IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTORS FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND HAVE COME TOGETHER TO HELP SUPPORT BUSINESSES IN THE INDUSTRY WE LOVE.

Introduction

MENU DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING FOR SUNSET MANCHESTER

Introduction cont...Our goal is to help businesses

deliver first-class service and to create experiences that are

memorable and unique. As a collective, we can cover all

departments - food and beverage development, finance, training and

recruitment, compliance, health and safety, profitability, operational support, IT support, marketing and

sales, digital and brand. We offer a range of services, advice and

practical support, along with a vast amount of experience and passion

for the hospitality industry.

The Core Collective has helped develop and grow some of the UK’s biggest

hospitality brands and we can help your business through our

network and experience of all aspects of hospitality.

COMPLIANCE FOR GUSTO RESTAURANTS

SOCIALTRAINING

HUMAN RESOURCESPUBLIC RELATIONS

DESIGNSTRATEGY

FINANCEHEALTH & SAFETY

Review yourposition

WE KNOW FOR SURE THAT WE’RE FAR FROM BEING THROUGH THE FIRST STAGE OF THE

CURRENT SITUATION. IN THIS CRUCIAL POINT, WHEN THERE’S UNCERTAINTY IN THE MARKET AND OUR

BUSINESS-AS-USUAL STRATEGIES COME TO A HALT, IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING COVERED.

ENSURE YOUR CLOSEDOWN WAS SAFE, EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE

It seems like a long time ago already that we all were thrown into the single biggest challenge our industry has ever faced. It all happened very quickly and in times of stress it’s only natural that things may have been rushed. Now is a great time to go back and ensure that all of things we would do to close a venue for a period of time are in place. This will not only give you the peace of mind knowing everything is as it should be but also will ensure that you are in the best position to re-open when the times comes.

REOPENING A RESTAURANT AFTER LOCKDOWN WILL UNCOVER UNTOLD ISSUES WHICH WERE NOT A PROBLEM PRE COVID-19

We have created a comprehensive downloadable checklist that will give you an initial step by step guide of what is expected by your local authority. It covers all operational departments within your business giving a clear and concise tool to help you navigate the requirements for Health and Safety, compliance, licensing, environmental and insurance.

IMAGE GUPSHUP TAKEAWAY, DELIVERY AND CLICK & COLLECT

Is your brand adaptable?

ASSESS YOUR STRENGTHS

AND IDENTIFY GAPS

WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS

Assess the strength of your team pre closure. Did you have a full complement of

staff? Where they strong, motivated, and well trained? Competition is going to be fierce when businesses reopen. Will your team live up to your marketing strategy?

USE THE TIME YOU HAVE

NOW TO RELOOK AT YOUR

BRANDING AS A WHOLE

Is it reassuring to your customer base? Is it clean and adaptable to current times eg

takeaway/delivery/click and collect logo. Is now the time to review your branding?

Is a rebrand required to help communicate any changes? Does your branding work

across various medias?

IMAGES VARIOUS HOSPITALITY BRANDS

Keep in contact with your guests

The toughest corner to position your brand in is to hope that you can ride it out and keep quiet while running business-as-usual marketing. This means you’re currently not investing your time in softening the depth of the downturn for your business. We’re all in this now; we’ve been pushed out of the airplane and to not open your parachute now will hurt your business down the line.

STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

SHARE UPDATES

Share important information with your customers using email, your website, Facebook Page, Instagram Business Profile or however you typically connect. You might include information about your availability, hours, measures that you’re taking to keep your staff and premises safe, or share your menu. Remember to use a carefully considered tone to ensure the message remains sensitive to the circumstances. There is an opportunity to demonstrate corporate social responsibility - community spirit, how we all come together, be ready with the messages – what we did, how we will continue to carry on the goodwill.

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FUTURE CONTENT WILL NEED TO TAKE A DIFFERENT

STEER. VIRTUAL TOURS OF CLOSED VENUES HAVE SEEN A BIG INCREASE.

YOUR AUDIENCE ARE ABSORBING SO MUCH INFORMATION AND OLD, OUT OF DATE CONTENT IS UNLIKELY TO CUT THROUGH IN THE FUTURE.

INTERIOR SHOT OF THE ALCHEMIST

WHAT CONTENT HAS WORKED WELL DURING LOCKDOWN?

Post creative content

Communicate with your teams

KEEPING IN CONTACT WITH YOUR TEAMS IS INCREDIBLY

IMPORTANT DURING THIS PERIOD AND

SOMETIMES IT CAN BE OVERLOOKED

Creating a clear messaging strategy for your employees can

not only put their mind at ease but it can help keep furloughed

staff engaged. It’s worth remembering that this crisis will have caused a variety of issues for your workforce. Ensure you are aware of any problems that

your team may have faced or be facing and let them know that

you are there for them. Make sure that you have a support system in place and that you are ready

to answer questions or sign post employees who need extra help.

Stay up to date by following official sources and government

advice, so you can safely adapt how you do business,

and help keep your employees and customers informed

of new guidelines.

USE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT IS AVAILABLE TO KEEP THE TEAM SPIRIT ALIVE, WHATSAPP, MICROSOFT TEAMS, ZOOM, HOUSEPARTY ETC.

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Create a strategyWITHOUT A DOUBT THE WAY BUSINESSES OPERATE WILL NEED TO CHANGE AND ADAPT, IS NOW THE TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO THINGS? CAN ANY NEW INCOME STREAMS BE CREATED?

Do you have a clearly defined business strategy? Will everything remain the same or will you outsource some of the functions within your business?

Have you spoken to your accountant? Can they help you apply for grants or loans that you may be eligible for? Consider what your strategy will be if furlough payments aren’t extended past June 30th.

Now could be the time to review your company culture. Is it where you want it to be?

Thinking practically do you start a checklist? We all know that this is not the most exciting thing to do but a checklist will ensure that your venue, staff, suppliers, technology and operations are at the heart of your business resilience planning.

Checklist?

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TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

There has never been a better time to review and streamline processes both customer facing and internal. In a pre Covid-19 world maybe a clunky customer journey online didn’t hurt the business because demand was great but post Covid-19 that will not be the case. Not only is it worth simplifying booking processes but communicating what the venue has done to ensure safety alongside booking, will be a new must have.

Now is the perfect opportunity to complete a top down audit of the tech within your business. Focus on the systems and services that run your business. Key audit points here would be:

Do your systems and services provide you with any planning opportunity for post Covid-19?

Do you own your own customer data? Can this help you model your future opening plan?

If you do not own your data now is the time to plan for your future data ownership and implement systems and services to get you back in the driving seat.

What are the costs of your systems and services? Assess the costs of all of your tech stack.

Broadband, phones and general comms – reduce costs now! There are lots of offers and lots of opportunity to reduce your future costs whilst improving your corporate and guest offering.

The perfect time to assess the tech

Useful information

UK Hospitality ukhospitality.org.uk

Hospitality Action hospitalityaction.org.uk

NTIA ntia.co.uk

Hospitality Union hospitalityunion.co.uk

UK Government gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19

THERE ARE LOTS OF ORGANISATIONS HELPING AND FIGHTING FOR HOSPITALITY, HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THEM. FOLLOW THEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FOR THE INDUSTRY.

AUSTRALASIA MENU SUITE

THECORECOLLECTIVE.CO.UK

SARAH@THECORECOLLECTIVE.CO.UK

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