Since legally being allowed to do so on 4th July, restaurants across the country have been gradually re-opening across the country in a climate unlike anything any of them have ever known before. It is therefore crucial for the sector to know that firms like Total QSR are there to support them.
Under current rules, restaurants must ensure that customers remain socially distanced from one another. They must take down all customers’ details and be prepared to inform them if anyone who visits the restaurant during a similar timeframe has contracted Covid-19. And they must ensure the general safety of their staff and of everybody who visits their site.
On top of this, a survey earlier this month by the Office for National Statistics found 60% of respondents would be uncomfortable or very uncomfortable eating out, compared with just 21% who would be comfortable or very comfortable to do so.
The Asian restaurant chain Wagamama has been gradually re-opening its stores throughout the month, with the most recent example being the Rushden Lakes restaurant in Northamptonshire, which was re-opened yesterday.
By implementing sliding Japanese-style partitions, the restaurant chain has managed to optimise their restaurants for the Covid-era, while at the same time staying true to their traditions.
Design director Mark Standing said: “Sliding screens (shoji) are at the very heart of the Japanese architectural aesthetic. They have been used for hundreds of years to divide spaces in buildings and rooms. I took my inspiration for the design of screen dividers for our long sharing tables and benches from this tradition."
Chief executive Emma Woods said: “The main question we have been working on as a team is how can our guests feel safe but still have a communal Wagamama experience, sitting on our benches. The team have applied our philosophy of kaizen - good change - to this challenge and I am delighted we have found a design solution which provides social distancing for our guests in a way which is true to the design ethos of the brand.”
And, while there are a great many things that are likely to cause them concerns over the coming months, one area on which they will be able to rest easy is their electric catering equipment. Since 2016, 94 Wagamama stores have had their equipment provided by Total QSR and, in that time, they have benefitted from a hugely impressive 92% first-time fix rate.
Total QSR is one of the leading commercial catering equipment service and repairs companies in the U.K. Working closely with the nation’s biggest motorway service operators, the company oversees the equipment used in various branches of Burger King, Greggs, Costa Coffee, KFC, Starbucks and Pret A Manger.
As the hospitality sector gets back on its feet, the support of organisations like Total QSR will be absolutely paramount. In a world that has changed so drastically, it is a relief to have a familiar pair of hands on which to rely.
