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How F&B Businesses Have Adapted to the COVID-19 Pandemic

How F&B Businesses Have Adapted to the Pandemic

Eateries are thinking out of the box to combat the impact of the crisis.

Menus adapted for takeouts, self-deliveries, staff-provided discounts and more think-out-of-the-box approaches are being taken to weather the COVID-19 storm.

While some F&B establishments are forced to close in some areas (willingly or unwillingly), most places are continuing business with contactless takeaways, pickups and deliveries. Some of these places are also offering promotions such as discounts on all menu items and the like.

We’ve scoured the world wide web for you and compiled a list of creative solutions that you can adapt for your business. Some even come from our existing customers!

Ril’s Bangsar, a swanky casual fine dining restaurant based in Malaysia, adapted their menu for deliveries and takeaways and provided a discount on all items in the menu. The pared-down menu includes dishes like an RM148++ Grain-fed Australian Tenderloin that is now being sold for RM98 net.

A Caribbean-inspired restaurant in Malaysia named Joloko adapted their menu for takeaways & deliveries and instead of partnering with a third-party delivery company, the staff are using their own transportation to deliver the meals. They’re also providing RM15 credit for people that sign up to their loyalty program.

The Farm Foodcraft, a two-floor restaurant in Malaysia with an aeroponic farm on the top-floor, has offered 10% off from the  total bill for takeaways and pickups. Complimentary fresh vegetables (200g) harvested from their urban farm will be given out with a minimum spend of RM50!

A fast-casual chicken restaurant based in the USA, called Chick N Max, made their menu accessible to customers with affordable prices and labelled it as a “Community Support Menu” in support for the people that have recently lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Timothy O’Toole’s Pub is creating make-at-home meal kits for delivery from its four locations in the USA and looking to add essentials such as packaged bread and toilet paper. On March 16, the restaurant donated 100% of its revenue, including gift cards, to hourly staff. 

Places like Turkitch Turkish Kitchen in the USA are offering free delivery and giving customers 10% cashback on each order. The restaurant also encourages customers to sponsor meals at 10% off to delivery to workers at the neighbouring hospital.

Everytable, an eatery in the USA with a mission to make nutritious, fresh food affordable and accessible to all, established the Everytable Helpline to help those having difficulty getting food—the elderly, healthcare centres and such. They also allow customers to sign up for a subscription service that ensures regular meal deliveries.

We hope the examples shared above have sparked some ideas for you. If you see any other companies that are getting creative with keeping their business afloat, do email it over to us so that we can help inspire the community to change with the times.

If you’re an F&B business that’s still operating and needs all the help that you can get, check out this survival kit.

In the meantime, stay home, stay healthy and stay safe!


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