Today I'm speaking with Vinny and Mike from Premier Payroll Solutions, a local business servicing the hospitality industry. I thought it was important for you to hear their perspective based on their expertise. It was refreshing to hear their positive attitude and advice for restaurants during these uncertain times.
As a boutique payroll service bureau, they have extensive experience helping restaurants with their back office administrative needs but as they point out they work best as an extension of their clients business.
Premier works with restaurants both large and small, from sole proprietors to main street restaurants that can have 40 employees on staff. Their business has been significantly impacted by the effects of sheltering in place and the many restaurant closings and staff that are now unemployed.
When asked about what restaurants can be doing during this time, Vinny recommends not sitting back and never give up. Taking this time to learn what things will look like when we get past this pandemic. For instance, what menu items deliver well and still keep the integrity of the restaurants offerings.
When it comes to delivery services, test and learn. With so many delivery apps and services, restaurants may find benefits to using them combined with offering their own delivery and/or curbside pickup. From GrubHub to UberEats, the commissions they take are varied and may or may not work every restaurant.
Customer perceptions around cleanliness are also going to play a big factor when restaurants begin to reopen. Vinny even suggestions taking a look at restroom facilities to make sure they will meet or exceed customer expectations going forward.
We all joke about how many dishes we've had to clean from so much cooking at home the past few weeks which is why people are still turning to restaurants for their creative offerings. Whether it's family style dinners or live virtual events, chefs and restaurateurs continue to impress us with their creativity.
Restaurants should consider having conversations with their town supervisors now and discuss items like expanding outdoor seating limits. Vinny suggests looking for opportunities to close down Main St so restaurants can operate in open air environments to be able to expand the limited seating that may be available once things open up again.
Regardless of what happens next, companies like Premier Payroll are a great resource for restaurants to help streamline their back office services like payroll as well as leverage their relationships for ideas, creativity and support.
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