Here’s a Guide to a Successful Re-Opening - Delightree

Re-opening is happening fast. The news ripped through California on Tuesday: small business owners can officially re-open outdoor seating.

California was hit hard by COVID-19, with tens of thousands of lives lost. The encouraging news is that a vaccine is slowly rolling out, a positive sign that many other restrictions will soon follow.

Theme parks including SeaWorld, the Safari Park, and the San Diego Zoo announced re-opening plans right after the stay-at-home mandate was lifted, and New Jersey relaxed its rules on in-person high school sporting events.

The canceled stay-at-home orders signal something small business owners have been holding their breath for: the end of a pandemic firmly, maybe a little hazily, but perfectly in sight.

Here is a step-by-step guide to a successful re-opening.

Step 1: Plan for outdoor seating first

Outdoor seating should be at the top of your carefully curated must-haves list for re-opening. The loosening of government restrictions happens in stages, and outdoor seating is next in line after takeout and delivery.

Regardless of government ruling, it will be months or longer before many people are comfortable sitting in a crowded indoor space. Even as more states allow indoor seating, plenty of customers still prefer to sit outside.

Step 2: Reinvent with technology

At the center of re-opening is reinvention. This is an opportunity to turn your business around and follow through on the innovations happening across your industry. Things are changing in 2021, and to make reintegration quick and efficient while staying remote, consider adopting technology that supports how your team works.

Step 3: Sort out your staffing

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles restaurant owners voiced a shared concern about re-opening: not being given enough time to hire back essential employees.

An essential part of re-opening is knowing which staff you are going to invite back and whether your best employees are still available.

As capacity limits ease, expect incremental increases that will require more workers. Plan your hiring ahead of each stage rather than scrambling once the rules change.

Quick note: some business owners are considering hiring only vaccinated workers and others are not. What is your business’s stance on vaccinations? Consider this as you decide who to hire back.

Step 4: Expect little warning from lawmakers

Owners in the dining and retail industry are largely shut out of the legislation that affects them. Many restaurant owners expressed frustration at the lack of warning before California re-opened. Re-opening is not as easy as flipping a light switch, and that is true for most small business owners no matter where they are.

Re-opening a restaurant takes careful planning, and the lack of warning from lawmakers continues to disrupt fatigued owners everywhere.

Restaurant owners interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter shared the same sentiment: re-opening has been a roller coaster they cannot predict, and it is hard to manage without warning. Do not expect much notice from government officials about when it is time to re-open.

Last step: Get your inventory ready

Customers rush back to their favorite restaurants minutes after restrictions in California are lifted. Most owners said that if they could open immediately, they would, but the last-minute news left them no time to prepare. If you want to re-open with speed, your inventory must reflect that goal. Even without an announcement on new regulations, plan for an increase in customers. Re-opening can happen swiftly and without warning, so save yourself the headache and be prepared.

The politics involved in re-opening is why some business owners choose to stick to their own re-opening plan, regardless of which regulations lift early.

Maybe that is you. Perhaps you have a re-opening plan set for March as restrictions begin to lift in February. That is okay. Keep that plan in place if it is already well organized and ready to go with staff and planned inventory.

Have a re-opening strategy worth sharing? Book a demo and tell us how you are coping. Thanks for reading.