Find out what customers expect and make your reopening a success

54%* of TheFork users in the United Kingdom are eager to come back to the restaurant the first week of the reopening.

After several months of being closed, on 12 April restaurants were able to reopen their exterior spaces. As such, TheFork conducted a survey of its users to understand more about what the English people expect when things reopen again as well as the impact of Covid on their future consumption habits. There are lots of green signals, which leads us to hope for a positive business recovery, as was the case in summer 2020 where the number of reservations was higher than in 2019. 

Diners eager to come back to the restaurants

This third re-opening is much more impatiently awaited than the one in May 2020 since 54%* of English people said they wanted to return to the restaurant the week everything opens again.

Despite the current situation, the desire to meet up again and spend some quality time together over a meal is definitely widespread because since restaurants closed, over 29%* said they would feel safer meeting in a restaurant with strict health procedures than at home. 

Last but not least, another study we conducted in December 2020 with 1,301 TheFork users in the UK revealed that for 89%* of them, going to a restaurant was the activity they missed the most, above meeting with friends and family (84%*).

How to get ready for reopening and post-covid era

Make your clients feel safe

Make your customers feel safe

The study we conducted in March 2021 underlines that customers will be more cautious than before, with:

• 43% of respondents indicating that they will check the anti-COVID measures implemented by restaurants before making a reservation
• 44% of them booking online more often. 

You can already reassure your potential customers by directly highlighting the security measures implemented in your restaurant on your restaurant page on TheFork by using the Covid Badge. Also make sure that your restaurant's profile is up to date and that services are open to enable your customers to book online now.

Accelerating the rate at which restaurants have gone digital

This pandemic has also confirmed the importance of digital tools in global circumstances where physical relationships are restricted. 

To support you on a daily basis through our TheFork manager software, we have created lots of features to help you comply with the new post-Covid 19 standards and guarantee that both your teams and your customers stay safe. To name just a few:

1. Centralise your reservations thanks to a multi-channel digital reservation book and manage complex table rotations

2. Save your customers' contact details securely for efficient tracing should there be a problem

3. Display the health measures that have been implemented in your restaurant to reassure your customers

But also,

4. Automatically assign your reservations to the selected areas (such as the terrace) on the restaurant plan

5. Manage social distancing and maximize table availability with the seating chart feature

6. Cut down on no shows using email and text reservation confirmations

7. Increase customer loyalty with our marketing tools

Not yet part of our community? It's the perfect time to join us! Click here  to get the key features that will help you optimise your restaurant's management. Take advantage of our exclusive offer aimed at new and Basic customers: the PRO version of TheFork Manager software for free and WITHOUT COMMITMENTS for 3 months!
 

*Source: TheFork survey conducted in March 2021 on 1,280 users in the United Kingdom.