The exceptional or temporary closure of your restaurant is often a source of stress. You have to think about notifying suppliers, managing stocks, organizing the kitchen, not forgetting to inform customers... There are a thousand things to anticipate and plan for. Here is the ultimate checklist for all restaurant owners who wish to close their restaurant in complete serenity!
Exceptional closing of the restaurant: how to announce it?
Absent employee, strike, holiday... The reasons for an exceptional closure can vary. Find out what reflexes to adopt in the case of an exceptional closure of your restaurant.
Announce the closure on social networks
And yes, you can simply announce the exceptional closure on social networks! Real marketing and communication tool, social networks are the best way to inform your customers of the closure of your restaurant instantly.
If your restaurant or chain is present on the networks, it will be easier for you to notify customers in case of closure and answer their questions if needed.
Thus, you reassure them and you contribute to spread an image of confidence to your customers. These means of digital communication are essential today. They contribute to improve your "e-reputation" and your image with your collaborators and your followers. You can even share information about your activities that continue to run in case of closure of the point of sale: delivery service, click & collect ...
You are not yet present on the networks? It's time to get started! It allows you to build customer loyalty by being visible on platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram allow you to publish any type of content: texts, photos, videos... Thus, you can easily communicate on new dishes, services, news and the life of the restaurant.
Update your Google My Business
To keep your customers informed, you can use Google My Business to update the information about your establishment by indicating its exceptional or temporary closure. With an establishment listing on Google Maps and in search, it is possible to update your establishment listing. It is easy to change the opening hours, even at the last minute. If your establishment or one of your outlets closes, you can specify whether it is a temporary or permanent closure. You can also easily reopen a business marked as closed later.
On your establishment's page on Google, you can also answer your customers' questions to interact with them.
Think about the mandatory signage on the restaurant
In general, the opening and closing hours of your outlet must be carefully mentioned and posted on the front of the establishment. The opening and closing hours must be posted in a well-defined manner:
- Opening and closing times must be posted outside the establishment in a visible and clear manner;
- Schedules must be visible to persons with reduced mobility;
In case of change or exceptional closure, it is essential to indicate the new hours or a sign on the front of the restaurant.
If you forget, you risk a fine of 750€ for not having posted the opening hours!
👉 To go further: Mandatory signage in a restaurant, rules to know.
Temporary closure of the restaurant: what to do?
Does your restaurant need to take a short break? How do you manage inventory, notify suppliers and customers, or rethink the customer experience? Here are our tips for organizing the temporary closure of the restaurant with peace of mind.
Inventory management for your restaurant
1. Anticipate orders
If you plan to close your establishment, anticipate as much as possible. Change orders with your usual suppliers beforehand so that you don't end up with a surplus of food products. Thus, a good anticipation in the management of the food stock will allow you not only to avoid throwing away foodstuffs, but also not to impact too much your profit margin.
2. Take an inventory of your food stock
Before you close your restaurant, take a look at the stockroom. It's important to identify foods that are likely to be past their expiration date when you reopen your restaurant. What if this was the time to make your teams more responsible? You can train one or more of your employees in inventory management tasks!
Apps have been designed to make life easier for restaurant owners. During a temporary early closure, you can rely on the KitchenPal app. Its use is simple: it allows you to register all your food products by scanning their barcode. The app retrieves the data with the use-by dates. Before the temporary closure of your point of sale, you just have to check the app to have the list of all your perishable goods!
3. Digitalize your restaurant
Inventory management also involves the digitalization of your point of sale. The implementation of a global inventory management system allowing you to accurately forecast orders will allow you to better control your kitchen andorganize temporary closures.
4. Say goodbye to waste
Have you spotted foods that are about to reach the expiration date? To avoid waste, spot what you can take home or share with your team. Before the temporary closure, feel free to use apps like Too Good To Go to save unsold food. This app allows you to sell your unsold food at the end of the shift by offering it as a "surprise basket" to app users.
👉 Going further: 8 tips to avoid food waste in restaurants
Announce the temporary closure to your customers
A multitude of solutions are at your disposal to announce the closing to your customers. So take advantage of it! About ten days before the temporary closure, start by informing customers on the spot. Put up posters or signs in front of the restaurant.
On social media, feel free to create a special banner to announce the temporary closure. Be creative and announce the closing of the kitchen in a funny and original way. The more you create a buzz on social networks, the more the news will spread!
Recorda message on your phone line's answering machine, encouraging customers to leave a message or call you back when you return. Have you also thought about scheduling an automatic out-of-office message on your mailbox ?
Finally, to reach a wider audience, update the Google My Business listing and your TripAdvisor page.
In short, all means are good to warn your customers! And don't forget to share information about your business that is still running: click and collect, online ordering, delivery service...
Rethink the customer journey in your restaurant
In the digital age, restaurants have the opportunity to rethink the customer journey to provide effective solutions to unexpected events. The digitalization of the point of sale, through digital solutions and tools, allows to bring an optimal answer to the evolutions of the consumption habits.
During a temporary or exceptional closure of its point of sale, counter sales and room service cannot take place. But new 2.0 contact points can be considered to respond to new consumption modes. Online ordering, loyalty programs and new delivery solutions are all digital solutions that cangenerate revenue streams, even when the store is closed. Digital tools represent optimal solutions to satisfy customers, while bringing new sources of growth andincreasing customerloyalty .
