Food safety has always been paramount for restaurants, but the coronavirus pandemic forced an evolution when confronted with new challenges like surges in takeout and delivery and demand for more transparent hygiene practices. In December 2021, Deloitte surveyed 1,000 consumers who had dined in a restaurant in at least September to get a fresh take on their attitudes and perspectives around food safety in restaurants. This is what they found:
33% said enhanced cleanliness and safety will make them more likely to return to on-premises dining sooner and to dine out more frequently
Many unhygienic practices occurred at restaurants every day before the pandemic that restaurant operators never realized.
- Unsanitary Plastic-Covered Menus: Customers used plastic-covered menus over and over throughout the day and they were only disinfected after closing. Using a QR Code is efficient and reduces waste. They don’t require heavy sanitation and have a much smaller footprint if they need to be thrown away eventually.
- Condiments on the Table: Ketchup bottles and salt and pepper shakers are touched again and again by each customer and they are rarely sanitized. During the pandemic, restaurants kept condiments in the back until requested by customers. By providing single servings of sauces in reusable dishes you can reduce waste and increase cleanliness.
55% of customers would pay a higher check size—between 10% and 50% more—to know about the safety and cleanliness that surround food preparation and transport
Enhanced safety is so important to consumers that they’re willing to pay for it! Transparency is everything, and the study claims that many of the visible changes restaurants have made serve a dual purpose: not only are they promoting safety and cleanliness, but they’re also showing their customers how seriously they are taking it.
- Inside the Restaurant: Make a sign that explains what you’re doing to keep them safe. Outline specific protocols that will put your customers at ease.
- Delivery: What’s something your customers absolutely cannot ignore? Put it on their takeout containers! Use Tamper Evident Labels to seal your containers to provide a visual peace of mind when their meal is delivered.
- Online: Take the same information you display in your restaurant and add it to your website. You can also use creative videos on your social media channels that explain how dedicated you are to your prep and transport food safety protocols.
57% of people use contactless delivery at least half the time
Consumers are accustomed to ordering food and having it delivered to their homes; some are too busy to cook while others would prefer to enjoy a good restaurant meal at home. When the pandemic started, many restaurants set up a folding table to stage their orders. However, delivery isn’t going anywhere and it’s time to settle in. Equip your restaurant the right tools to make your deliveries go as smooth as possible.
Camshelving® Premium Series Flex Stations for Curbside and Pickup were designed to give you a safe, sanitary place to keep orders before customers arrive. Shelf plates are embedded with antimicrobial Camguard and can be wiped down with a cloth or run through any commercial dishwasher. Plus, Shelf Dividers and ID Tags increase organization so that delivery drivers and pickup customers can quickly find their order and get going.
45% said they are unlikely to return to a restaurant that had a food safety incident
The stakes are higher than ever. If someone got sick at a restaurant before the pandemic, they might avoid it for a month or 2, but now, 45% said they won’t ever come back. At Cambro, we pride ourselves on being the food safety experts. We want you to succeed so much that we created in-depth safety guides for each touchpoint of your kitchen.
Are you confident your restaurant would pass its next health inspection? Take our quiz to see if you’re likely to get an A+ or flunk out!