As local governments and states continue easing dine-in restrictions, restaurants across the country are getting ready to welcome guests back through their doors. But reopening isn't as simple as unlocking the front door and flipping the sign. There's a lot to think through — from local compliance to staff training to how your customers will perceive the changes you've made.
Use this checklist to make sure you're ready to reopen safely and confidently.
Local Laws and Regulations
Before anything else, check what's actually required in your area. Reopening rules vary significantly depending on your state and local government, and operating outside of those guidelines — even unintentionally — can put your business at serious risk.
Requirements may include:
- Capacity limits on how many guests you can seat at one time
- Mandatory use of protective gear for staff
- Specific signage and customer-facing warnings
- Completed classes or certifications before reopening
Start here. Know what you're allowed to do and what's required before you make any other plans.
Suppliers
Before you reopen, take stock of where things stand with your suppliers:
- Food supply: You may need to temporarily operate with a limited menu or adjust how certain items are prepared based on what's available.
- Supply costs: Availability issues may have driven up the cost of certain foods or materials, which could mean adjusting menu prices or finding savings elsewhere.
- Cleaning supplies: Sanitization needs will be higher than before — make sure your supply orders reflect that increased demand.
- Protective equipment: Establish a clear protocol for how often gloves and masks need to be replaced, and make sure you have enough inventory to back it up.
Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures
Walk through your entire restaurant and identify every surface or area that customers and employees regularly touch. Then build a no-contact or high-frequency cleaning protocol around those points.
A few high-touch areas worth prioritizing:
- Payment: Go cashless where possible and encourage payment through apps or QR codes to reduce unnecessary contact.
- Menus: SmartSense printers make it easy to generate QR codes for contactless digital menus. Alternatively, consider sanitizing laminated menus after every use or switching to disposable paper menus temporarily.
- Barriers: Install physical barriers at high-contact areas like the host stand or ordering counter.
- Traffic flow: Use arrows, signs, or floor markings to guide customers through the space in an organized way. Many restaurants have designated one door for entry and another for exit to prevent customers from crossing paths. Remove tables and chairs as needed to meet capacity requirements and encourage appropriate spacing.
- Kitchen and back-of-house: These high-traffic areas need a rigorous and frequent cleaning schedule. SmartSense offers a digital COVID-19 checklist that's ready to use immediately.
- Doors: Where possible, prop doors open to reduce touchpoints. Add door handle cleaning to your daily checklist and consider installing hand sanitizing stations at key entry points.
- Lines: If your restaurant forms queues at the host stand or ordering area, use floor markers or signage to keep customers spaced at least six feet apart.
Employees
Your team will need both the right headcount and the right training before you reopen.
- Assess how many employees you'll actually need under modified seating rules, then rehire or bring on new staff accordingly.
- Train everyone thoroughly on new cleaning procedures, updated protocols, and any regulatory changes that affect how the restaurant operates.
- Revisit your sick leave policy. No employee should feel like they have to come in when they're not feeling well — make sure that message is clear and that your policy backs it up.
Marketing Plan
Your customers need to know you're open, and more importantly, they need to feel confident walking back through your doors. You don't need a big budget to communicate effectively — you just need to show up consistently in the right places.
Make sure you're covering:
- Email
- Your website
- Social media channels
- In-store and outdoor signage
And make sure you're communicating:
- Your reopening date and any updated hours
- New options for online ordering and contactless pickup
- The cleaning and sanitization steps you've put in place
- Any menu changes or promotions
- Every other meaningful way your operation has adapted to keep people safe
Transparency builds trust, and right now trust is everything.
What to Keep in Mind Moving Forward
Some of the changes brought on by the pandemic aren't going away. Here are a few things worth building into your long-term strategy:
- Invest in mobile ordering and no-contact pickup. A meaningful portion of customers will take their time returning to dine-in, and many may simply prefer takeout as their new normal. Make it as seamless as possible.
- Lead with transparency. Continue communicating the steps you're taking to keep your restaurant safe. Customers who feel informed are customers who come back.
- Explore new revenue streams. Meal kits — pre-packaged ingredients with instructions for recreating your most popular dishes at home — are one creative way restaurants have found new income during this period.
- Prepare for new baseline expectations. Employee temperature checks and mask protocols may become a standard part of operations for the foreseeable future. Building those habits now will make the transition easier.
Reopening is a big step, and doing it thoughtfully makes all the difference. Best of luck as you navigate these changes and find new ways to grow.