Since Friday March 13 2020, the Belgian economy has been slowing down. The many mandatory lockdowns are causing hardship to many sectors.
The hospitality industry is of course not spared. We have been looking into the subject and have tried to find ways to find new sources of income.
In this article you will find tips for :
Working during lockdown - keeping in touch with both in-house and remote employees
Keeping income flowing during lockdown
How to manage excess demand during the lockdown ending
Using the benefits of a rented kitchen space to your advantage
Concrete case of a client
How to work in hospitality during and after the lockdown
There is always some work to be done upstream. It is important to keep in touch both in-house and off-site.
Continue to communicate with your regular customers, they will be even more loyal when your business resumes. To do so, social networks will be of great use to you. It's up to you to be creative. But be careful, always stay positive!
Don't forget your co-workers. When the time comes, they will have to be ready to work and meet all the demands. Calls, emails or online meetings, all means of which are good ways.
Your suppliers also play an important role, without raw materials it is impossible to work. Make sure they can provide you with what you need, perhaps even more than usual.
How to organize yourself to keep income flowing
Online sale/Delivery
If possible, it is interesting to reorganize in order to keep an income, even during this lockdown phase. If you used to have a physical point of sale, don't forget about the opportunity to make online sales. This will allow you to widen your catchment area and thus increase your number of prospects. In addition, you will increase your visibility and you will not be forgotten. When business can return to normal, demand will grow because you have been able to seize the opportunities available to you, in time.
Exceptional supplies
You can also benefit from the solidarity and assistance offered to you.
For example, you can obtain free commercial aid on the Resto19 platform. You can create your supplies there for free.
Here are 2 examples :
Offer : Delivery of organic soup
"We offer you the delivery of fresh soups by the liter (7.50 euros/liter). The vegetables used come from organic and local gardens.
All soups are gluten free, vegetarian and lactose free. Our workshop respects all hygiene measures imposed by the FASFC as well as the disinfection and lockdown procedures established in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, you can contact us by email: [email protected] or by phone 0483 30 03 23 "
Offer : Little taste treats ?
"In these times of lockdown, what could be better than to treat yourself to a few sweets such as wafers, meringues, macaroons, cake or even Palets Bretons? My sweets are made with butter, free-range eggs and without any additives or artificial coloring. They therefore require a manufacturing lead time of 3 days, in other words you order today and we’ll deliver within 3 days :-) I deliver with social distancing and gloves in a radius of 20 km from the amalgamated municipality of Ath. Contact: [email protected] "
Here are other local and solidarity websites, entirely free of charge, to support the economy of small Belgian companies
Reorganize your supply / Modify your product
It is important to know how to adapt. The key is to find the products that meet today's needs
Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers. - Seth Godin, responsable du marketing direct de Yahoo
Here are a few examples of different entrepreneurs:
Foodiz/Tribu : They have adapted their lunch formula for offices (Foodiz) to Family box (Tribu) for families on lockdown at home.
Cutie-Pie : During COVID-19, Cutie-Pie made it a point of allowing parents to keep receiving baby food at their door, a fine example of perseverance.
Deemuesli : They changed their packaging from bulk (no longer in demand following COVID-19) to individual packaging to maintain consumer confidence in the hygiene of the product.
End of the lockdown: How to deal with the explosion in demand?
Here is our advice on how to deal with the influx of bookings linked to the drastic restrictions of the last few months.
During the various stages of the ending of the lockdown, hospitality market players will gradually be able to resume their business. Events will be authorized again: weddings, baptisms, birthdays, private parties, public events, etc. Restaurants and cafés will also be able to reopen their doors. With the holidays approaching and probably a temporary travel ban, the demand will go through the roof!
So here's how to turn it into an opportunity and make your turnover explode.
Our recommendation : Accept as many customers as possible !!
Here are 4 tips that will allow you to increase your production capacity. You will be able to respond to more requests and better manage your organization.
Kitchens: If you need to produce more and don't have the necessary space, it is possible to rent professional and individual kitchens. Discover this solution on the following sites.
Venues: If you have planned more events than your calendar can handle, you may run out of venues to offer.
Staff : Plan for additional staff..
You can call on external staff (interim, student job, ...)
Delegate : To save time and be able to manage a lot of requests, you could also delegate part of the food production. Computerizing as much as possible is also a solution. (e-shop, phone call via RingOver, ...)
Our solution: A professional kitchen to rent by the hour to meet the demand without making an investment.
The resumption of demand will be a relief but will also create challenges:
How can you produce in large quantities if your kitchen is not adapted?
How can you anticipate inventory changes?
How can you use professional equipment without having to make new investments?
We have the solution for you: a professional kitchen to rent by the hour.
Becook! offers you a compendium of all the above points.
If your kitchen is too small and does not allow you to produce as much as you want on certain days, we can provide you with professional and individual kitchens. Our kitchens comply with FASFC standards and are fully equipped. Moreover, we are located less than 3 kilometers from the center of Brussels. The location is easily accessible and has enough parking spaces. Furthermore, we offer you the possibility to serve all the communes of Brussels and Brabant.
It is also possible to rent reception rooms of different sizes attached to our kitchens.
The facilities also include the possibility of storing your supplier deliveries or your products.
To get your turnover back, get in touch today!