Restaurant chains are quickly adapting to the government's three-step recovery plan

Mad Mex, Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses, Zeus Street Greek and Hunky Dory react to phase one of eased restrictions.

Multi-site restaurant chains welcomed the first phase of the federal government’s three-step route to ease coronavirus restrictions as the industry braces for the new normal, executives tell QSR Media.

“Mad Mex’s restaurants and teams are all fully-trained on COVID-19 and excited to welcome customers back into our restaurants,” founder and CEO Clovis Young said. “We have made limited seats available to simplify the seating restrictions (self-service and self-limiting capacity), which makes it easy for our customers to understand the new arrangements.”

“We, like many of our industry colleagues, have doubled down to make sure that our venues are safe and operate within the required framework,” added Zeus Street Greek general manager Ramon Castillo.

The government’s framework allows cafes and restaurants, which have been restricted to delivery and takeaway orders, to seat up to 10 patrons at a time, so long as they had four square metres of space per person. The second and third steps would allow for slightly larger gatherings and more businesses reopening.

“We are optimistic that “Phase 1” of the lifting of restrictions will allow our stores and more importantly, our guests to feel just a little more normal as we continue to navigate these unchartered waters,” Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses chief retail officer Judd Sandwell said.

“We see phase one as the first step back to normality. Despite these measures not being financially viable, we support the government’s decision 110%, the positive impact this will have on employee and community wellbeing is far more important to us,” Hunky Dory founder Greg Robotis noted.

The restrictions have pummeled sales across the industry, with delivery and takeaway becoming critical channels for chains. Most executives remain confident that these channels will effectively synergise with the now-allowed limited trading.

Young stressed the efficiency of their restaurants, which have traded through takeaway and online ordering.

“We have a dedicated "delivery" collection area for drivers, so it’s an easy, efficient, "no contact" collection process,” he explained, adding that they have doubled down on their marketing and promotions with their delivery partners whilst having implemented their 'order ahead' app to encourage “fast and contactless” takeaway.

Similar to Mad Mex, Hunky Dory also has a separate waiting area for delivery drivers. Most stores, Robotis said, have a designated window which they have been and will continue to serve customer takeaway orders from.

“So we see phase one as simply enhancing the overall connection and well-being of everyone in-store - this positive energy is so key to what Hunky Dory is all about,” he explained.

Sandwell said Ferguson Plarre has adapted delivery and click-and-collect, which they expect to remain as part of their offer moving forward.

“We [also] adapted our menu and product offering to ensure that our guests could enjoy their favourites from home,” he added.

Full sanitation, temperature checks
Castillo said Zeus Street Greek is eager to engage customers in-store whilst committing to prioritise safety.

“Respectfully, our delivery partners cannot engage our customers the way we do. We look forward to restrictions continuing to ease, however, at the same time, remain committed to implementing all necessary measures that keep all of our customers safe,” he said.

To assure customers dining-in, Mad Mex said it has set up sanitizer stations at the entrances of all their restaurants, with hand washing being mandatory at 30-minute intervals for staff.

The Mexican chain also implemented full sanitization of all their working surfaces, high touch areas, and customer dining areas multiple times per day whilst accepting cashless transactions only and placing signages of safety protocols and expectations of staff and customers.

“This makes it easy for everyone to understand their personal and collective responsibilities at this time,” Young explained.

Hunky Dory said dine-in customers will be temperature checked, with all tables, chairs and laminated menus wiped with disinfectant prior to opening and after each use, followed by strict hand hygiene and sanitisation.

Busy surfaces and areas including doors, payment facilities, toilets and communal areas will be frequently sanitised, complemented by stringent hand sanitising practices across all areas.

“We have an extensive list of additional health and safety measures in place which cover everything from stringent attendance and uniform procedures to cashless payments, hand sanitising, disinfecting and social distancing. We envisage these to continue throughout phase one, while also adding additional procedures,” Robotis said.

To ensure compliance with Phase One rules, Ferguson Plarre said they have compiled a list of recommendations from the Victorian Government web page and the Australian Retailers Association that outline best practices.

“We will communicate this to our network later this week...we are all in this together and we will all come out of it together,” Sandwell said.

The brands were interviewed prior to recent news of states announcing their Stage 2 plans.