This past week, The National Restaurant Association shared survey data with Congressional leaders on the state of the consumer, some 18 months removed from the onset of COVID-19.
This past week, The National Restaurant Association shared survey data with Congressional leaders on the state of the consumer, some 18 months removed from the onset of COVID-19. It painted a convoluted landscape, to put it blandly. Thanks to a recent spike in cases due to the Delta variant, six in 10 said they’ve changed their restaurant usage, while 37 percent said they ordered takeout or delivery instead of sitting down in a restaurant, and 19 percent chose to dine outside.
Perhaps the most troubling turn—19 percent said they’ve stopped going out to restaurants and 9 percent cancelled existing plans to dine out in recent weeks.
Sean Kennedy, EVP of Public Affairs at the Association, called recent trends "dangerous," and said shifts in dining-out behavior are "beginning to put acute pressure back on the restaurant industry."
It’s the coupled concern of operating amid present inflationary pressures—namely labor and commodities—yet
without the pent-up demand that’s fueled traffic of late. "The small gains that our industry has made toward financial security are in danger of being wiped out, dashing the hopes of communities, entrepreneurs, and consumers nationwide," Kennedy said.
National Restaurant Association: Use Science to Make Your Case for Mask, Vaccine Mandates August 26, 2021 via Hotel News Resource
The delta variant is 50% more infectious than the original strain, according to the doctors, so there’s a high risk of rapid progression and explosive outbreak, which is what we're seeing around the country. There are more variants that doctors and scientists are concerned about: Epsilon, Zeta, Eta Kappa Theta, and Lambda could cause the next outbreaks.
Here’s How Restaurants Can Prepare For Vaccination Mandates August 17, 2021 via Nation's Restaurant News
From creating an in-house vaccination policy to learning how to spot fake vaccine cards, an employment lawyer weighs in on how to navigate proof of vaccine requirements.
50 Common Restaurant Food Safety Violations and Tips to Avoid Them:
Part 1
July 31, 2021 via Total Food Service
Food inspectors are front-line public servants who are on the lookout for restaurants that sell unsafe food. They conduct random and unannounced inspections to check whether employees follow safe food handling practices and that the restaurant has adequate facilities.
In this three-part article series, we will look at the 50 most common food safety violations discovered during restaurant inspections and how
restaurant operators can avoid them. Knowing about the food safety violations will not only help to reduce food safety risks, but will also make it easier to pass restaurant inspections. So, sit tight and read the rest of the article.
