Restaurants can play a crucial role in the fight against Covid-19

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While some restaurants have announced temporary closures in lieu of the outbreak, Nichas believes that the pandemic should be dealt with head-on. Stringent preventative regimes and innovative solutions will protect the interests of employees, customers and business. "We have a responsibility to our customers and our employees not to place our head in the sand, but to think laterally and fulfil our role in communities."

Nichas notes additional measures implemented at Mozambik and suggests that this will quickly become a new trend across the industry. "It has already been rolled out in other markets with success. We intend to complete implementation this week."

1. Social distancing and capacity managed restaurants with tables spaced more than 1.75m apart with fewer customers served at any time.

2. Sanitising will become socially ritualized and outlive Covid-19.

3. Intensified hygiene and wellness regimes in restaurants on top of already stringent protocols.

4. Substantial increase in delivery services and home consumption with the notion of ‘dark’ or ‘cloud’ kitchens gaining ground quickly.

5. Contactless delivery services and food drop-offs, or collections, will fast become more commonplace.

"It requires a sustained cycle of implementation, education and constant agility in an uncertain environment," adds Nichas.

"The better measures restaurants implement, the more innovative our thinking, the less business we will lose to the pandemic," says Nichas.

In several other markets, it is notable that business owners who do not respond positively to the challenge could face rapid declines of up to 70% in revenue. Last week the company announced that it would make all its communication material available to any company or community wishing to make use of it.