The recent situation brought by this pandemic has proven that a crisis management plan is a must for every industry. It caught the whole world off-guard and caused catastrophic effects to the economy on a global level. Many businesses struggled to keep their operations running, and having no back-up plan made it impossible for them to survive.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused great damage to the global industry. There’s a year-over-year decline of seated diners in restaurants worldwide was a staggering 51.3 percent in November 2020.  Even the Restaurant Industry, one of the fastest growing industries, took a massive impact out of the current pandemic situation. That’s why it is crucial to have a well-thought of crisis management plan for business survival.

WHAT IS CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Crisis management is the tactics and strategies utilized by a business in dealing with unforeseen events that’s considered harmful to its operations. It secures the ability of the business to respond and to recover from the sudden negative event.

In the Restaurant Industry, restaurant crisis management plan is important as it serves as the backup of the whole of the restaurant or takeaway or cloud kitchen. If there’s a solid plan, the restaurant can weather any storm without compromising its operations.

The management  would be surprised on how having a restaurant crisis management plan could mean the difference between recuperating from an unfortunate event and putting the restaurant’s reputation on the line.

This article will help restaurateurs understand what are the basic requirements of a reliable restaurant crisis management plan, and develop their ability to create a plan that would improve the survival of their restaurant in any scenario.

RESTAURANT CRISIS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

IDENTIFY THE GOALS OF YOUR CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN

Before anything else, it is important to know what the goal of the plan is. It should be clear for the whole team to know what they’re preparing for. Once the goals are set, it will serve as the guide to create a crisis management plan that would be beneficial for the restaurant or pizza shops[WU1] .

The basic goals for a good crisis management plan is to quickly recover from the impact of the sudden event, minimize or eliminate the negative effects to the whole restaurant, and to make sure that the restaurant’s brand remains intact.

ORGANIZE A CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM

Goals are set to be met, build a team that will be competent enough to carry out the restaurant crisis management plan and are capable of handling stressful situations. Make sure that the staff will be well represented and this team can communicate the plan to the whole restaurant.

INITIATE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FOR THE TEAM

Communication that covers internal and external processes is an integral part of restaurant crisis management. Ensure that the team has an effective spokesperson to communicate to the staff, vendors, suppliers, and to the public, if needed, how the restaurant would respond to a certain situation.

The spokesperson should represent the brand and the whole restaurant organization and must address the situation with a professional demeanour.

BE PROACTIVE AND BE ACCOUNTABLE

Be proactive, stay calm, and address the issue with full honesty. It is important to be prepared for different types of situations, so that the team would know how to address the concerns properly.

And should the situation get out of hand, make sure that the restaurant management would address it to the customers in order to take control of the story, and avoid ending up defending the organization.

FEEDBACK ANALYSIS

A feedback from a customer reflects how effective the restaurant crisis management plan of a restaurant is. Also, it allows the management to identify the concerns of the customers before it becomes a major setback for the restaurant. It provides insights about the whole operation from the customer’s point of view.

This enables the restaurant’s management to create actionable steps needed to align with their customer’s needs and demands.

RE-EVALUATE THE CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN

Once the plan has been tested out, it is important to assess what are the things needed for improvement and apply necessary tweaks in the restaurant crisis management plan. Modify the plan and tools as needed, communicate it to the team, and train the team to be well-versed to these changes.

MOST COMMON TYPES OF CRISIS SCENARIOS

Crisis and emergencies come in different forms, and any situation may manifest into a business crisis depending on how the organization will deal and communicate the situation. Here are some of the crisis that an organization may face:

• Natural Crisis
• Financial Crisis
• Organizational Crisis
• Technological Crisis
• Personnel Crisis

CONCLUSION

This year was expected to be a great year for the restaurant industry, but due to the unforeseen event – coronavirus outbreak, a loss of $240B is now expected by the end of 2020. They may come up with tons of reasonable excuses but this fast and huge decline just exposed how unprepared the whole industry was.

As the lockdown measures are starting to loosen, the Restaurant Industry is also slowly trying to recuperate from the effects of this pandemic. Restaurateurs should see this as an opportunity to revamp their restaurant crisis management plan in order to protect their business should another unexpected situation happen.

Keeping a positive attitude in dealing towards a crisis would serve as the core of the whole operation. It’ll be challenging and demanding, but it’ll be one of the most powerful moments for a restaurant to,(or any other organization), to have the ability to recover after a crisis.

Who doesn’t love a bit of office gossip? But what if we told you the biggest revelation was not what went down at your work’s Christmas party, but how many germs you are exposed to, every single day? Germs that could be putting your health at risk, simply by going about your everyday activities? Find cleaning services near you. 

