Reopening Guidance
Government Guidance on reopening – 2021 HERE
………………….old advice below……………….
Government Guidance on reopening – June 2020
Note the above is guidance it is not yet backed by legislation – only the restrictions laid out in the Covid act or statutory health act can impose mandatory changes on how you operate / must conduct your pub business. Any failure to take steps to reduce the risk of transfer of covid 19 can be enforced by the HSE and local authority in the work place, inspectors are being used to check. The legislation will of course come later and may differ in language and content when it does. Please read the guidance with this in mind and when deciding on changes to your business and working practices.
These are some of the headline issues – this is not the full list:
- Published risk assessment if more than 5 employees
- 2m,or 1m with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable, is acceptable, then it can come down to 1m, using screens, face masks, e.g. tables turned around can reduce mitigation.
- Maximum 6 people per table
- Capture customer details to assist with track and trace.
- Table service – you may not stand at the bar, if standing around, social distancing must be enforced.
- App service and or contactless payments recommended
- Signage explaining your approach and what is expected of the customer
- No live performances and back ground music/ juke box must be played at low levels to not encourage singing or shouting, sporting events are included in this.
- Children’s play areas to stay closed
- Regular published cleaning schedule
- One way directional travel, recommended.
- Hand sanitising stations at various points
- Hand dryers or paper towels made available in toilets.
- Cutlery and condiments brought to the table.
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Regards
PAS
Food Profits Formula Day 5
Food Profits Formula Day 5
An industry experts view on the top 5 things you need to be thinking about, when looking to re-start your food sales in your pub.
You may recall my top 5 recommended actions that you can do now, to ensure you give yourself and your pub the best possible re-start to your pub food business. If not, click here to have a read and refresh your memory.
In yesterday’s blog post, Food Profits Formula Day 4, we covered check point number 4 – Review and tweak your menu content to avoid wastage if trade is slow at the start and ensure you can cope with demand if you have trade peaks.
As promised, here is the checklist for point 5.
Get all your customer communications published and printed, so customers are 100% clear about your plans and tactics to serve great food in a safe way.
- Work out what your key messages are that you wish to communicate:
- New Covid 19 compliant processes in the pub such as; 2m distancing, hand washing, hand sanitising etc.
- When you are serving food, what the opening menu looks like. Promote your top signiture selling dishes. Why customers have chosen you over your competitors in the past.
- How to order and pay for food.
- Any initial promotions or incentives.
- Agree the best way to communicate the various key messages: How often you will re-issue? Update the messages via your marketing channels such as; Facebook, website, leaflet drop, external and internal posters and chalkboards etc.
- Think about how best you can convey your message: How to set the correct tone to let your customers know that you care greatly about their individual safety. Let them know all you are doing to minimise risk, thereby creating confidence and trust for them to choose to return, knowing that you will look after them in your pub.
- Set up some form of customer feedback suggestion box: To capture positive customer comments that will help to reassure other customers. But, also to capture customer concerns so you can take appropriate action if needed.
As previously mentioned, I would strongly recommend you view the re-start of your food offer as an opportunity to relaunch your food offer to both previous regular customers and potential new customers. We know big brands will have well thought out strategies in place to get customers into their pubs. Make sure you give yourself a fair chance to get your best share of the market! CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL. You have one chance to get this right.
Tony Aram (Pub Food Consultant).
For more on independent help and training from food specialists, click here.
Food Profits Formula Day 4
DAY 4 – FOLLOW UP
An industry experts view on the top 5 things you need to be thinking about, when looking to re-start your food sales in your pub.
You may recall my top 5 recommended actions that you can do now, to ensure you give yourself and your pub the best possible re-start to your pub food business. If not, click here to have a read and refresh your memory.
In yesterday’s blog post, Food Profits Formula Day 3, we covered check point number 3 – Adapt your service practices, to minimise any contamination concerns, and train staff accordingly to ensure you build customer confidence.
As promised, here is the first checklist for point 4
Review and tweak your menu content to avoid wastage if trade is slow at the start and ensure you can cope with demand if you have trade peaks.
- Start with a reduced menu range: Remove all the lower volume sales items from your menu for an initial period. This could save on potential waste and extra kitchen food production complexity.
- Promote simple fast cook products: Like pizza, a good base with fresh toppings can be made in under 1 minute and cooked in 4 minutes in a stone baked pizza oven.
- Frozen vs. fresh: Review all perishable items used and look at what fresh products can be switched to frozen, without incurring quality and cook time issues.
