10 ingenious restaurant operations in response to the crisis

In recent months, the health crisis has forced restaurateurs to adapt to new conditions: reformulating existing products and launching new offerings. Here's a look at some of the most ingenious initiatives.

Still no table service. Takeaway and delivery sales jumped by 25% in 2020. To stay in business, restaurateurs have had to learn how to serve customers outside their restaurants. Communication, adaptation of opening hours, choice of dishes, technical logistics, quality and temperature control... everything needs to be strategically rethought. Clearly, restaurateurs have been able to adapt since the second wave. But some are standing out from the crowd, adapting but reinventing themselves, not content with delivering their classic menu, but showing creativity to offer a new experience in this unusual period.We present to you the 10 innovations that warmed our hearts:

1. HolyBelly Café gives way to HolyBelly ToGo

After much thought about whether or not to launch a takeaway offer, the owner-couple had no choice but to create HB ToGo. The concept? A takeaway or delivered by bikewith a "ready-to-eat" formula that can be complemented by the "eat later" formula. The offer maintains the quality of the dishes on which HolyBelly was founded, as well as variety, with a different menu every 2 days. But it was impossible for Nicolas and Sarah to stop offering the house's famous pancakes. So the pancake dough is transferred to jars and baked at home! And to keep the human experience alive, the founders are communicating on Instagram with authenticity and humor about the joys and difficulties of the restaurant, but also about their family life, and in so doing federate a veritable community of thousands of followers. All our tips for using Instagram to promote your delivery/takeaway offer here.Le restaurant Bien Ficelé is also transforming its offer from on-site to to go. Just like HolyBelly, there's no Deliveroo, UberEats or JustEat to deliver the food, but a fleet of cyclists via Resto.Paris! In this way, Bien Ficelé to go remains true to its values and continues to offer the very best in French cuisine, including takeaway.

2. Epoq, the Basque restaurant takes advantage of the crisis to honor its producers

Instead of looking sadly at the empty room in his Epoq restaurant in Biarritz, chef Anthony Orjollet decided to give it a second life. He set up a temporary delicatessen, taking advantage of the empty tables to display products from his suppliers, with whom he works closely. Live wines, organic produce, vegetables, meats, charcuterie, spices, a restaurant room turned into a veritable grocery store. However, the chef is not giving up his apron, and continues to offer his ready-made meals for takeaway. An excellent way of easing the crisis and supporting farmers.

3. RamenBar invites you to "do it yourself" with its ramen kit

Ramen, a Japanese dish consisting of noodles and other foods cooked in a hot broth, is easy to mix and match! So there are plenty of places offering this flagship dish on delivery: Ippudo, Kodawari and Gaijin Ramen Lab. But Ramenbar, which opened the day before reconfinement, offers its vision of ramen in a smart package. All the ingredients are placed in a small basket above the broth, which you heat yourself. Fast, efficient and delicious. But innovation in delivery is not limited to food. Bubbolitas, a brand of tea-based drinks, is a case in point. The e-shop offers everyone the chance to order all the components of their favorite bubble tea, to be made to order and sipped at home. Tested and approved by Team Malou!

4. Artisanal pizzas from LouieLouie to be delivered frozen for 100% quality

LouieLouie launches its "Frozen Pizza to continue delighting the capital. Artisanal pizzas, with thick, crispy crusts, topped generously with fresh produce, prepared and packaged in the restaurant.Frozen pizzas to continue offering impeccable quality, a successful gamble. Just 12 minutes in the oven, a drizzle of olive oil, for a restaurant-style pizza! The only downside? Frozen Pizza is only available at Super.Frais. But it's worth the trip, and the varieties are all there: Margherita, 4 cheeses, Chorizo/Fior di latte, Smoked Mozzarella/Brussels sprouts. Quick and delicious.

5. The Bao Family reinvents its menu to continue surprising customers

Once again, the Bao group has revisited the classics of Chinese cuisine. This time, the family's challenge is the famous noodle cups. The instant noodle dish, quick and convenient at just 1 euro, gets a second wind in the Gros Bao kitchens. Ideal for a delivery offer! Dried noodles, bouillon concentrate and other toppings take hours to perfect for this iconic dish. As one of the family members explains in the episode Bouffons, the Bao group is not letting the crisis get them down, but taking advantage of it to shake up their habits, renew their menu, undertake new projects and continue to find a way to please customers from afar.

6. Street food master Mr.T. recreates his kitchen on the sidewalk

Mr.T., known for his gourmet versions of street food, continues to share with his customers the live cooking experience normally offered in the dining room. The chef brings his fiery kitchen to the front of his restaurant, which he has renamed MrStreetBehind his BBQ and his ephemeral kitchen set up under a tent, the chef prepares dishes to be delivered directly to customers. This initiative enables Mr.T. to recreate a service experience and share kitchen gestures.

7. The George V pop-up reformulates the restoration of the palace

The George V is breathing new life into its kitchen teams and empty spaces with the opening of its ephemeral boutique. And the Parisian palace isn't doing things by halves! A pop-up store that has become a veritable temple of gastronomy, punctuated by the calendar of the year. Called "Christmas Pop up" in December, then "That's Amore" for Valentine's Day, it features displays of Viennese pastries in a breathtaking setting. Bouncing back and creating a new ephemeral space is a success for the George V.

8. Have a subscription to Circus Bakery

Restaurant subscriptions: the future of delivery? Circus Bakery sets the trend with Flying Circus. A 24-euro monthly subscription entitles you to benefits such as earlier, more flexible delivery and reduced prices. Flying Circus offers a variety of breads, cookies and pastries, as well as lemonades, jams, eggs, fruit and vegetables. For home-orderers, restaurant subscriptions are a godsend.

9. The illusion of a gastronomic experience recreated by Sola

The Michelin-starred restaurant announces "change for a moment" with Sola "at...". Although it's difficult to recreate a gastronomic experience from a distance, the restaurant has risen to the challenge with its Omakase menus. Sola invites its customers to reproduce the restaurant experience, from the service to the quality of the food. How do you do it? A gourmet box that includes all the preparations cooked in the restaurant and vacuum-packed to create 5 star dishes, to be finished yourself by following the drawn instructions, and matched with a selection of sakes. The little extra: each bottle has a QR code for the sommelier's explanations, and the team is always on hand to help! Star food and wine pairing at home? Foodie @PariswithCharlotte shared her experience in the photo above.

10. An experience completed by the olfactory and musical dimension with Nestor

The clink of glasses, the fumes from the kitchen, the background music, everyone's conversations, the fragrance of the restaurant... many sounds and smells that contribute to the restaurant experience, but which disappear with home delivery. The delivery platform Nestor delivery platform aims to restore the olfactory and musical dimensions of the customer experience. A QR code on the delivery bag links to the playlist of the chef concerned, and each dish is accompanied by a scented napkin. A real immersion in the atmosphere of the restaurants.