Since lockdown was announced back in March, hospitality businesses everywhere have been suffering the consequences of forced closure and no income. Finally, the news came in that restaurants, pubs and cafes in the UK have been allowed to open up from last weekend and we were all able to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, the battle isn’t quite over. As the public goes into a frenzy of celebration and they come out to enjoy their long-awaited pint with friends or a meal out with loved ones, it is up to restaurants to claw back the business they lost in the previous months while staying COVID-safe. That is exactly what the Feebi team are here to help you do.

At Feebi, we want to provide the ultimate resources for hospitality businesses to get back on their feet and thrive post-pandemic. The resources section on our website is slowly filling up with advice, guidance and tools for the best practices and tips for getting your restaurant back into its prime, starting with these three simple ways to boost footfall.

Think Like The Customer

Coming out from the other side of a pandemic is scary business. People are still unsure about the risk; there is a mixture of those following government guidelines, those over-relaxed about the guidelines and those who are still worried about leaving their home. The best way for you to combat these different personalities is to fully reassure your customers about your safety measures. 

Have a space on your website, social media and outside your physical venue where you list some basic health and safety rules in an informative and straightforward way. Avoid intimidating graphics such a bit red crosses and words like ‘DO NOT’ to relax your more anxious customers. A good example of straightforward, detailed guidelines about their restaurant’s commitment to safety is Back Yard Bournemouth, an outdoor pop-up experience who have used simple graphics to reassure and inform their audience. See their guidelines below.

Utilise Good Resources

If you want customers to start coming back to your restaurant, there are some useful resources you can use to ensure you are getting people through the door. Social media is the first one – using social media to make it crystal clear that you are open is a great way to invite customers back into your restaurant. 

Another more recent handy piece of tech is a capacity tracking app like Capp. This app lets customers live-track the capacity of their restaurant and also deals with the logistics of taking customer’s details for the government’s 21-day details recording policy. Technology like this is useful for letting customers know you have space to accommodate them in your restaurant, but also an extra string to your bow when reassuring customers that you are monitoring your safety measures.

Invest In A Decent Booking Process

It is uncertain how long we will need to remain cautious for, but having a decent booking system should be a priority considering it is unlikely you will be able to take walk-ins for some time. You want your customers to be able to book into your restaurant as simply as possible, that means having access to a booking form both on your website and on social media. Allowing your customers to as questions about your safety policies, opening times or any changes they should be aware of via a live chat is also a useful feature to have in the process. For example, if your customer is unsure from looking at your website whether you are allowing dining in as well as takeaway, sending you a message and getting a quick response is the best way to ensure you retain their intention to make a booking.

Feebi makes this process easier by allowing your customers to book a table from within the chat interface. If they have already asked you a question about your safety policy for COVID, if there are any adjustments to opening times or any other questions your customer may have, Feebi will then allow them to book a table from within the chat as well. A straight forward process to maximise the chances of your customer making a booking.

Opening up your restaurant again is a relief that also comes with great responsibility for the protection and safety of the public. If we all play our part, then things can ease back into normality soon and fewer restrictions will impact the footfall coming into our pubs, cafes and restaurants.

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