The impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been swift & brutal across the world.
In the middle east region, the government has taken the necessary precautionary measures to protect the lives of citizens and residents and to prevent the spread of the pandemic. This has led to the suspension or reduction of many local economic activities, which had a negative impact on non-oil revenue and economic growth.
With its rapid escalation, it has begun to decimate the restaurant industry as an increasing number of states and regions enforce population lockdowns and close eateries, gyms and other “nonessential” businesses.
While the markets have been allowed to open partially, there are new government regulations imposed by the UAE Government to operate in the post-lockdown era.
New Government Regulations (UAE)
The government laid regulations insist on the opening of restaurants in a phased manner, with the following practices:
- Restaurants should register in the food watch portal to ensure compliance with the newly laid regulations.
- Restaurants to utilise the dining space with a maximum of 30% capacity.
- Continuous sanitisation and consistent cleaning of premises are mandatory.
- Restrictions discouraging children under the age of 12 and old people from dining out should be in place.
- Usage of disposable cutleries and crockery for diners, and masks and gloves for staff.
Contactless Dining | The Way Ahead for the Restaurant Industry
As COVID-19 impacts all sections of life and people have been introduced to the new social distancing practice. Dineout, India’s largest restaurant tech platform recently introduced the country’s first end-to-end ‘contactless dining suite’ for its partner restaurants to put in place the right seamless plug-and-play technology and sanitation requirements to support limited-contact dining for the foreseeable future.
The brand’s inresto Contactless Dining suite covers the entire dining experience from
• Pre-ordering – To cut the wait times at the restaurants, diners will now opt for pre-ordering to ensure that the food is ready by the time they reach.
• Contactless Valet – To cut the wait time down at the restaurant lobby. Diners will have their vehicles to be brought in just as they complete payments. Digital valet will cut short the time spent at community areas to curb the spread of infections.
• Contactless Seating – To make reservations online and facilitate digital table allotment. Reservations and waitlist management software will ensure that restaurants aren’t reserving more than what the social distancing norms will dictate. For example: Having a 2m distance between tables.
• Contactless Menu – inresto`s ‘Dine-In’ digital menu solution will use Data Analytics and AI to offer dynamic pricing and customized offers at partner restaurants besides offering diners the options to place an order without handling physical menu cards
• Contactless payments – To ease the payment process for both the consumer and the restaurant. Digital payments via e-wallets will avoid the exchange of cash and cards, thereby forcing social distancing.
• Feedback – Online feedback systems will collect real-time feedback on the dining experience
The goal behind this movement is to enable restaurants to reopen their businesses soon while making restaurants a safe harbour for diners. The role of tech in this post-COVID-19 era is to establish trust and build confidence in the minds of consumers. The new inresto Contactless Dining Suite would help the F&B industry adjust to the new normal in a conducive environment.
It’s time to grab the opportunity and let your diners experience exceptional dining and create new memories with a side of confidence and trust.
Contact us to make your restaurant a safe harbour for diners.
