Delivery is more popular than ever before, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping people all around the world cooped up indoors. While delivery services like DoorDash, Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats offer a convenient way for restaurants to have food delivered directly to their loyal patrons, using them means being unable to control the customer experience as well as losing out on a significant portion of the profit.
The popularity of food delivery services like DoorDash, Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes has exploded since the beginning of the pandemic, allowing customers to enjoy their favourite food and beverages from the safety of their home and ensuring that food service businesses can continue serving the public even in the midst of lockdowns. These services are convenient for all parties, but concerns about food safety have always existed regarding them - something that has become especially prevalent since the emergence of COVID-19 last year.
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COVID-19 has had a crippling effect on the foodservice industry, forcing many businesses to close permanently or shift to models that focus heavily on delivery and outdoor dining. Prior to the pandemic, the foodservice industry directly employed over 1.2 million Canadians who served nearly 22 million people each and every day.
We recently announced the release of our very own customized virtual classrooms, offering food safety trainers a safer and more convenient way to continue teaching the next generation of food handlers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual training has the same advantages of the traditional classroom, but without the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak taking place, and with the added benefit of giving learners the option to complete courses on demand, rather than relying solely on those who can attend classes in person.
For months now, the pandemic has been changing the way we live in big and small ways. The classroom is one of COVID-19’s most notable victims, completely changing the way we learn and interact with each other. Classrooms are now seen as a massive transmission risk to students and instructors alike, and the idea of placing many people together in a small room or auditorium without proper ventilation and physical distancing measures is now seen as unattractive to many.
With the COVID-19 pandemic having no clear end in sight, many areas are beginning to enforce strict mask policies that apply to people spending time indoors, especially when social distancing may not be possible.
The “new normal” is something you’ve probably heard bandied about more than you can count. From our work lives to our social lives, every aspect of what we once thought of as day-to-day life has changed since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there’s no end in sight. While this same thing can be said for every industry, it’s especially true for the restaurant industry. The idea of upholding social distancing protocols has changed everything for restaurants, who for the time being have been forced to serve customers outside of their usual facilities, offer their services via delivery, or drastically reduce the number of customers allowed inside.
The COVID-19 pandemic has left a permanent mark on the food service industry, affecting every facet of the way we once conducted business and forcing establishments to rapidly innovate. One of the most notable victims of COVID-19’s effect on food service is the self-serve buffet restaurant. The future of the buffet has been speculated on by industry experts everywhere - the COVID-19 virus is extremely contagious, making the future of these once favourite restaurants extremely uncertain. Have we seen the end of the buffet restaurant, or will these businesses be able to survive thanks to innovation and the implementation of COVID protocols?
Wearing masks has been shown to be an important component in the fight to reduce the spread of COVID-19, prompting municipal governments to adopt mask policies in order for people to continue enjoying some semblance of normalcy. Like many things, wearing a mask has become a source of controversy, sparking widespread debates about freedom and social responsibility. While enforcing a mask policy may not always be the popular option for businesses, it’s an undeniably important part of your risk management policy.
Businesses around the world are currently experiencing one of the toughest challenges they’ll ever face - maintaining and regaining customer trust in the midst of a pandemic. With the threat of COVID-19 transmission looming, businesses are being forced to juggle the issue of how to protect employees and customers while staying open and trying to turn a profit.