Alfresco dining at your Restaurant, Cafe or Bar -How restaurants can reopen safely with outdoor dining?

The hospitality industry has been one of the sectors that have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. Between the fluctuating national restrictions and social distancing guidelines, visitors have dropped off and businesses have struggled. Now that a roadmap out of lockdown should be planned, businesses will be able to plan exciting new ways of running once they reopen and take steps back to normality later in the year.

Among all the small businesses in this country that have suffered this past year, it’s little debate that those who own independent restaurants have suffered the most. Thanks to the pandemic, local officials have placed draconian restrictions on their operations. It’s making it extremely difficult for these restaurateurs to survive.

But for those who have managed to survive, there’s been a significant bright spot: outdoor dining.

Government guidance for hospitality (currently missing) in 2020 should encourage the use of outdoor areas for service, and they should relax the licensing regulations for outdoor seating to allow for this. Many shopping streets will gain temporary pedestrianization permits to provide outdoor dining space for restaurants, such as in Delhi's Connaught Place and all In-mall eateries in South Delhi will make this a trendy and exciting option.

The emphasis on outdoor dining will continue through for most of 2021 and henceforth, with outdoor eating and drinking post the allowance again and indoor hospitality hoping to follow soon afterward. Why not take this push towards al fresco dining as a chance to revitalize your restaurant, cafe or bar, and give it a new lease of life? With adequate outdoor dining supplies and street advertising, you can use this relaunch opportunity to your advantage and really make the most of the warmer months.

Why introduce al fresco dining?

• Alfresco dining will help restaurants, bars, and cafes to remain open safely post-lockdown, keeping staff and customers safer while helping to maintain the economy.
• Restaurants will be able to capitalize on the festive vibe that outdoor dining provides. When a restaurant has guests eating outside, passing pedestrians can get a feel for the atmosphere and energy of a venue without even needing to see the interior.
• Alfresco dining for restaurants is particularly popular in Delhi winter, with many guests preferring to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air than being stuck indoors. This is likely to be truer than ever, post-lockdown.

Outdoor dining has a casual, festive feel that is particularly loved by 25-45-year-olds. Millenials are the ideal target market for outdoor dining, so it is important to cater to their needs and wants. In fact, in my own experience in the past 12 years, it's worth mentioning that 50 percent of diners in this age bracket claims to 'spent more money on alcohol when dining outdoors', and that the amount they spent would also increase with 'the presence of an outdoor bar'.

How to create an outdoor seating area for your restaurant, bar, or cafe.

When developing ideas for your outdoor seating areas, firstly you need to define the area of space you are using (of course, you will need to check your local regulations to ensure you are adhering to any requirements). An ideal way to do this is with the use of cafe and restaurant barriers and banners. These have always been a popular way to create outdoor seating for cafes, however, they are also ideal for any other venue with an outdoor area.

Cafe and restaurant banners and barriers help to create a boundary between guests and the street, while simultaneously providing an extended advertising opportunity that will be seen by everyone who walks past. You can get your outdoor seating barriers supplied with custom-printed banners to represent your brand.

Another option to create an alfresco dining border is to use artificial hedge panels. You can always use real plants and planters if you wish, but that tends to be a more expensive and high-maintenance option than using an artificial restaurant hedge. Faux hedges for cafes and restaurants are easy to move and clean, as well as providing a fresh and natural look that will complement your al fresco dining experience beautifully. For very small businesses without the funds to invest in bespoke barriers, they may be able to find upcycling options, such as spray painting old planters, fence panels, or road barriers by hand. Alternatively, a simple rope or chain barrier will often suffice.

Protecting your restaurant and bar staff from infection

1. Use face coverings - Since the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurant owners have been forced to consider hygiene practices more than ever before, with the front-of-house service being a priority concern. It's now mandatory to wear face coverings in most public areas. Servers and cashiers, in particular, may wish to wear a Plastic face shield while working with the public. Businesses can buy these in bulk to provide for all staff.

1. Use sneeze screens - ideally, you will provide table service to outdoor diners and take payments at the tables. Where this is not possible, cashiers and food counters may wish to install sneeze screens for checkouts, following the recommendations for 'using screens or barriers'. These are available for a range of businesses and budgets, ranging from low-cost freestanding options to more heavy-duty counter-fixing varieties.

1. Use signs and posters - Another hygiene solution for table service is to use acrylic 'table cleaned' signs. This makes life easier for your staff and reassures customers about your hygiene practices. If your venue has a one-way system or accessible toilets, you may wish to use some social distancing signage, such as floor signs, wall posters, and 'wash your hands' reminders, as well as incorporating hand sanitizer stations, as per the government guidelines.

