This year is the second time we face Ramadan in a pandemic. If you are managing an F&B business, these effective tips will help you face it with success.
For Moslems around the world, this year marks the second time they have to spend Ramadan during a global pandemic. Many people might agree that in some cases, the situation is considered better than last year. However, it is undeniable that the pandemic has changed many people’s ways of life worldwide, including the way to manage one’s own business.
As Ramadan approaches, food and beverage businesses—in other word, restaurants—take a role as the most influential and dependable business. The case would be a little different when the ‘new normal’ policy is applied. It somehow forces restaurant owners to think of the best strategies in managing their business while dealing with the pandemic and new policies at the same time.
If you happen to run an F&B business, do rely on these strategies to manage your restaurant more effectively.
The first step in the business plan is focusing on potential products. According to an observation of habits over time, certain culinary delights are recorded under the list of potential products during Ramadan.
Some of the most popular ones include sweet desserts, fresh drinks, fast food, as well as a large portion of the cook-at-home meal. In several regions, specific Ramadan-themed foods are also considered promising products. The key to finding the best product for your own restaurant is surveying the market and looking for a culinary trend happening around the site.
Another spot-on strategy is managing the operational time. During Ramadan—even in a pandemic like this time, the time aspect in your business plan can be divided into two focal points: iftar and suhoor.
Further development of time strategies is dividing the month itself into two periods. In the first two weeks, you should prepare for the peak of delivery orders. Meanwhile, the last two weeks are the time when customers tend to dine in, leading you to a different kind of preparation. To clear everything up, don’t forget to always provide enough information about opening hours, menus, and cuisine types on your digital platform.
The new normal era during pandemic means less people meeting in gatherings. To substitute for it, people will exchange gifts for their loved ones. This is when you can take control with another effective strategy. Do include a gift package on the menu and pump it up with a delivery service for your customers.
During Ramadan—especially in the pandemic, food price is often unstable. For this reason, you have to calculate the number of orders and predict your stock availability in advance. Also, considering that the current situation may affect the timing of the materials delivery, you should make sure that stocks are always available and will never be out when both you and the customers need them.
To complete the other strategies, you should also comply with the health and safety protocols of the new normal. The procedures to follow include limiting the number of workforces and dine-in customers, wearing protective clothing, doing sanitizing procedures, maintaining physical distancing, as well as preparing a suitable waiting area and pickup point in the restaurant. You need to provide the operational checklists so that everyone adheres to the protocol.
Managing your restaurant during Ramadan and pandemic at the same time is not easy. However, given the fact that this year is the second time we face a similar situation, we can always find some more useful strategies to deal with it.
Aside from several points mentioned above, you can optimize your business plan execution for Ramadan in the new normal era by relying on a digital checklist. That way, you will be able to monitor the whole plan while making sure that each and every step is done according to the health protocol.
Take a digital operational system like Nimbly, for example. With the availability of up-to-date digital checklists, such advanced technology serves as one of the best solutions that can help you manage the restaurant during this uncertain time. You can also make use of the trend feature that guides restaurant owners to follow the F&B trends in the holy month this year.
A shout-out to all restaurant owners out there: assure yourself that the best efforts always lead to the best results. When it comes to managing a restaurant during the pandemic, taking those strategies into account is surely a great effort to get ahead.
Nimbly transforms manual operational audit processes into app-based checklists for front-line workers to generate reports instantly, centralize insights in real-time, and ensure thorough issue resolution.
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