The negative impacts of Coronavirus pandemic have been felt globally. Since the virus started to spread fast, thousands of businesses have been closed down for the last three months to help curb the spread of this deadly virus. In Kenya, the tourism and hospitality sector has been the worst hit by these restrictions.

Luckily, the national government through the ministry of health together with county governments have worked tirelessly to ensure that the spread of the virus is contained. The various health guidelines and regulations that were put in place by the ministry of health have born fruits and we are now witnessing partial re-opening of the economy.

These new developments are giving the tourism and hospitality sector a new sigh of relief as restaurants are now able to resume operations gradually. But how should restaurants approach reopening post COVID-19? That’s what am going to share with you in this post. The dynamics have changed in this “new normal” and restaurants need to resume operations safely to avoid the second wave of infection.

Operating On Take-Away Service And Home Delivery

Since the virus is spread through contact, restaurants in Kenya should continue adopting to the “new normal” of non-contact takeout and home/office deliveries. Restaurants should take advantage of various digital marketing platforms to create awareness about their meals and menus packages.

Maintaining a good communication relationship with their previous customers can also help restaurants reach out to a wider audience especially in major cities who will know that they are back to business.

2. Regular Cleaning And Disinfections

Strict adherence to the health guidelines provided by the ministry of health is paramount if restaurants want to get back into business fully. Regular cleaning and disinfections promotes a healthy working environment which is key in curbing the spread of Coronavirus disease.

Staff should be trained on how to clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces in the restaurants such as tables, chairs, door handles, sink taps, cash registers and bathroom stalls.

Restaurants should also discourage sharing of common items which can be difficult to clean and disinfect such as menus, tools and food containers. Non-contact payment systems and non-touch garbage cans should be encouraged and adopted.

A proper cleaning and disinfection routine can go a long way in keeping both customers and employees safe.

3. Modified Layouts And Seating Arrangement

Restaurants throughout the country should adopt to a new modified layout and seating arrangement in order to maintain social distancing. The recommended layout and seating arrangement is the one which can have at least one meter distance or 60% of restaurant capacity.

Group events and large meetings should be discouraged in restaurants because it’s difficult to maintain social distance. When there is less congestion, it becomes even easier to serve your customers well and clean your premises frequently.

4. Protecting Vulnerable Employees

Restaurants should also give a first priority to the health status of their staff. A healthy workforce increases productivity and this can only be achieved through healthy working environment.

Employees who are aged or those with underlying health conditions are vulnerable and there should be a proper mechanism to ensure that they are all protected. This can be done by modifying their job responsibilities and establishing rotating work shifts.

5. New Staff Training Methods To Build Resilience

The Coronavirus pandemic caught everyone unaware and almost all restaurants have never experienced this kind of working environment before. Therefore, it’s very important for human resource managers to develop new staff training manuals that will help employees cope with the “new normal”.

Staff should be trained on how to build resilience during this time when the economy is trying to recover from the negative impacts of COVID-19. They should also be trained to understand the new opportunities created by this crisis in the hospitality sector and how they can use them to increase sales.

All restaurants in Kenya should also have signs and regulatory messages clearly placed in highly visible locations like entrances and sitting areas to promote hygiene, safety and social distancing measures.