Article contributed by Mike Berman, COO, Day & Nite/All Service, with Tia Tassava
Now in its 9th wave, the Engagious Back To Normal Barometer brings encouraging news for the restaurant industry as dining out recorded a new peak for surveyed consumers; the survey showed more people are anxious to dine out.
It is even more telling that this same survey reported a new economic confidence low, with only 25% believing the economy will show any signs of recovery in 2020. Legitimate concerns people will adjust to 2020’s dominant conditions by just losing interest in former activities now give way to even more authentic opportunity. Namely, we are all now realizing just how much we miss the things we most cherish in life and dining out heads that list. No other research company has a timely, accurate, precise, and useful finger on the societal pulse as the quantitative and qualitative Engagious Back To Normal Barometer. This week’s column written to help hospitality best apply these and other highly relevant findings to create and seize more significant opportunities than our industry might fully realize.
Emphasizing personal safety and overall hygiene, an ability to control a situation directly correlates with a willingness to engage in any activity according to Engagious’ 9th wave. Under current conditions, by a wide margin, the report also shows consumers are far more willing to go to a store than eat at a restaurant because it’s much more comfortable and within one’s control to move away from someone else than it is to relocate from a table. Engagious further reports assurances from trusted sources and visible, transparent evidence a given establishment has taken extraordinary measures to ensure indoor environmental, workplace, guest, and food safety is paramount. Yet, 70% now expect a COVID-19 vaccine won’t materialize until 2021 or later. Meaning necessary assurances will come from each restaurant’s protective measures instead of a governmental, agency, or medical authority—all extremely invaluable underlying insights for your optimal next phase strategy.
A healthy mix of business and leisure dining has always propelled hospitality. Partnership for New York City’s recently released in-depth research showed only 8% of New York’s office workers have returned to the workplace while also providing highly useful leading indicators. These findings are further complemented by the majority of Engagious respondents stating a strong preference for permanently working from home with equal disinterest attending conferences or other forms of business travel.
If these continue to hold true, the sum-substance of research and trends is more people staying at home with a greater desire to dine out represent the hospitality industry’s priority target market.
In an era defined by a global pandemic, hospitality’s best strategy is to think and act locally. Naturally, businesses building strong local reputations always outperform those without it; differentiation through advanced hygiene, indoor environmental quality, workplace, guest, and food safety represents a uniquely significant competitive distinction for the hospitality industry.
Although these over five most dreary months might suggest otherwise, the pace of change always accelerates in periods of uncertainty. Given the unprecedented magnitude of events, expect the rate of change will only speed up in the days, weeks, and months ahead. The most significant danger for any business is to ignore these realities because the same dullness we have grown accustomed to clouds our thinking; think of it in the familiar frog in the pot phenomenon terms. Avoid the slow boil by leaping to smart safety and hygiene action now! The very best news is comprehensive cost-efficient environmental sanitization and sterilization is well within your immediate grasp.
Carefully curated by over a decade of its own applied research, science, and domain expertise, Day & Nite Performance Solutions engineered offering provides the exact assurances and visibly clear evidence of highly differentiated indoor environmental protection, guest, employee, and food safety. Deployed as an integrated suite of services, Day & Nite Performance Solutions puts you in control of the means and methods for creating your competitive edge, translated as the control consumers require before they return to your establishment to the extent you want them to. Research shows they most certainly want to.
Day & Nite Performance Solutions is right for your business at this very right time, installing bi-polar air ionization is quickly becoming the health, hygiene, and safety standard and 10% of your order will be donated in your name to the critical James Beard Foundation Open For Good campaign. Where else can you simultaneously protect your employees and patrons, grow your business, convert the tragedy of 2020 into lasting opportunity, and do your part to save a vital industry?
