Your management staff will need to play a key roll during this transition. Not only are they paramount in connecting employees with ownership and accounting/bankers while we schedule hours to maintain cashflow until the PPP funding kicks in, they’ll be essential for maintaining a safe work environment when staff is working together.
Make sure your mgmt. staff has all the tools they need to help their crew carry out the cleaning and maintenance tasks we’ve been outlining. They’ll need access to gloves and masks for when projects require staff to be within the recommended social distancing guidelines. They’ll need an ample supply of QA Sanitizer and cleaning supplies. They’ll need access to funding to purchase paint and other kitchen cleaners/materials. But most of all, they’ll need a little flexibility from the ownership group to deal with this unprecedented situation.
Manager tasks include paying specific attention to the the items that the public will be touching when they are allowed to return. We will come back to a completely different environment than before. If not regulated by your local and state governments, be mindful of the changes your patrons will have top-of-mind. For example, how are you prepared to handle your physical menus? Will you be able to sanitize them between uses? Will you need to switch to disposable? Can you use technology and host your menus online and prepare a QR code at your tables they can scan?
Will you be able to have condiments table-side? Is your bussing staff equipped to sanitize them at each table turn? Should you get a supply of ketchup packets instead? And what about your staff? We should assume masks and gloves may be more commonplace, but what about guest checks, pens, etc.? How can you be thinking ahead to minimize person-to-person contact to prevent a resurgence?
Along with contemplating these things, and in keeping the entire restaurant staff on task in good spirits, here are a few manager tasks to get the dining room ready for the return of customers.
Review and Reorganize Everything According to Priority
Look at the arrangement of all your stored ingredients and supplies. Is your storage optimized based on priority? Items that are used most frequently should be prioritized for easiest access. It seems like common sense, but as menus evolve and expectations change, does the organization always follow? Not when it’s busy. Now you have the time to make sure the restaurant is tuned for performance with these important manager tasks.
Now is the best time to introduce these organizational changes because you’ll get less pushback from employees. It will be less jarring considering we haven’t seen the rushes we’re used too lately: our routines are already broken. And when business starts to look more normal, that will be a slow ramp up. Not everybody will be coming in day one, so there will be time to learn the new systems and adapt. But it is crucial that all members of your staff clearly know where the new location is for the <insert ingredient, dish, cleaning supply here>.
As one of our restaurant designers (who used to be a regional restaurant chain manager) quipped, “A label machine is a gal’s best friend.” We mentioned in the previous cleaning posts that it’s important to pull everything out, inspect and clean everything that you reuse, and replace with optimization in mind. It’s up to the managers to lead the charge here and champion this effort. Check storage containers, glassware, dinnerware, and everything you re-use for chips, cracks, melty spots, whatever, and pitch the duds and replace.
Before replacing this material, strategize where it should go. Discuss if you can with the experts on your staff, and clearly label the change. The label will not only help your staff recognize the change, but as stock is temporarily depleted for your most crucial supplies, that space won’t get taken over by something bought for a special or on a whim never to be used again.
You’ll want to pay particular attention to reorganization in these place:
- Walk-In Coolers and Freezers
- Dry Storage Racks and Pantry
- Beverage Back Stock Areas
- Prep Stations
- Waiter/Waitress Stations
- Host/Hostess Stations
- Janitorial Closets
- Backbar Areas
- Manager’s Office
Clean and Organize Office and Staff Areas
Other important manager tasks are in regards to cleaning out your office. No, not because there’s no hope and it’s time to pack it in, but because a) just look at it and b) having a clean office will help you refocus on what you need to do. This is an opportunity for a clean start – kickoff with your office and just watch how everything around you will fall into place. Besides, this will give your staff a clear impression that you’re serious about this process. If you’re willing to clean that mess, anybody can clean a hood filter, ha!
Clean all the staff areas. Give them the same “refocus”. Clean where they keep their personal belongings. Clean the lockers, repaint the walls, do whatever you can to clean their areas. This will send a clear message that their safety is your top priority and their space is important to you. Change out the locks. As part of this, explain to your staff that their safety and security is of the utmost importance. Besides, you know you have old employees out there in the world that never turned theirs back in, now’s a good time.
Address the Restrooms
It’s important that managers take on this task for a couple of reasons.
- This is the hub of personal sanitation for your patrons and your staff. The appearance of the restrooms and ease of access to sanitation supplies will speak volumes to your seriousness in this moment. Unsanitary restrooms will simply not be acceptable in the new reality. At least not for a little while. Look for opportunities to minimize hand contact on surfaces by installing automatic faucets, dispensers, and hand dryers. Put small trashcans near the doors so patrons can use paper towels to open them and then discard.
- By having a manager champion what is often thought of as one of the most disgusting tasks sends another clear message to everybody that we’re truly all in this together. You’ll want to build off this principle and lead by example. Clean the bathroom. It will help with your perspective too!
Landscaping & Outer Walls
Ah, the fresh air. Likely there is a lot of cleaning, um, smells going on inside if you truly are following this advice. Here’s an opportunity to catch your breath. Plus, there is something calming about trimming a bush or clearing the dead leaves. How’s that parking lot looking? There is plenty of do outside, isn’t there? As rewards for the hard work inside, “winners” (see below) or those truly embracing this effort may find a little yard work a nice change of pace. Except for around the dumpsters, but hey, that’s an eyesore even your patrons can see. You should clean around there.
Check the exterior of the entire facility. If you have the staff and the talent, a fresh coat of paint might be a good idea. If you need to hire this out, it’s a good service that can quickly be achieved at a distance.
Make an Engagement Board
This can be fun, something not all manager tasks can proclaim. This can be a contest. Contests motivate people to excel. List all the projects that you have come up with on an engagement board that everybody can see. You might even have associates pick the top 4 or 5 they would like to participate in. Make it enjoyable. Come up with rewards for achievements like gift cards, or have the tasks that everybody voted for at the top!
Another fun trick when working with your staff to determine what projects they should tackle is to have the BOH staff inspect the FOH for things that need attention and vice versa. It’s amazing what a fresh set of eyes on a space will discover.
Remember, the goal in the end is to give your wonderful staff something to do while it’s slow, and at the same time preparing your restaurant for what new expectations will undoubtedly need to be met to stay relevant when this virus dies down. With the PPP from the Cares Act, you’ve hopefully put yourself in a position to get your entire staff back to work on these projects while Uncle Sam covers the labor cost.