Hospitality Industry Is Warming up for the Full-fledged Working

Australia has begun exploring the road to COVID-19 recovery as the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Scott Morrision has announced the first stage of uplifting social movement restrictions on Tuesday, April 28th, 2020.

With the sudden outburst of COVID-19 crisis across the nation and the government initiated measures to stamp out the virus out of the country like social distancing and lockdown have lifted doubts, fear and visible downfall in the trade for the Hospitality Industry, thus making it a necessity for the small and medium businesses to approach every feasible medium in order to survive and sustain the business, which was supposed to be thriving and shining otherwise.

But, with the emergence of new rules in Australia amid the pandemic, the citizens of the country are now allowed to hang out in a group of 10 max, to organise a barbeque, a picnic, to ride in an area of 50 km, to shop for non-essential items, to go to water parks, to enjoy sailing, boating and fishing, to play non-contact sports and many other activities. Thus, creating opportunities for the Hospitality Industry to revive their sales.

Australia Is Flattening the Curve

Flatten Curve – COVID-19 Australia, Source: John Hopkins University

Daily Cases – COVID-19 Australia, Source: John Hopkins University

The graph shows that the growth in the coronavirus cases in Australia is decelerating.

Food Is Again in the Business

The country, though slowly, is now shifting towards normalcy and is currently in its first stage. With easing the social movement restrictions across the country, the people would be more likely to organise small celebrations, get-togethers, picnics, weddings etc. and thus allowing the industry to resuscitate its business.

How?

No occasion is complete without good food and drinks. Whether it is takeaway or delivery at the venue; restaurants, bars and cafes are in need to gear up and get ready to fit in the scope as this ‘First Stage’ acts as a warm-up for your business.

Moreover, the prime minister is in talks with the industry representatives and medical experts to define a clear set of rules as COVIDsafe environment, as the government authorities are planning to bring the hospitality industry businesses like restaurants, pubs and cafes out of the coronavirus shutdown. 

The restaurants and cafes are hoped to re-open for dining sometime in June with diners sitting 1.5 metres apart following social distancing guidelines. 

The chief executive of Restaurant and Catering Australia, Wes Lambert stated on Tuesday that ‘We’re working with the state premiers on hopefully getting restaurants reopened sometime in June’.

He also mentioned that the venues must employ either disposable or laminated menus which can later either be disposed of or wiped down respectively, after each use. Customers point of contacts like tables chairs would be sanitised after each use, and there would be no presence of condiments like pickle, salt, pepper on the dinner tables. Restaurants would be advised to rely on either disposable knives, plates and forks or must use the cutlery that could be washed at 8oC in a commercial dishwasher. 

Furthermore, Lambert also mentioned that they are also advocating that the states should make COVID-19 safety education mandatory for hospitality employees. 

When things fall into place for the first stage, (we really hope, soon it does), the government authorities would announce the second and then third phase to resume the fully-fledged routine of Australians.

So, be prepared-

● Stock enough to attend each of your customers
● Be innovative and creative to beat your competition
● Full proof your place from the impact of COVID-19
● Take good care of your staff
● Train your staff to deal with customers showing virus symptoms
● Extend your service hours
● Invest more resources in marketing
● Offer discount or food coupons to attract more customers

Hunt for the Perfect Venue Will Soon Begin

After the official announcement of new rules, there is a probability that the citizens now would involve in small celebrations, get-togethers, picnics, outings, no-contact sports, barbeques etc. thus the demand for booking the ideal venue, concerning the event, would likely to increase, which is giving an opportunity, both to the event planners and the venue owner to be prepared with the latest catering and event planning trends to impress their customers and to grab a good deal.

Add-ons

As per the sources, the second and third stages would commence on May 15 and June 5, respectively. If the people of the country would sincerely follow the social distancing guidelines and the current situation remains under control, soon numerous opportunities for various sectors in the Hospitality Industry come out and the industry will shine like before.