ReOpening during COVID

Welcome to ‘EQ NOW’ an original EventQuip Series providing tips and information on how to utilize safe tenting and event rentals for your restaurant while continuing in the fight against Coronavirus.

In March of 2020, the world changed overnight when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Shelter in Place went into effect, Social Distancing was a common household term, grocery stores were depleted, and the country went officially into lockdown mode. And just as quickly as the country went into quarantine, the bar and restaurant industry felt the debilitating blow to their bottom line.

If there is one thing that every industry has learned during this pandemic, it is that the key to survival is to pivot.  With some creativity (and strategic pivoting), EventQuip has come up with the tent and event rental solutions for the re-imagined restaurant and bar.

Restaurant & Bar + Social Distancing

When planning the reopening or re-invention of your restaurant or bar after COVID19, transparency with your guests and team is paramount. Being transparent on what your restaurant will entail, what social distancing protocols are in place and what steps you are taking to ensure the safety of your staff, patrons and community is of most importance.

If your restaurant or bar location allows for a dedicated area for curbside or drive-through pickup, implementing a structure that promotes social distancing, provides shade and protection from the elements for your employees, and avoids crowding, could be the first step in keeping the doors open. Incentivizing food pickups and making a streamlined drive-thru restaurant experience could be the boost in revenue your restaurant is looking for during and after the pandemic.

Utilizing tenting and shade queuing outside popular venues will make waiting guests feel safe and help maintain the order. Dedicating a hostess area that spaces guests apart and maintains safe social distancing is another way to make guests feel safe.

Expanding “usable” space is another way you can make guests feel safe, promote social distancing in your venue and keep boosting your bottom line. Utilizing patio spaces is a great example of putting usable space to work for you. By implementing tents and structures in patio areas you can ensure this space can be used year-round with the help of HVAC, glass doors and windows and even customized flooring. Implementing a tent or structure in the parking lot or the grassy knoll behind the restaurant—these too are all usable spaces. With EventQuip’s restaurant tent and event solutions we can safely maximize your occupancy, provide ample social distancing, promote a healthy environment for your employees and patrons while creatively mimicking your main dining and bar area.

While making patrons feel safe and socially distanced, we must also look to the back of the house and ensure that you are making all employees feel safe at work. Kitchens often have tight work spaces. Consider spreading prep out or adding extra workspace to ensure social distancing amongst employees. Creating new, spread out tented spaces for breakrooms, staff meetings and ally rallies is another solution for social distancing in restaurants.

Thinking outside the box when it comes to socially distancing your restaurant and bar venues is the key to success in this unprecedented time.  Providing hand sanitizers for employees and guests, limiting hand-to-hand contact, air scrubbers and maximizing air flow, socially distanced hostess lines, and utilizing all usable space to increase occupancy are all ideas that will be the face of the new restaurant and bar. Whatever the path your restaurant chooses, we are honored to help guide you through the experience while keeping you and yours safe and healthy.

For over 20 years EventQuip has been creating beautiful, useful, and innovative tent and event rental solutions for restaurants, bars and venues in the Philadelphia tri-state area. Our social distancing and employee spacing regulation solutions have the health and safety of your employees at the forefront. Our highly trained team practices rigorous safety protocols to ensure we deliver safe solutions for your wedding. To find your socially distancing restaurant and bar solutions, contact the experts at EventQuip.