- Cook outdoors: It is a perfect time of year to do BBQ’s. It will take pressure off the kitchen and reduce logistical operational issues ordering, preparing and serving food.
- Phone orders: Set up a phone ordering system. You will then know in advance what stock you will need and can prepare accordingly as needed.
- Limit numbers: Agree what volume of customers you can cope with. Let customers know you are limiting numbers during this initial period. Try and move peak volume requests to quieter opening times.
- Re-establish contact with key suppliers: Find out if they have any supply issues so you can avoid having menu items unavailable for customers.
- Brief staff: On new menus and what to promote so they can advise customers accordingly and explain the reasons for the menu change if needed.
As previously mentioned, I would strongly recommend you view the re-start of your food offer as an opportunity to relaunch your food offer to both previous regular customers and potential new customers. We know big brands will have well thought out strategies in place to get customers into their pubs. Make sure you give yourself a fair chance to get your best share of the market! CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL. You have one chance to get this right.
Tony (Pub Food Consultant).
Look out for tomorrow’s blog.
For more on independent help and training from food specialists, click here.
Food Profits Formula Day 3
DAY 3 – FOLLOW UP
An industry experts view on the top 5 things you need to be thinking about, when looking to re-start your food sales in your pub.
You may recall my top 5 recommended actions that you can do now, to ensure you give yourself and your pub the best possible re-start to your pub food business. If not, click here to have a read and refresh your memory.
In yesterday’s blog post, Food Profits Formula Day 2, we covered check point number 2 – Revise the layout of your pub’s inside and outside space, to ensure social distancing (SD) when customers are allowed back.
As promised, here is the first checklist for point 3.
Adapt your service practices, to minimise any contamination concerns, and train staff accordingly to ensure you build customer confidence.
Consider all the options available to you in your pub, to reduce staff to customer, and customer to customer cross contamination. See below suggested key operational areas to review.
- Crockery v disposable: Consider using one-use disposable products such as; pizza, burger and fish and chip boxes. Especially if you have been doing a take away service.
- Clear the tables: Don’t have any crockery, cutlery or condiments pre-laid on tables. Instead, use disposable crockery and condiment sachets etc. where possible.
- Gloves/Sanitiser/Bins: Set up cleansing stations with all necessary items, hand sanitiser pumps and antibacterial wipes etc, inside and outside your pub.
- Train staff on new safety processes: Also check that they are following established guidelines.
- Operate table service: Do not do counter service, so as to prevent close contact at the bar.
As previously mentioned, I would strongly recommend you view the re-start of your food offer as an opportunity to relaunch your food offer to both previous regular customers and potential new customers. We know big brands will have well thought out strategies in place to get customers into their pubs. Make sure you give yourself a fair chance to get your best share of the market! CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL. You have one chance to get this right.
Tony (Pub Food Consultant).
Look out for tomorrow’s blog.
For more on independent help and training from food specialists, click here.
Food Profits Formula Day 2
DAY 2 – FOLLOW UP
An industry experts view on the top 5 things you need to be thinking about, when looking to re-start your food sales in your pub.
You may recall my top 5 recommended actions that you can do now to ensure you give yourself and your pub the best possible re-start to your pub food business. If not, click here to have a read and refresh your memory.
In yesterday’s blog post, Food Profits Formula Day 1, we covered check point number 1 – Review and tweak your kitchen and stores set up whilst closed (or just doing take away) ready for re-opening.
As promised, here is the second checklist for point 2.
Revise the layout of your pub’s inside and outside space, to ensure social distancing (SD) when customers are allowed back.
Note: this is subject to change as and when Government finally establish the SD. Therefore, use this as a general guide to refer back to once the amount of SD is confirmed.
- Queues: Set up a system for managing queues. Use 2m spacing outside and inside. Also remember to do the same for when queuing for the toilets, just like the supermarkets have done.
- In and out doors: If your layout allows, set up in and out only external doors.
- Signage: Let people know exactly how to move around in your pub to ensure they know how to order food and drinks.
- One way systems: Set up one way systems to prevent customer paths crossing. Consider, if you are a busy pub, maybe setting up like a McDonalds drive through. Have order, payment and collection points.
- Maximise the use of outdoor space: Make the area more attractive to customers. Generally speaking, customers will feel safer outside than inside.
- If ordering food from the bar: Consider putting up perspex screens.
- Table layout: Re-plan and re-layout tables and chairs indoors and outdoors to give minimum 2m spacing for customers when seated.
