Tracie Daly
Food-Business-Coach
The day Covid-19 hit!
When faced with challenges, we should remember that how we choose to react is the difference between two signs- OPEN or CLOSED!
For so many it seemed the only option was to duck, dive and take cover!
The idea of staying open and offering to the risk was the heaviest weight one could carry and as a result this encouraged every decision there after.
For others it was a sink or swim scenario. That fight or flight adrenaline kicked in! Stay open under the strict and necessary guidance put in place by the Irish Government and try!!! Ensuring safe practice
throughout your business, adhering to strict cleanliness, hygiene, putting in place strict distancing, minimising all contact..... Decisions had to be made and QUICK!
From closing down fully or to re-opening as a takeaway that is collection only, or delivery only or a mix of both!!! Businesses scrambled to adapt in an attempt at maintaining some form of necessary and vital cash flow, the life blood to their operation.
Adapting to a takeaway business when it wasn't your primary focus brought with it many challenges. Since when was logistics a string to your bow? I can imagine for all that have kept their doors open in some new shape or form, could give tutorials on the 'pro's and con's' of re-configuring your business in less than 24 hrs. I for one would love to hear their stories, as these real life warriors have demonstrated incredible resilience and they have also shown they have balls of steel. To see how quickly foodie entrepreneurs adapted to change and customer demand has been a thing of beauty and personal adoration from a safe distance, obviously! That grueling and tiring decision may be the difference between staying open long-term and closing doors for good. For any food business that is managing to stay open, ensure you are not running at a loss. Ensure you are monitoring your books weekly, assess all overheads and review your menu to accommodate any shortcomings. Remember to price each dish and ensure your calculations are accurate or else opening your doors is actually more detrimental than staying closed! Review and implement clever changes as you are faced with them.
Adapting to a takeaway business when it wasn't your primary focus brought with it many challenges. Since when was logistics a string to your bow? I can imagine for all that have kept their doors open in some new shape or form, could give tutorials on the 'pro's and con's' of re-configuring your business in less than 24 hrs. I for one would love to hear their stories, as these real life warriors have demonstrated incredible resilience and they have also shown they have balls of steel. To see how quickly foodie entrepreneurs adapted to change and customer demand has been a thing of beauty and personal adoration from a safe distance, obviously! That grueling and tiring decision may be the difference between staying open long-term and closing doors for good. For any food business that is managing to stay open, ensure you are not running at a loss. Ensure you are monitoring your books weekly, assess all overheads and review your menu to accommodate any shortcomings. Remember to price each dish and ensure your calculations are accurate or else opening your doors is actually more detrimental than staying closed! Review and implement changes continuously until your recipe and systems are working with you and not against you.
The bitter pill that no one likes to talk about is when 'New blood' steps into your old premises (that never reopened due to Covid-19) and soon their is a new food business where you once called your own. The other painful truth is that the chances are high that they may actually succeed as they do not have your overheads or worries that were caused by this epidemic Covid-19!
Assess, review and plan for your future. Talk to industry experts, talk to like-minded food businesses to understand your shared worries and fears and perhaps create a come-back plan as going to ground may mean full-time closure going forward. You are only as memorable as your last meal! Let that be yesterday not last month or last year!
Hire Tracie Daly At Your Service.
085 1755005