Here are the 10 dirtiest areas of your office revealed to tell you more and quite possibly, instruct you where you need to clean…

Lift Buttons

Despite being much smaller, lift buttons hold 40 times the amount of bacteria than the average toilet seat. Lift buttons have two main issues in that they are something practically everyone touches countless times a day, and they are easily forgotten about. Both can lead to a quick accumulation of bacteria and viruses on the buttons.

Door Handles

It’s a fact… nobody remembers to clean the door handles! Given they usually require a firm grip to open and close properly, it’s an easy way to contaminate your hands with germs. People then touch their face and even eat their lunch right afterwards, making door handles a hotspot for bacteria. Find local cleaners in your area.

Desks

Our desks are home to a lot of items. Whatsmore, many people eat their lunch over their desks too. The more things that come into contact with your desk (especially phones or chewed up pens), the higher the chance it’s pretty unsanitary. It’s easy to assume that because a desk ‘looks clean’ that it probably is. But unless it’s subject to regular and thorough disinfection, it most likely isn’t.

Keyboards

The average employee racks up 6,000 keystrokes a day. But take a closer look at any office keyboard, and you’ll notice a film of skin on the keys and even crumbs down the back of it. Because our keyboards are one of the most utilised pieces of office equipment, they can pose a real threat to our health. This is especially the case with viral illnesses such as colds, flu or even stomach bugs, as the infection will happily live on surfaces for days.

Phone

While it may not always feel like it, many hands are responsible for answering that office phone. Every time they do, the person transfers bacteria onto the handset from their hands as well as their nose and mouth. If your office phone has been there for some time, go take a closer look at it. You might just be grossed out when you notice how filthy it is!

Photocopier Machine

When you wait for a document to print, your attention is probably on the document itself rather than what you had to touch to get the machine to print. The photocopier machine is yet another victim of the forgotten surfaces which is why it’s not just the ink levels you need to worry about. The more people in your office that use the printer, the more bacteria is being transferred to and from the buttons every day.

Watercooler

There’s no harm in a bit of water, right? Well if your watercooler only dispenses water instead of said water being used to clean it, then you could have a problem on your hands. From nervous interviewees to parched CEO’s, everyone stops by the watercooler at some point, bringing their germs with them.

Coffee/Tea Machine

Where do you head when you need something stronger than water? The tea or coffee machine of course! Most people can’t get through the day without their caffeine, meaning many trips are made to the location where they can make it. As well as the inside of the device, the main operating touchpoints are likely contaminated with bacteria too.

Kitchen Sponge

While hot water is very effective at cleaning dirty cups and disinfecting as it goes, the same cannot be said for the humble kitchen sponge. It’s recommended to change your kitchen sponge at least once a week for hygiene purposes. But if no designated person is looking out for this, then it could be left to fester instead, ready for the next person to ‘clean’ their plate with. 

Bathrooms

There are obvious areas of bacteria in a bathroom, and then some more conspicuous ones too. Everyone knows the toilet and sinks need cleaning every day. But what about the bathroom locks, door handles or the light switches? Every corner of your work bathroom is a potential health hazard, thanks to the nature of what goes on in there. So it’s important to leave no stone unturned when it comes to cleaning it.

To Sum Up

If the above has left you reaching for the bleach and disinfectant wipes, you’re not alone! The grisly truth is that offices aren’t the cleanest of places. This is especially the case if you have people coming and going all day long, bringing who knows what with them on their hands.

The best protection against a filthy office is to undertake regular cleaning. That’s why most offices hire a commercial cleaning services, who are responsible for cleaning all the main areas of the building including staff kitchens and bathrooms too.

By keeping your office clean, it will benefit all those who work there and look more professional in front of your customers too.

Bookkeeping involves listing a detailed account of your business’s financial matters. Whether you’re self-employed or own a large business, it’s not something that can be skipped. Given the amount of time and attention bookkeeping demands, it’s not always possible to complete your own books.

That’s why many choose to outsource theirs to a professional bookkeeper instead. Here are 5 reasons why you should hire a bookkeeper to tell you more.

Maths Isn’t Your Strong point

Business is a numbers game, but that doesn’t mean to say maths is necessarily your strong point. Rather than trying to struggle along, sometimes it’s best to give the job to somebody else who excels at what you can’t do.

Remember that bookkeepers get into the profession by choice. So rather than trying to figure it out as you go along like most business owners, bookkeepers can hit the ground running. That way, you’ll be able to replace a weak point in the business with the best level of expertise.

Better Business Efficiency

Business owners often have to wear several hats. But as the saying goes: “Jack of all trades, master of none”. While we don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade here, the reality is the more tasks you need to complete, the less attention you’re able to give to each one.

Outsourcing certain aspects of your business can help you focus better. Your business offering will become more efficient as a result, because your attention can switch back to what you do best and not the mundane tasks that need to be completed in the background.