As previously mentioned, I would strongly recommend you view the re-start of your food offer as an opportunity to relaunch your food offer to both previous regular customers and potential new customers. We know big brands will have well thought out strategies in place to get customers into their pubs. Make sure you give yourself a fair chance to get your best share of the market! CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL. You have one chance to get this right.
Tony (Pub Food Consultant).
Look out for tomorrow’s blog.
For more on independent help and training from food specialists, click here.
PCA Communication Survey Results
PCA Communication Survey Results
The PCA communication survey was swiftly completed by 170 people at low cost providing a representative sample of tied tenants.
Tenants made key points in their comments and showed where the PCA is going badly wrong, we urge the minister to take heed of this report which shows the PCA is not working as intended 4 years on. The minister needs to remove the blocks to progress, apologise to tenants who have lost their rights and act decisively to restore the reform agenda and principles for #ukpubs which is not being delivered by the agency they oversee.
61% find official PCA publications confusing and unhelpful
PCA scored incredibly low on upholding the code principles just 2.7 / 10
PCA current communication efforts were rated just 2.37 / 10
When asked, the methods of communication ranked by preference and effectiveness via: 1. Email 2. Actual Third Party Tenant Representatives 3.Social media
The full response data is available on PDF here PCA_Data_All_200617
The damming comments from over 50 tenants can be seen on a slide show HERE and a sample of them is printed below:
- Please, do your job and put an end to the tied scam for good. You have the power – use it!
- It’s too late for me but write direct to pubs and get a decent data base so we know you are there. I did not find out until recently and needed support 2 years ago.
- The PCA needs to prove that they fully understand the business strategies of each of the POBs. This then needs a constant review with each POB. Until then everything is just a reaction which the POB manoeuvres around. They cannot control or regulate what they clearly do not understand. This will accelerate as tenancies are converted to managed operations…….I’m not sure that the traditional pub tenancy will exist in 5-10 years
- A independent review of pubcos is urgently required We are being hung out to dry
- Stop being so patronising. Listen properly and do not ignore what you’ve been told by tenants and most of all don’t tell CCO’s what to do and walk away as if they will/have complied
- For tenants representatives to have equal position and regular meetings with the PCA on an equal footing to the POB’s Compliance Officer
Food Profits Formula Day 1
Food Profits Formula Day 1
An industry experts view on the top 5 things you need to be thinking about, when looking to re-start your food sales in your pub.
You may recall my top 5 recommended actions from my previous blog post, Food Profits Formula. If not, click on the link to have a read and refresh. These are actions you can take now, to ensure you give yourself and your pub the best possible re-start to your pub food business.
As promised, here is the first checklist for point 1 below.
1 – Review and tweak your kitchen and stores set up whilst closed (or just doing take away) ready for re-opening.
- Reduce walking: Re-arrange storage and equipment to minimise walking time to pick up products This will increase speed of service and reduces unproductive chef/cook time.
- Maximise use of space: Put shelves up. Increase worktop/plating up space. Get rid of redundant equipment if it is taking up valuable space. If you have the space, create work stations with all products and service tableware within that work station area. This will save staff crossing over each other at service time.
- Product storage: Establish bulk and service storage for all products. Ensure high volume lines are closest to the cook line (service storage). Get rid of old products you know you’ll never use! Get rid of old redundant fridges and freezers. Invest in low cost and stackable storage boxes to allow better storage of loose items.
- The kitchen is for producing food: Clear out all the junk that clutters up the kitchen that has crept in over the years.
- Is your kit working efficiently? Get kit serviced or repaired if needed. Take boxes and such off the top of fridges and freezers. This allows the air to get around the mechanics and improves efficiency and life time. Is all your kit safe and PAT tested?
- Extension leads: Get rid of those long unsafe extension leads and get sockets fitted properly. Put in new power sockets to allow yourself to maximise space more efficiently by placing microwaves and such on shelves.
- Deep clean: Take the opportunity to move equipment out and deep clean that area. Clean out freezers and get rid of that built-up of frost that stops freezers working properly.
- Menu change? If you are tweaking your menu, then you need to think about the impact on the kitchen, work through the detailed production of each dish and ensure the kitchen is set up appropriately….and don’t forget to consider the potential service pinch points on specific equipment at peak trading times!
As previously mentioned, I would strongly recommend you view the re-start of your food offer as an opportunity to relaunch your food offer to both previous regular customers and potential new customers. We know big brands will have well thought out strategies in place to get customers into their pubs. Make sure you give yourself a fair chance to get your best share of the market! CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL. You have one chance to get this right.
Tony (Pub Food Consultant).
Look out for tomorrow’s blog with more.
For more on independent help and training from food specialists, click here.