Article contributed by Mike Berman, COO, Day & Nite/All Service, with Tia Tassava
For months, everyone’s sincere greeting, mimicked by every ad and hosted tv show, has been “we’re all in this together.” With the brutal suffocation murder of George Floyd serving as the catalyst, the nation has quickly gone from banding together to the extreme opposite in the rawest, public ways. A nation under quarantine since mid-late winter is now further inflamed from the long-simmering tensions resulting from deep-rooted injustices. More than cabin fever, cutting off personal connections has raised levels of isolation and fear far beyond anything the human species can endure, especially Americans.
There can be no more conclusive evidence that the US’s societal whiplash demands the hospitality industry do what it has always done better than any other industry or institution. It can bring friends and strangers together through a common experience with generosity and lasting good, happy memories.
After being deprived of social experiences for far too long, the public has made numerous sacrifices over these many months and needs the warm social connections the hospitality industry uniquely creates and routinely provides. While we recognize that front of the house safety measures will be critical, returning to normal cannot resemble the memorable Seinfeld Bubble Boy episode. Now in our 10th week, our most recent columns have emphasized we are at an inflection point: now at the most heightened and urgent moment of transition. To lead as the hospitality industry must, it requires a more comprehensive, inviting way to ensure maximum environmental, workplace, guest, employee, and food safety. Rather than being separated from the world living on the edge of anxiety as Seinfeld’s Eric, the Bubble Boy, did, dnasperformancesolutions.net portfolio is designed to bring the completely safe and hygienic space Eric lived in to all our inside spaces.
Engagious’s prescient and closely followed Back to Normal Barometer shows a rather significant shift in the public’s attitude. Engagious’s most recently released research shows that economic considerations (64%) are now more dominant for the first time than coronavirus fears. Engagious further reports greater confidence in the future, trending up to 43%. While at the same time, 59% are deeply swayed by events with no less than a similar majority, stating they will not fully step out unless businesses not only take but properly publicize the necessary safety measures. As would be expected, hospitality is the only segment of the US economy capable of (re)establishing necessary personal connections by eliminating fears.
Bottom line: this is our moment of truth, where we each have the greatest need to resume normalcy and where the hospitality industry is most needed.
On behalf of the Day & Nite family of companies, you have our personal word and professional commitment; we are truly all in this together. We need to recognize the crucial role we must play for healing the fractured nation, knowing everything from the economics of it to the unrivaled portfolio of services engineered to best protect against lacking immunities for the safest, most hygienic environments. We will truly bring the public back together.
