Coronavirus crisis: 12 communication tips for your restaurant

While the crisis is affecting everyone, the "non-essential businesses", including hotels, restaurants and bars, which have been closed since March 15, are feeling the full brunt of it. To limit the damage caused by the crisis and anticipate the recovery, we share with you our communication tips and operational advice.The shutdown of the hotel and catering industry to limit the spread of the virus is obviously weakening businesses in the sector. Faced with the wall, restaurateurs have two solutions: close their establishment entirely, or stay open and offer takeaway or delivery services. In both cases, they need to communicate with their customers and future customers. How do you do this? Create content and distribute it online to: pass on information, create and strengthen links with French people, who are much more connected during these days of confinement. During these 6 weeks of confinement, the aim is not just to survive, but to emerge stronger from this crisis.Cohesion and solidarity are essential to limit the damage as much as possible and anticipate the recovery. To help you cope with this unprecedented situation and prevent the hospitality industry from going bankrupt, we offer communication tips and operational advice.

If your restaurant offers a take-out or delivery service, we recommend that you apply the following tips:

1) Tell your customers about your service

You can indicate on your Google My Business page that you offer a takeaway and delivery service. Don't hesitate to add it to the description of your establishment and share a "GMB post" to emphasize the point. Frequent use of the keywords "takeaway" and "delivery", which have been increasingly searched for on Google in recent days, will help you rise to the top of search results.On social media : you can also share a publication and a story to let your subscribers know that you're open for takeaway, that you offer a delivery service or that you collaborate with various delivery platforms (Uber Eat, Just Eat, Deliveroo...).

LikeOtacos Vavin, you can make information even more accessible by editing your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter bio.

2) Explain the hygiene measures taken in your restaurant

In these delicate times, it's vital to reassure your customers about the actions your teams take every day. You must ensure the safety of your teams, delivery personnel and customers. To put them at ease, don't hesitate to explain the security measures in place within your restaurant, and to point out the strict compliance with the measures introduced by the government.Easy Sushi, a Japanese restaurant in Toulon, communicates in particular on Instagram. Each of their posts highlights the hygiene measures adopted.

3) Local sponsorship

Local sponsorship on your social media, especially Facebook and Instagram allows you to publicize your services in a restricted geographical area around the establishment. In this way, you can reach as many of your customers as possible living in an area eligible for delivery of your dishes.

4) Generate awareness of your establishment

Building awareness of your restaurant can take time. Press relations are a great way to get the word out about your services and increase the buzz around your restaurant. With the help of journalists and influencers, get the word out about your takeaway or delivery service! To get the best press coverage, don't hesitate to identify journalists who have already written articles about the best takeaway and delivery restaurants. You can repeat this approach with influencers: target those who live near your establishment and are eligible for delivery, contact them and present them with your offer. So that they can try out your dishes, share them on their social media and then recommend them to their followers, we recommend free delivery.

5) Promotion

Delivery platform algorithms favor establishments that run promotions. To climb to the top of the search results, you can offer dishes on which your margins are the highest, or imagine freebies on orders of a certain amount. After a few days, you can remove your promotion and rely on the quality of your services to build customer loyalty! After a few days, you can remove your promotion and rely on the quality of your services to keep your customers coming back for more! To help some restaurateurs take the initiative during this period of crisis, UberEats is offering to cover delivery costs until March 31.

6) Mobilize for a good cause

You can support the various people forced to work to combat the virus or maintain the daily lives of the French people (police, firemen, doctors, supermarket employees, bus drivers...) who fight Covid-19 every day by delivering to them free of charge. Easy Sushi, Toulon, encourages solidarity and, for example, delivers free of charge to local hospitals. A kind gesture that the restaurant team shares on its instagram account.

If you've closed your business, that's no reason to stop communicating with your customers. On the contrary, keeping in touch will help you build customer loyalty and keep them coming back for more, happier customers! Here are our tips:

1) Donate to avoid waste

If you've just placed your order with your producers and retailers, don't worry, there are several ways to avoid throwing away all your goods. Once you've taken stock of the available foodstuffs, you can then approach associations that fight against waste, such as Phenix or Le Chaînon manquant.

Secondly, you can give what you have left to your employees and neighbors. Donating allows you to save your merchandise, but also to communicate your values and respect for the environment.

2) Update your information and create content

Working on your SEO to maintain your position on restaurant directories remains essential despite the complete cessation of activity. To avoid being penalized by Google's algorithm, we advise you to go to Google my business to update your "exceptional opening hours". Add them, then indicate the next 10 days as a minimum. Changing your "special hours" rather than modifying your entire timetable will preserve your SEO. Writing Google My Business posts - inserting your keywords - embellishing them with photos - renamed with your keywords - will help you improve your establishment's SEO.

3) Share content on your social media

Sharing content not only allows you to maintain your relationship with your community and customers, but also to strengthen it. With his #J'optimisme, Victor Mercier, Top Chef 2018 finalist and eco-responsible chef, defends his commitment on Instagram. He questions the limits of the current model, asks about the role of everyone individually and collectively, and encourages solidarity. Every day, he receives insights and good deeds applied by his followers during this difficult and unprecedented period.

Every day, Julien Sebbag, chef at Chez Oim, shares a secret recipe, a favorite piece of music and a cultural moment featuring an artist, place or city he loves. Ask your subscribers questions not only to hear from them, but also to find out what they're looking forward to and what they'd like to eat in your restaurant when it resumes: a snack break, new recipes, particular foods. Any advice is welcome!

4) Suggest easy, suitable recipes

Offering interesting and instructive content and engaging your customers and subscribers to reproduce your recipes at home allows you to generate interaction. 3 times a week, Victor Mercier shares accessible recipes adapted to this period of confinement. He communicates live, using "live Instagram" to spontaneously answer his subscribers' questions, and possibly adapt the recipe to what they actually have in their cupboards.

5) Adapt your publications and content

Restoring everyday cooking, reenchanting homemade cooking and showcasing the culinary talents and know-how of Ecotable Community members, so that as many people as possible can benefit from them in these unprecedented times: that's the challenge facingEcotable, an association and the first labeling system for eco-responsible restaurants. The association has launched "Cuisinons pour restaurer le quotidien!" in collaboration with the Brut media. Each chef can participate in the form of a video to promote his or her recipes and continue to promote sustainable cooking, always in an anti-gaspi, healthy and seasonal spirit.

6) Preparing for what comes next

You can take advantage of your free time to learn about digital marketing, now indispensable for bringing customers into your restaurant. We at Malou are launching a series of videos to pass on our expertise.

Conclusion

Whatever type of restaurant you run, whether it's open or closed, communicating with your customers and its community to maintain a link remains essential. If you have any questions, you can ask us in the comments on this blog, by e-mail at contact@malou.io or by phone on our direct line 01 70 62 93 83. Solidarity helps us to emerge stronger from these crises, so don't hesitate to contact us.