RESTAURANT BUSINESS IN THE CONVENTION OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: WAYS OUT OF THE CRISIS

Abstract

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the sphere of tourism and travelling were losing one million jobs every day during the peak of the crisis. Small and medium-sized businesses, which account for 80% of the hospitality sector, have become particularly vulnerable. The crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest challenge facing the restaurant business in its history and has led to mass bankruptcies, closures and systemic problems of operating businesses due to the loss of market access, cash gaps, and liabilities such as rent and utility bills. This caused mass layoffs, which led to unemployment. The number of guests in restaurants has decreased, as well as their purchasing power, which is reflected in the average check and revenue of establishments. Under these circumstances, restaurant companies around the world have hopes for recovery and are looking for and finding ways out. Analysis of restaurants activity during the pandemic allowed to identify trends, namely: introduction and improvement of delivery, take away services, digitalization in all areas of business, diversification of services, including online stores selling food and beverages at home, creative marketing activities, traditional and creative security measures. The introduction of delivery requires the establishment of logistics processes and necessitates the adjustment of the menu. A combination of restaurant business and retail is promising: shops-restaurants, shops-cafes. Not all formats of restaurants can implement delivery, in particular it is challenging for bars, pubs, cafes. Of particular importance is the food design of delivered dishes. The introduction of the Drive-through service is promising. It is obvious that the Drive-through (drive-thru) service, which allows the customer to buy products without leaving the car, will be in demand in the near future and will be adopted by both restaurants and other areas of activity, such as pharmacies, retail trade. The most important component of crisis response is hygiene and health care, as people's greatest social value is their lives. Institutions taking this into account are more trusted among consumers and can count on loyalty. New realities require new business models.