The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose seemingly insurmountable challenges for the restaurant industry. Between travel restrictions, ever-changing regulations, and some preference for takeaway, even the most beloved and celebrated institutions have fallen victim to the pandemic's woes. However, all hope is not lost. Many of the country’s top chefs and restaurateurs look to the future with grounded optimism, equipped with invaluable experience and lessons learned as they put their best plate forward.
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1. Think Before You Act
“Think before you act,” stresses chef Josh Boutwood, the resilient mind behind The Test Kitchen, Savage, Helm, and various Bistro Group restaurants. “The worst thing we can do right now is to act too fast and make a mistake and have to backtrack.” This tactic certainly worked well for Boutwood. At the onset of the initial lockdown, the strategist took a step back to examine the global industry, looking at how players in other countries had responded to the pandemic to learn from their successes and shortcomings.
President of RestoPH Eric Teng took a similar approach. As the president and CEO of Mango Tree Restaurants, Teng was one of many restaurant owners gravely concerned about the survival of his businesses and the industry at large. Through Resto PH, Teng and his team enable these restaurateurs to “share experiences with other restaurant owners, chefs, and share best practices, debate ideas”. Though it started off as a casual Viber group, Teng looked at what other restaurant associations around the world were doing, shaping RestoPH into the formidable representative voice that it is today while allowing these industry experts to learn from one another.
Take a leaf out of their playbook and equip yourself with these must-know tips from the experts themselves:
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