Due to measures of social distancing and general caution in public places caused by COVID-19, the foodservice industry has taken a hard financial hit as they faced months of operating at reduced capacity. But as the economy gradually reopens, local restaurant operators have expressed their confidence in re-attracting their customers.

Restaurant and entertainment lounge 100 Hope Road, scheduled to reopen on June 18, is currently instituting measures to ensure safety for its employees and patrons, Sudu Ramani, chief financial officer told Sunday Finance.

“100 has always been a place of choice for customers who expect to experience great food and entertainment. A lot of restructuring to our business process is being implemented in keeping with our reputation for delivering what we promise. We have a reputation to maintain, and all is being done to ensure our brand value is not diluted but enhanced,” Ramani asserted.

He added that while the restaurant operated with a skeletal staff because of the drastic 95 per cent reduction in business, it has now implemented “an aggressive social media campaign to promote several new events that are being planned”.

George Makhoul, manager of Sizzlin’ Grill, which is located at the Sovereign Centre’s food court in Kingston, indicated similar marketing strategies.

“We are pushing more content on our social media accounts, but now that the curfew isn’t so strict, we’re trying to convince people that it’s safe to come in,” he said.

Managing director of Pizza Please, Pietro Giuliani’s credence is a positive mindset during this experience.

“It was, and still is, a bit desolate to have our tables and chairs put aside and unavailable. We are surely looking forward to the laughter and company of our dine-in customers again. However, we aim to continue providing our services and guarantee our presence to our friends and supporters throughout these weeks. For this reason, we have decided to give continuity to the operations and maintain the menu as much as we can.

“We are looking forward to a return to the levels we experienced in early 2020,” he stated.

According to him, the restaurant had used the downtime to train and develop its team to provide high customer service standards and prepare for the reopening of the economy.

Pizza Please is located at Shop #3 Village Plaza, Half-Way-Tree in Kingston.

As work-from-home initiatives have all but eliminated the lunchtime crowd for traditional and quick-service restaurants, the restaurant operators all indicated that takeout options and delivery services were heavily utilised but guaranteed a safe environment as they welcome dine-in customers.