Will The Buffet Survive Post Pandemic?

Will The Buffet Survive Post Pandemic?

Ask my kids where they want to go to dinner and their answer will always be the same, anywhere that has a pizza buffet and a game room. Having family night out binging on our favorite pizzas and competing against each other to get the new high score in our favorite games was no big deal, pre-pandemic that is. Now? The thought of a buffet is out of the question. And games that never get cleaned, crammed in a small room with families running around, forget it! So how will these types of restaurants recover? Most likely, they will need to make some serious changes to their business model. Here are some ideas on how to pivot in the right direction.

Remove The Self-Serve Concept

I know. The whole point of a buffet is getting what you want, when you want it. But that just isn’t going to be an option in the foreseeable future. According to the FDA, everything from drink dispensers, to utensils, napkins, salt and pepper shakers, hot sauce and ketchup bottles, will all need to be taken off the tables and away from public reach and sanitized after each user. And of course, the food can’t be accessed by customers. Sneeze guards just aren’t going to cut it anymore. Food will need to be completely covered and servers behind the counter plating your food will be the new norm if restaurants want to continue with the buffet concept post-pandemic. Customers will still get the variety that they tend to crave when they choose to go to a buffet, but your restaurant will be complaint in the new regulations of discontinuing all services that require customers to use common utensils or dispensers. Your customers will also be more comfortable with the idea of sharing portions with strangers if they are served the food instead of serving themselves once they return to the dining rooms.

Reduce The Options

Again, this seems to contradict the main purpose of a buffet, having all the options and not having to choose, but hear me out. Reducing the menu of options will allow for a smaller area needed to store the food. This in turn will give restaurants the space needed to restructure the buffet area to accommodate the contactless buffet as mentioned above. It will also cut back on the amount of time that someone stands up at the bar making their selections. If you like to provide a multitude of options, try having theme nights and rotate through the different themes each day. This will allow your restaurant’s patrons to still get their favorite foods on certain nights and may entice them to come back a few different nights in a week.

Social Distancing Protocols

Another issue that buffets face is being able to keep social distancing at the forefront for employees and customers. Buffets tend to cause long lines if the restaurant is busy and lines are a no-go. So, you’ll need to ensure you have a procedure in place that is easy for your customers to understand and keeps the foot traffic to your new, contactless buffet at a minimum. Maybe you instill a 2 person max at the buffet at a time or provide marks on the floor to show proper spacing allotments. Then make sure your servers are enforcing the rules.

Provide To-Go Options

Buffets are normally a sit-down meal and no doggy bags allowed. But again, buffet restaurants need to pivot and think of alternatives when they are allowed to reopen. Let your customers select the items that they want off the buffet and pack them up for them to take home to enjoy. Create custom meal options for your customers to build their meal from the buffet like  allowing them to select the number of meats and the number of sides for a certain price or sell the meals by the pound so they can have all the options they desire.

Pivot To Plated Meals

There may be no return for buffets in some areas. But that doesn’t mean their doors need to close completely. Pivoting to a sit-down restaurant with a set menu and served meals is an option. While the options may not seem as plentiful for your customers if they are restricted to a plated meal, you could still cultivate a menu that allows for smaller portions and provide a wide variety of options to build their meal at a reasonable price to satisfy the inner buffet lover. If they loved your food pre-pandemic, they will still love it now. They just may need a little time to adjust to the new way it’s being presented.

If you own a buffet restaurant, don’t give up on it. There are ways to persevere once restrictions start to ease and you can start opening up again. Be accepting to the fact that people’s mentality has shifted on how they want to get their food and what is allowed by the new health and safety regulations. If you need help pivoting your restaurant, we’re here to give you the assistance you need. Ask your local loan consultant about the loan options we have available. You can make this work and we’ll be here to make it happen.