Operations
To reopen or not to reopen: How soon is too soon?
In all things, someone has to go first, and in the pandemic in which we are now living, the state of Georgia has taken the lead in allowing restaurants to reopen their dining rooms. Is it too soon?
April 29, 2020 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
In all things, someone has to go first, and in the pandemic in which we are now living, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has taken the lead in allowing restaurants to reopen their dining rooms. They must adhere to a set of 39 guidelines, however, including a rule requiring all employees to wear masks and restrictions on the number of customers allowed inside at the same time.
This evening, I signed an Executive Order for Reviving a Healthy Georgia with our plan for the safe reopening of specific sectors of Georgia’s economy with limited operations. Read the order here: https://t.co/UA9bDXistu #gapol
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) April 23, 2020
Chronic Tacos, a Southern California-based brand with more than 60 locations in the United States, Canada and Japan, is one chain taking the governor up on his offer.
"As retail is beginning to open across Georgia, we are planning a slow, phased approach to reopening," Jennifer Lewis told FastCasual via email. "We continue to closely monitor the conditions. The overall health and safety of our employees and customers is our top priority."
Lewis said the chain has added several safety measures including in-restaurant social distancing markers, plexiglass shields separating customers from employees, facial mask requirements and special employee training.
"We continue to follow the guidelines in place by our federal and state government authorities, our local health department, OSHA and follow the recommendations set forth by the National Restaurant Association," she said.
The Waffle House and Jason's Deli have also opened Georgia-area locations, and Focus Brands-owned Moe's Southwest Grill, which has nearly 100 restaurants in Georgia, has re-opened dining rooms in less than 10% of locations, Lindsay Haynes, Moe's communications and PR director, told FastCasual via email.
"The franchisees who have chosen to open their dining rooms are in accordance with local and state mandates," she said. "Additionally, franchised locations with closed dining rooms will continue to offer convenient and safe to-go options including curbside, pickup and third-party delivery."
Atlanta-based Schlotzsky's, also owned by Focus, has opted to wait, however.
"In the best interest of our guests and team members, we decided collectively with our franchisees to postpone the re-opening of dining rooms, regardless of what is allowed in any given market, until we have all the proper equipment and protocols in place at each of our locations and the staff is fully trained on any new procedures moving forward," COO Tory Bartlett said in an interview with FastCausual.
Many brands, including Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs, are studying how some of the first-to-open chains are handling things.
"We knew one state was going to open first," Cousins Subs President Jason Westhoff told FastCasual via email. "Is Georgia the right state to permit dine-in? Who knows. Their reopening, however, will provide a case study that will allow other states to gain key insights on what the impact is on the spread of COVID-19 and how guests and employees react."
One certainty, however, is that guests will choose to visit a dining room at their discretion.
"Locally, our small business leaders are ready to reopen their dining rooms," Westhoff said. "Governors who are making broad-based decisions month-by-month, instead of week-by-week, show either a lack of understanding or an intentional disregard of the long-term impact these decisions are having and will continue to have economically. While we are flattening the health curve, we are doing it at the expense of the livelihoods of a far greater percentage of our population."
Cousins, which has seen a 30% drop in sales at stores without drive-thrus, but only a 6% cut in locations that have them, doesn't have a specific date in mind for reopening dining rooms. Westhoff said the chain is monitoring federal, state and local guidelines while also working with state restaurant associations to get clarity on any operational changes it may need to make in order reopen.
"Even when allowed, our franchise partners will have the option to continue to operate with closed dining rooms if they so choose," Westhoff said. "Some may indicate to do so to see the results of and best practices for opening dining rooms in corporate stores."
The good news, Westhoff said, is that sales trends have improved every week since the chain's first date of impact on March 14. He credits that to a few things, including:
- Menu items were already perceived as grab-and-go meals prior to the pandemic.
- Implementing third-party delivery prior to the pandemic.
- Offering online-order and app-ordering for a long time prior to the pandemic.
- The standardizing of point-of-sale systems to a single platform and centralized management system. This consolidation enabled the chain to add curbside and EZ pickup within one week of March 14, 2020.
- Nearly 40% of Cousins Subs locations have drive-thru or pick-up windows.
About Cherryh Cansler
