The COVID-19 Crisis - how Hospitality and Events’ Businesses across NSW can adapt.
With the growing concerns surrounding COVID-19, and the Australian Government’s recent Stage 2 Shutdown, us at SHFTHero wanted to take a moment to check in.
As the government has banned/closed non-essential services, suspended international travel and is currently enforcing social distancing and isolation, the hospitality and events industry is doing it tough. Many regular customers are not able to dine in, and are opting to stay indoors. In the midst of this crisis however, many of our favourite venues and businesses are putting measures in place to adapt.
Unsure how you and your business can adapt to the change? We’ve collated a list of some key areas of opportunities and options that you and your team could consider.
1. Look at providing a takeaway option. Introducing, whoisdelivering.com
As businesses face a significant drop in walk-in customers, many are looking at ways in which they can reach their customers at home. Businesses across NSW are beefing up their takeaway menus, launching new delivery options, and providing store-pick up services.
Here at SHFTHero, we believe we might be able to help. We have created a free website called “Who Is Delivering”, where local businesses can list if their business is open, and whether or not they are providing takeaway and/or food deliveries. Our aim? To raise awareness and connect local customers to their favourite local businesses. Visit whoisdelivering.com and list your business today.
2. Sign up to a food-delivery service.
Hey, you’re already aware of a sharing-economy service - SHFTHero. Why not take it a step further and sign your business up to a food-delivery service - Deliveroo, Menulog, UberEats? With customers across the state eager to support small local businesses in the midst of this crisis, they’ll be able to order from your menu from the comfort of their mobile. We’d recommend checking out the food-delivery services’ websites, and working out which ones work best for you and your business.
Note: In light of the COVID-19 crisis, many of these services, such as UberEats, have expanded their platform’s capabilities, waiving activation fees and allowing caterers and other businesses to join their platform.
3. Launch a home-catering service.
In the wake of the toilet paper crisis #help, and our favourite pasta, rice and meat products flying off the shelves - a lot of Australians are struggling to find their favourite groceries, and thus are shifting towards home-catering options. With many young working professionals and parents working from home, they are in search of an easy and efficient way for their families to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Launching a home-catering service could aid these families, allowing them to meal-prep, and prepare for the week ahead.
4. Booze - straight to your door.
Alongside eateries and food trucks, bars and pubs have had to shut their doors. Many bars and pubs have found a solution however, keeping their bottle-o open and running. Other businesses have included takeaway booze in their menus, delivering beers and ciders to their customers’ doors.
5. Check if your business is eligible for government assistance.
As the COVID-19 crisis is having huge effects on the Australian economy, the Federal Government has put stimulus packages in place, to aid small businesses country-wide, and keep entrepreneurs afloat. Recurring themes have included the waiving of certain fees and charges, payroll tax waivers and an employment boost. To check whether or not your business is eligible, please visit this website for more information.
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the hospitality and events community during this tough time. It is important that we continue to be responsible for our own health as well as those around us. The SHFTHero team are looking forward to the day that we as a society can come out of this period, and we can roar up the hospitality and events industry once more.
With love,
Andrew and the SHFTHero Team
SHFTHero is one of Australia’s top technology-based staffing solutions. Through the form of an App and Web App, the platform connects understaffed events and hospitality businesses with on-demand freelancers.
In need of urgent Baristas, Bartenders, Wait Staff, Front of House, Kitchen Hands, Chefs, Cooks? SHFTHero has got you covered.
Our hospitality and events staff service these Sydney areas: Sydney CBD, Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, South Sydney, North Shore, Northern Beaches, Greater Western Sydney, Hills District, Hawkesbury, South-Western Sydney and Penrith. As well as regional NSW: Hunter, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, South Coast, North Coast, Wollongong.
