These are tough times for a lot of people and businesses around the world. The fast
food industry has been affected in many ways, but these unique circumstances also present
an opportunity for the industry to serve their customers in new ways. Here are the Top 10
Ways the Fast Food Industry is Affected by the Corona Virus.
Coffee in the Age of COVID-19
When a Starbucks employee tested positive for the Corona Virus the first week of March,
the fast-food chain knew they would have to make changes. Like others in the fast food
industry, the Starbucks Corporation has been working with its thousands of employees to
decrease their risk and the risk to the customers they serve. The most basic thing for them
is to be vigilant about sanitizing the stores as often as possible. The fast-food employees
are urged to practice the social distancing techniques everyone's been hearing about.
They must be careful to practice these techniques with each other as well as with customers
while still getting their job done. According to news reports a drop in sales may be inevitable.
The same survey suggested that about 1 in 3 Americans planned to stay closer to home
for a period of time even when the pandemic begins to recede. Americans love coffee so
they will continue to go out and get it if they can. Many Starbucks locations have a
drive-thru which is the method of choice for fast-food companies to continue to deliver
service to their customers as the virus spreads. Will delivering coffee to peoples' homes become
common? As long as it can arrive hot, why not? And you can always put it in the microwave
to warm it up.
Ronald McDonald Implements Employee Health Checks
The virus spreading around the world is no laughing matter, but that doesn't mean Ronald
McDonald doesn't have a role to play. The McDonald's Corporation decided to start comprehensive
health checks for all employees. This means that everyone will have their temperature
checked before they start their shift. The fast-food chain is calling the new guidelines
"extra precautionary measures" that will be left in place until the threat has passed.
Employees will also be asked if they have been diagnosed with the virus, whether they
are showing any symptoms associated with the disease and whether they have been in contact
with anyone who has been infected with it. These are common sense guidelines that most
businesses, but especially fast-food restaurants, would be wise to put into use if they haven't
already done so. Even though McDonald's and the other fast-food chains are trying to reduce
contact between employees and customers to a minimum, there will still be a certain amount
of interaction that can't be avoided. It is important to keep things in perspective while
we're navigating these difficult times. It makes the health checks a very smart idea
that should help to alleviate the stress levels of employees and customers alike.
Virus Stalks Canada's Donut Shops
Tim Hortons is sort of the Dunkin' Donuts of Canada, well known for its tasty coffee
and doughnuts. It's a high profile fast-food business, and it's taken some hits in the
court of public opinion with friction being reported between corporate headquarters and
the people working in the stores around the country. One of the issues that received so
much bad press was the policy requiring employees to provide a note from a doctor to take unpaid
sick leave. In response to this unfortunate situation, Tim Hortons has set up a $40 million
dollar fund to support its employees that are affected by the pandemic. These funds
will provide some comfort to people affected by events beyond their control. Like most
fast-food restaurants in America and around the world Tim Hortons in Canada has switched
the focus of its operations to take-out, drive thru and delivery. Keeping places like Tim
Hortons open during the pandemic might seem like a small thing to some people. However,
it is being able to keep these little normalities as part of our daily lives that will help
carry us all through to the end of this unfortunate situation.
Wash Me!
Some fast-food chains have long been known to put an emphasis on cleanliness in their
restaurants, including McDonald's, but the pandemic has brought increased attention to
basic hygiene. When the plague struck Europe in the Middle Ages, most people did not appreciate
the importance of personal hygiene and the cleanliness of one's surroundings. With the
emergence of this new virus, America's Centers for Disease Control and pretty much every
health institution on the planet is imploring people to take special care to wash their
hands thoroughly and often. Thankfully COVID-19 is nothing like the plague, but it still requires
us to be vigilant about hygiene. These measures are even more crucial for the fast-food restaurants
that need to keep their employees safe as they continue to show up for work to cook
food and interact with the public. Surfaces such as countertops and door handles need
to be cleansed regularly because there is evidence the virus can linger on surfaces
for long periods of time. Perhaps a lasting benefit of the pandemic is that we will all
learn to appreciate the importance of cleanliness and hygiene a little more and the relationship
to good health.
It's Not Fast-Food its Delivery
Restaurants have used companies like Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats for years to make fast-food
even more convenient by delivering your favorite menu items right to your door. These services
were offered for a fee of course, but the pandemic is starting to change this. Chains
like the Mexican themed fast-food restaurant El Pollo Loco is offering free delivery to
its customers for the duration of the stay at home orders. No one is quite sure how long
these orders will last, but it's likely most Americans will be staying home throughout
the month of April. Fast-food restaurants have been a convenient way to get a quick
meal, but now more people find themselves relying on them when they don't feel comfortable
going to grocery stores as often as they did before the pandemic started. El Pollo Loco
isn't the only fast-food chain offering free delivery; some of the other restaurants participating
include Burger King, Chipotle, Denny's and Del Taco.