Mistakes Could Be Costly

Your company books need to be completed regularly and more importantly accurately. All of the incomings and outgoings should be recorded. If you lack the proper knowledge or time, it’s so easy to make mistakes.

While errors on your books might seem harmless, they could cause you to receive inspections or even fines from HMRC. It’s always worth having an expert eye take care of your books if you feel mistakes are likely to occur.

It Will Make Your Accountant’s Life Easier

Good luck handing over your books to your local accountants if they are riddled with errors or incomplete. Whether you head to your accountant to complete your tax return or require business advice, unless your books are up to scratch they won’t be able to help you effectively.

This matters because it creates a domino effect which ultimately makes its way back to you. Before you know it, your returns can’t be completed on time and you have to shell out more hours with your accountant to try and fix the situation. All of which could have been avoided if you had hired a dedicated bookkeeper.

Less Stress

The reality that every single sale and business expense needs to be documented can become very stressful. It’s so easy to let things slip especially when you are caught up with the day to day running of your business.

But if someone else is taking care of your books for you, you’ll never have that issue. The small cost of hiring a bookkeeper pales in comparison to sleepless nights and tense meetings worrying about your books you could face otherwise.

To Sum Up

As a business owner, it’s impossible to do it all alone. Your books are something which can’t wait, which is why if you lack the knowledge or time to complete yours, it’s worth hiring a bookkeeper instead. That way you can rest easy in the knowledge everything is present and correct ready to hand over to your accountant or HMRC should they come knocking.

Did you know that 75% of customers/buyers judge the credibility of a company from its website design? Still, there are many small businesses without a website because they think that it is a costly investment that might not be worth their while.

However, unlike 10-15 years ago, designing a website does not require an exorbitant sum of money. This is because many businesses in the likes of Wix, Squarespace, and Duda was created with the goal to make the building of a website an extremely easy and quick process that anyone with a computer and internet connection could do. You can ofcourse hire the expertise of a freelance web designer but this might be over budget.

If you aren’t yet convinced that you can literally build your own website for less than $25, continue reading as in this article, we will show you how to design a website on a budget.

#1 Decide on your objective

When it comes to designing a website on a budget, you need to spend some time and decide what purpose your website will serve. Are you building a personal blog for your puppy, a portfolio that you can use to showcase your experience and work as a professional, or want to take your offline retail store to the internet?

These 3 examples are vastly different in terms of complexity. Because of that, the price for their development and design will also be different. However, don’t be discouraged as the difference in price is not going to be astronomical.

#2 Select the right platform

The next step in designing a website on a budget is selecting the right platform for your website. If you had already done some research, you have probably already heard of WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and a bunch of other website builders.

WordPress is amongst the most popular because it is free to use and the level of customization that you can achieve on your website is truly endless. Next in line is Wix, which is easier and better if you are only a very small business or are looking to build a portfolio. Keep in mind that like other website builders, to own a website on Wix, you need to pay a monthly subscription.

As you can see, there are many different options, so please do your research in-depth to see what each platform offers before you make a decision.

#3 Use a theme or a template

If you have been on the internet for some time, you can probably name 2 or 3 websites that look relatively similar. This is because most websites today actually use a premade template or a theme to cut down on their website designing costs. If you are on a tight budget, you can use a free theme from the directory of your chosen platform.

However, if you want to invest in a premium theme, which significantly fewer websites are using (as it is paid), you can go for one of the paid themes. Before you go ahead and select your WordPress portfolio theme, make sure to closely inspect it and see if it has all the features and functionalities that your business will require.

#4 Avoid unnecessary features

You can design a website on a budget by avoiding unnecessary features that can quickly add up to the cost of your website. For example, if you do not want to sell online, you don’t need to add eCommerce features or plugins to your website.

Always avoid adding unnecessary features and plugins because they can also negatively impact the load time of a website. This in turn can affect the growth of your business in areas such as SEO, which are fundamental to generate traffic and ultimately more sales to your business. Find an SEO agency.

#5 Plan the content

Don’t forget that besides a nice looking website, you also need to put on some content for your visitors to read. If you have an e-commerce store, you need to plan the product descriptions that will describe each of the products that you are selling.

If you have an affiliate blog, you will need to research titles that are less competitive and make content that users will want to read and purchase from.

Whatever your website goal is, planning the content yourself is one way to save a lot of money.

#6 Write the content yourself

And finally, like website designers, copywriters can also charge upwards of $50 per hour. If you are running an affiliate blog, and want to grow the website on a budget, chances are that you won’t be able to afford copywriters to do the work for you.

So, to save money and keep the budget tight, write the content yourself. Yes, at the start it probably won’t be so good, but eventually, you will get used to it.