Make your outdoor restaurant or bar stand out from the crowd.

With many food and drink venues now figuring out new ways to bring their business outdoors, why not add some special extra details to make your dining experience stand out in the new restaurant landscape?

 One idea for this is having live music performances, if/when this becomes permitted in your area. Musicians or DJs can be separated from diners and even placed behind a transparent screen for added virus protection. Having live music outside your restaurant or cafe has the added benefit of supporting local musicians at a time when booking for live gigs may be few and far between, and will likely draw in the type of crowd that wants to support local artists and businesses such as yours. If this is not possible, there are many other forms of live performance that may be permitted, such as stand-up comedy, dance, and even live painters.

Opening up your food or drink business to include entertainment could see your profits increase exponentially, particularly while people are hungry for both fresh food and live entertainment.

 Another option to enhance the al fresco dining experience is having bar staff or chefs working outside, mixing cocktails, or cooking on a barbecue. This creates an exciting spectacle that your guests will love and that will draw in plenty of positive attention from passersby.

 Introducing alfresco style dining to your restaurant can have a great influence on passing pedestrians. Not only can they see other diners enjoying the attractive, casual ambiance, but they are more likely to be exposed to pleasant sensory cues, such as the sounds and smells of cooking. Various studies have demonstrated the relationship between sensory cues from food vendors and impulsive food buying in customers, proving that these cues can inspire hunger, desire, and positive emotions in people. Bringing these positive sensory characteristics out into the open air gives you a chance to influence a higher number of people to visit your restaurant or cafe.

Enhance the ambiance of your outdoor seating area in darker hours by putting out candles on tables, adding fairy lights to awnings, and using illuminated menu displays for walls or an LED menu stand to create a soft and inviting glow.

Placing menus on tables is currently being discouraged in favour of reduced-contact means, so you might wish to use single-use disposable paper menus, freestanding menu holders or wall fixed varieties to prevent them from being handled.

Adding small extras to your customer's outdoor dining experience will make a big difference. In a secure seating area, consider placing phone charging menu holders on covered tables for customer use (and clean these often).

Give them free snacks to nibble on while ordering, like popcorn or Chips. This low-cost addition will enhance the comfort and pleasure of the guests at your new al fresco restaurant, making them more likely to return and to tell their friends.

How to advertise your restaurant reopening and promote your new alfresco dining area?

Social Media and Radio advertising is a great choice if your budget extends to it, as you can reach people in their homes to let them know about your reopening or new services. Alternatively, online advertising has a huge reach, so you will want to keep customers informed via social media. If you have previous customer's email addresses, such as if they have signed up for a mailing list or loyalty scheme, reach out with an email update to let them know you're ready to take their orders. Back up your relaunch with "we are open" signage outside so that everybody knows you're back in business.

Make sure your relaunch or new alfresco service is boosted by introducing some meal and drinks promotions, even if it's just a discount off their next visit or a new loyalty Program. It may seem counterproductive to offer discounts when your business may just be getting back on its feet; however, these promotions are what prompt customers to come and visit you and to spend more. Advertise these on pavement signs outside your location entry to inform and encourage potential guests, as well as on wall and table signs.

You may also wish to display some COVID-19 posters for businesses, to inform customers about any new safety measures or hygiene procedures that you've introduced, and to ask them to refrain from entering if they are displaying any virus symptoms. This will ensure that restaurant guests adhere to protocol, and feel reassured by your commitment to hygiene and social distancing practices.

If your venue is in an interesting or trendy location like a Mall, then your street dining service could really capitalize on this. Does your restaurant overlook an iconic junction inside a mall, garden, or any historical monument like in Connaught Place? Mention this as a bonus factor when advertising your alfresco seating area. Do you have a cafe patio in a busy high street location like Green Park? Mention the abundant people-watching opportunities, as well as your close proximity to the shops and other attractions. 

More tips for reopening restaurants after lockdown:

• Invest in a range of social distancing products for restaurants to ensure staff and customers feel safer.
• Place transparent hygiene screens between tables.
• Carry out workplace risk assessments before opening, and keep track of staff shift patterns in case of future outbreaks.
• Try introducing pre-ordering and pre-assigned tables to reduce contact and wait times.
• Pre-empt any queuing issues and invest in a queue management system.
• Use social distancing signage and hand washing reminder posters as per the guidelines.
• Install hand sanitizer stations in high-traffic areas.

Please feel free to connect with me for any feedback or errors via DM or nitinravikapoor@gmail.com alternatively you can reach me on +91-8287165080