#GreatAmericanTakeoutDay
Events have been moving fast since the emergence of this virus, and the effects on the fast-food
industry have appeared just as fast. There have been some bright spots in the midsts
of the bad news such as the online movement called #GreatAmericanTakeoutDay. Near the
end of March the movement encouraged people across America to order takeout from local
restaurants to support them in their time of need. This is the kind of thing most people
can get behind because we all have to eat anyway. However, it has also been necessary
to address people's concerns regarding ways the virus might be transmitted during food
preparation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has put out some timely guidance informing
the public that it is very unlikely someone could contract COVID-19 by eating food purchased
at a restaurant. According to the statement, cooking the food eliminates any threat from
the virus. It also recommends paying for your food over the phone or on the Internet to
avoid contact with fast-food employees or delivery people as much as possible. Also,
don't forget that your continued patronage of these restaurants can help keep people
employed.
Setting up Dominos
While many restaurant workers have been either furloughed or laid off across the fast-food
industry, there are exceptions to this. Dominos, the popular pizza chain, has put out the word
that it is actually hiring both part-time and full-time employees to staff its kitchens
and to deliver its pizzas. The CEO of Dominos released a statement saying that the company
needs the help, but also said they feel an obligation to do what they can to help workers
in need of a job. This will be good news for people as the unemployment rate continues
to rise. Dominos is obviously most known for its pizza, but the fast-food chain offers
a fairly extensive menu that includes a wide range of items. The choices include chicken
nuggets, wings, and boneless wings in a variety of flavors. This is a pretty comprehensive
menu for a "pizza" restaurant so you should be able to find something you like no matter
what you're craving. Also, don't forget to check out your local independent pizza shops
that offer their own unique take on pizza.
Not All-Day Breakfast
Fast food restaurants have all been forced to close their dining areas, but now entire
sections of menus are being affected. McDonald's decided that during the time of this pandemic,
they will no longer be offering all-day breakfast. It's such as shame seeing as if with so many
people at home, work and sleep schedules are shifting. Breakfast all-day was made for this.
Unfortunately, during these times, McDonald's, like many companies, are trying to simplify
their processes. They say that by removing all-day breakfast from the menu, they are
able to streamline all their other operations. This is, well, a bummer for those of you who
were counting on McDonald's for that late breakfast. McDonald's and it's customers were
in a back and forth for years over what times breakfast should be served. But finally in
2015, McDonald's put an end to the scuffle and just went all out and introduced all-day
breakfast. This move was a hit with fans and McDonald's has been proudly serving breakfast
all-day since.
Chinese Fast Food
The Corona Virus is believed to have emerged from the city of Wuhan, China in late 2019.
This form of Corona Virus that attacks the respiratory system and has caused dire consequences
not just in China has spread around the globe as cases of the virus, now officially called
COVID-19, continue to mount. With well over a billion people, China supports a huge fast-food
industry. Yum China operates thousands of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco
Bell locations across the country. Some of these fast-food restaurants have seen as much
as a 40% drop in sales since January 2020. This is partly because, in response to the
virus, Yum decided to close 3,000 restaurants, which amounts to 30% of its locations on Chinese
soil. Since the beginning of April, China has tried to get its economy back on track
again. With in-store dining shut down across the country, many restaurants have switched
to contactless in-store pickup. Customers are allowed in the store only to take their
waiting orders from a shelf. Unfortunately it seems like these measures will be enforced
for some time.
Who's Essential Now?
Maybe we didn't think of fast-food chains as essential businesses or their workers to
be essential to the smooth operation of society, but this viewpoint has all changed. The disruptions
brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have helped to show what is most important. Obviously
food is a priority for everyone in good times and bad. Governments consider fast-food restaurants
and eating establishments in general as essential businesses. The convenience of being able
to drive up to a window and quickly receive relatively inexpensive food has been magnified
many times over by the circumstances the world is experiencing at the moment. The people
who work in the fast food industry are on the front lines risking life and limb. This
isn’t just unskilled labor and flipping burgers. These are the heroes who don’t
get paid nearly enough as is. Hopefully the world won't soon forget the value of these
heroes we've relied on and who were there when we needed them the most, even in these
dangerous circumstances where their own health is at risk. Thanks to all the essential workers
who are on the front lines making a difference.
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