What Winter Means for The Restaurant Industry | A Call To Action

Writing this piece broke my heart. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks now. I’m on my fourth draft. At first it took on a “warning” approach, trying to alert everyone of what is to come, but that had minimal impact, no substance really. Change is not something that is magically made, you must create it. So, I decided to rewrite it and do our part; however big or small.

This blog is more than alert, more than an education piece, it is a crowdsourcing, idea-seeking, change-making entity. A perpetually harmonious, significant, and profound group-think machine; well, that is at least the hope. We must continuously push the envelope here. In this unprecedented time, we can write the rule book. We as a group deserve more. Let’s inspire the change.

So, where do we start? Let’s paint the picture; the day-to-day you are currently living. You’ve acclimated to all off the requirements in your restaurant, helping to fight off this pandemic. It has cost you much of your revenue and if you are one of the lucky few, you might be growing business. Those restaurants that have found success are champions in the off-premise arena and others have invested in patio dining. Both are amazing and exemplary, especially for future restaurants to take note. However, for restaurants outside of the south, what happens when winter comes? What solutions are in place? They don’t exist, yet.

Cities like Chicago have created a contest for the most creative thinker. Someone that can revolutionize the winter dining experience. This is terrifying. Why? This shows me that the cities see no break in current COVID safety protocols and they are scrambling for a plan B. Hats off to them for making an effort, but what if nothing comes of it? There is not a solution that will benefit every concept. We must think alternatively.

What this blog is attempting to do is inspire the masses. As a collective group, we the hospitality and restaurant industry are some of the most strategic, fundamental thinkers out there. It’s time to put that to use for the greater good. Here’s an initial sample of some amazing thoughts we have created and gathered thus far:

·         Utilizing city buses or heated vehicles outside of the restaurant for dining

·         Heated igloos, domes & tents

·         Under table heaters

·         A winter terrace with blankets & heaters

·         Forecasting weather deeper into the month and integrating weather forecasts into scheduling

·         Improving the to-go experience. What would benefit your consumers in the winter months?

·         Winter themed meals, immerse them in the experience. Fire pits, snow covered patios, blankets, etc.

·         Closing off streets and introducing a “festival”, where local restaurants offer food via booths. Let the city take some of the burden with heating and managing guests.

What are you planning to do in your restaurant? Have you heard of ideas that can help? What about ideas that require minimal investment? We want to hear from you. Our next blog will focus mainly on solutions. We will continue to support the “Winter is Coming” efforts and provide any all updates we have.

Please email us with your ideas: info@alteredconceptsgroup.com

We can all do our part to help the industry stay afloat.