Top considerations for re-opening restaurants & Cafes after lockdown

As lockdown restrictions continue to be relaxed throughout the UK, many resturants and cafes are preparing to re-open to the public. It is essential every café follows the restrictions and guidelines set out by the government, to ensure both its customers and employees are safe within the café environment. Here are some top considerations cafes may wish to consider before they re-open…

1. Expand your outdoor furniture - Eateries with outdoor seating areas or gardens will most likely be the first to open after lockdown restrictions continue to be eased. If you have outdoor space available, you should try to capitalise on that space as much as possible. In a post-COVID-19 world, outdoor seating will still remain incredibly popular in the warmer months, making outdoor furniture a smart, long-term investment.

2. Section your interior space - You may wish to section your restaurant into two seating areas and seat people from the same household on one side of your building, and people who are meeting from other households on the other. If you are allowing people from different households to eat and sit together, you must invest in protective screens that will help the pair to maintain social distancing measures.

3. Create more space - Although you may think to reduce your seating availability will decrease your revenue significantly, it is important that your café feels spacious so customers and employees will feel safe eating and working in your café once again. You must space your cafe tables at least two metres apart and ensure staff can walk around your café without having to come into contact with customers. For example, the pathway to your employee bathroom should be clear and away from customer seating.

4. Trial your opening - Before you officially re-open your business, you may wish to add a take away counter to your eatery and trial a click-and-collect or takeaway service. This will help to give you an idea of how your kitchen is able to run and what demand you can manage before you begin to re-open more of your business.

If you'd like more help and guidance about re-opening a business in a post-lockdown world, do not hesitate to contact Café Reality today. We can supply your business with the furniture need to operate safely and help you create a virus mitigation system that will safeguard both your employees and customers. To learn more about how we can help your café, contact us today.