Soon, your neighborhood and city will begin to reopen. Customers will slowly return to work, see friends, and resume some of their leisure activities.

It is expected that social distancing will continue, requiring restaurants to reduce capacity, and new safety practice be put in place. This will all but guarantee a lessened experience for customers and lower sales for an unforeseeable period of time.

Customers have been retrained

During the extended lock-down period, customer habits and behaviors have no doubt changed. Eating out was completely out, and off-premise dining is the new normal.

Customers already expect the same digital experiences they have when shopping online or booking for travel. Third-party food ordering companies are out in droves to take over the restaurant industry and your customers. For a while, a digital evolution has begun albeit slowly. The pandemic has unintendedly sped it up many folds.

Going all-in with digital

To respond, you will need to create new digital channels and customer experiences. Help customers do business with you both offline and online. Convert third-party orders to your own customers and increase their direct loyalty.

Restaurants will undergo a transformation unlike anything the industry has experienced. Prepare for the next normal by going all-in with digital.