Technology Tips for Restaurants to Operate During a Shut Down
In addition to providing free remote tech support for restaurants who are pivoting from dine-in service to take-out (or closing all together), we’re sharing all the information we can to help restaurant owners and their staff navigate online orders, sell virtual gift cards, or convert to a corner store and cut costs.
REDUCE YOUR FEES
Many major restaurant vendors are providing relief, by either cutting fees or offering software free of charge. But make sure to read the find print! We will keep updating this list with new information (last updated 4/29/2020).
3rd Party Delivery:
GrubHub: Deferring fees on delivery commission services (still 20-30%). Goes into effect after “deferral period” with a 2 week grace period to repay fees. $10 off on orders over $30 incentive to customers. https://chicago.eater.com/2020/3/13/21178161/coronavirus-grubhub-chicago-restaurants-fees-mayor (Read the fine print!)
DoorDash / Caviar : Reducing commissions by 50% on both DoorDash and Caviar through end of May https://blog.doordash.com/around-the-table-our-commitment-to-local-restaurants-483c6e4352de
Uber Eats: Offering same day pay-outs, increased marketing efforts, and waiving delivery fees for customers ordering from independent restaurants: https://www.uber.com/us/en/coronavirus/#restaurants
Chowly (3rd party + POS integrator): Offering no-cost starter package and extended 60-day trial: https://get.chowlyinc.com/social-chowly-20
Point-of-Sale:
Toast POS: Offering 1 month free all-in-one POS software + 0% financing on hardware. New digital ordering solutions, 3 months free https://pos.toasttab.com/pricing
Upserve: Online Ordering free of charge for their customers + free implementation: https://help.upserve.com/s/article/COVID-19-FAQs
Square: Refunding all monthly subscription fees for March and April. New curbside pickup option and local delivery for online stores: https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/6825-important-coronavirus-covid-19-updates-and-resources-for-square-sellers
Shopify: Opening up $200M in Shopify Capital, Gift card support for all plans, local pickup and delivery options, extended 90 day trial: https://www.shopify.com/covid19
Reservations:
Resy: 100% relief on all fees and billing for at least 30 days:
https://twitter.com/resy/status/1239922367599644674Open Table: Waiving fees for 30 days (if you block a range of dates you are closed). Promoting online ordering to their customers.
https://restaurant.opentable.com/news/category/insider-information/Tock: Just launched “Tock To-Go” Experiences. Sell pre-paid meals or packages for pickup or delivery: https://www.exploretock.com/join/togo
You may need to reach out to your rep at these companies to confirm these discounts apply.
HOW TO TEMPORARILY CLOSE
Inform your Customers
Make sure your customers are aware of your plans online. This includes send out marketing emails to your core customers, posting detail on your website, posting on social media.
Sell eGift Cards
A great way to get your customer's’ continued support and encourage them to come back when you re-open. Companies like Sociavore are providing alternatives to quickly offer virtual gift cards even if your site isn’t built on their platform.
Set up an Employee Relief Campaign
GoFundMe: Our friends at 16” on Center and many other restaurant groups have set up GoFundMe Employee Relief Campaigns to support their employees. GoFundMe campaigns are free to set up, however they do charge a processing fee of 2.9% + .30. Unlike Kickstarter you’re not required to reach the funding goal.
Merch Sales: Stock MFG Co. launched a “Chicago Hospitality United” merch campaign with 100% of the proceeds supporting Chicago hourly workers. Many other hospitality groups are promoting merch sales online.
Prepare Your Kitchen Equipment for Closure
Our good friends at 86Repairs.com have offered this helpful guide on how to properly shut down equipment, etc, if you need to close temporarily: https://www.86repairs.com/covid-19-restaurant-guide
Get on Lists to Promote Your Offerings
Dining at a Distance has a great nationwide list of restaurants that are staying open and offering delivery or curbside pickup. Simply fill out the form to get your restaurant listed.
Steve Dolinsky has put together a great list of what other restaurants are doing during this time.
See What Other Restaurants are Doing
Join virtual meet-ups with other restaurant operators to get feedback and share your plans.
Gordon Food Service has compiled additional resources for restaurants via www.eat.news
EMPLOYEE RESOURCES:
MORTGAGES & HEALTH INSURANCE
If you own a home, and are facing a potential shortfall, call your mortgage company! At least one we spoke with told us they are ready to allow late payments (no fees, no credit reporting) for 30 days, and even have a Home Preservation Team available to help with payment modifications.
If you rent, like so many of us, make sure your landlord is aware. If you are hurting, they are going to be hurting too, and they may qualify for assistance as they give you a chance to get back on your feet.
At least one health insurance provider told us that some customers may be eligible to make their payments as many as 90 days late, without penalty.
SBA LOANS
Make sure to check the deadlines for these applications! Contact a local lender to help with your applications.
The SBA has an updated list of federal disaster loans available to small businesses:
https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Declarations/IndexFacebook Small Business Grants: https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/grants?ref=eml
Check out our guide on applying for government loans and grants and how to utilize this funding: www.scienceretail.com/lab-notes-posts/emergency-grants-hospitality-technology