This time, however, there is a glimmer of hope; Instead of pulling the shutters down, businesses are able to stay open and do what they do best. With restrictions on opening hours and styles of service, it has never been more important for business owners to adapt and for communities to support their local trade.
As a part of the hospitality industry, we have the opportunity to show how important every pub, restaurant and bar is to us and the local community. Through careful planning, advanced software tools and structure, we will keep our customers safe. The vast majority of places have followed government guidelines no matter how ambiguous or difficult they may be! It's important we do everything we can to keep the doors open.
Adapt to the COVID guidelines by offering your customers a takeaway service.
What is the Local Lockdown Tier system?
The new Local Lockdown Tiering system is the latest plan put in place by the government in an attempt to help local areas combat the COVID-19 Pandemic. The idea is to increase restrictions on certain hotspot areas, and in turn lower the transmission rate of the virus in a bid to negate the need for another nation-wide lockdown.
The Teir System at a Glance
Tier 1 - MEDIUM: Rule of six and 10pm curfew in pubs
Tier 2 - HIGH: No household mixing indoors
Tier 3 - VERY HIGH: No mixing indoors or outdoors and pubs & bars closed
'Medium' COVID Local Alert Level:
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All companies can continue to operate (adhering to COVID-19 measures) other than business closed by law, such as nightclubs.
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Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are obliged to close between 10pm and 5am.
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Businesses and venues selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-thru.
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Schools, universities and places of worship remain open
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Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees
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Organised indoor sport and exercise classes can continue to take place, provided the Rule of Six is followed
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People must not meet in groups larger than six, indoors or outdoors
'High' COVID Local Alert Level:
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People must not meet with anybody outside of their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
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People must not meet in a group of more than 6 people outside, including in a garden or other space.
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People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make whenever possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle (if feasible), or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport.
'Very High' COVID Local Alert Level:
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Pubs and bars must close, and can only remain open where they operate as if they were a restaurant – which means serving substantial meals, like a main lunchtime or evening meal. They may only serve alcohol as part of such a meal.
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Wedding receptions are not allowed.
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People must not meet with anybody outside of their household or support bubble in any indoor or outdoor setting, whether at home or in a public space. The Rule of Six applies in open public spaces like parks and beaches.
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People should try to avoid travelling outside the ‘Very High’ area they are in, or entering a ‘Very High’ area, other than for things like work, education, accessing youth services, to meet caring responsibilities or if they are in transit.
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People should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if they are resident in a ‘Very High’ area, or avoid staying overnight in a ‘Very High’ area if they are resident elsewhere.
(Gov.uk COIVD-19 Tier Guidlines)
It can be scary for business owners and staff to understand the constantly changing COVID restrictions, and to feel secure that their business is safe during these uncertain times. To see COVID-19 business support information and what you are legible for, click the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support
How can your company adapt to COVID regulations?
As long as places are able to trade safely, we will be trying to make life as easy as possible for our customers. There is no doubt that trading will undoubtedly change, much like it did back in March, but there are many simple ways to upgrade your business and keep ahead of the COVID regulations. Some places will have to adapt, and however scary that seems, there are many different soloutions that can really help your company thrive.
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Self Ordering
With our self ordering function your customers will be able to place orders through their own personal phones without needing to download an app. Their orders will be sent automatically through to the kitchen, making it a quick, easy, and efficient option. It also cuts down on 'contact points' such as printed menus which could hold the virus for up to 72 hours!
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Reservations
As lockdown restrictions continue to get tighter and table service becomes more important, our reservations function will allow you to continue to operate by automating many tasks, such as booking and assigning tables. This allows your staff to focus on service as well as organising and storing all of the essential details in one place. It can also help you keep track of returning customers through the Customer Profile feature. This allows you to see their customer history, meaning you can see if they're less likely to see through with their reservation. Our reservations can work as a stand alone product or completely integrated with the SPARK system.
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Operating as a takeaway
We saw many businesses adapting to lockdown by operating as a takeaway and staff being repurposed to do other roles such as deliveries and phone handling for orders. Takeaway mode comes free of charge as a standard in our basic package, allowing you to make use of our postcode finder and basic CRM to autofill the customer details for your returning customers. Companies such as Deliveroo saw a massive increase in orders during the lockdown period, however, Deliveroo's platform takes a fair chunk of any money received from customer sales. With many businesses struggling to keep their business afloat, is Deliveroo really the best platform to help you see out the winter?
If your local covid alert level is raised to 'Tier 3' and you are worried that your business might have to close, maybe you could consider subcontracting a caterer! Wet-led pubs and bars can now allowed to subcontract caters to enable them to operate as if they were a restaurant – 'serving substantial meals'. This means you can serve customers through takeaway or on the premises.
SPARK has the solution to help you with these COVID issues
SPARK has developed many smart solutions for difficult situations such as these. Our flexible EPOS products contain built in CRM and postcode search which speeds up the takeaway or collection process. Simply take an order and request their name and postcode for delivery. This is then saved in our system for the next time that customer chooses to revisit!
Our Mobile Self Ordering software accommodates Order for Collection. The customer will specify a collection time from the comfort of their home, will be notified when its ready, and then drive over and collect! This will help limit the contact between people and cohere to government guidelines.
SPARK will help you get prepared for the 'second wave'. Book a product demonstration by clicking the button below to get a better understanding of how we can help you.
