With winter about to reach its height, it’s never been more crucial to prepare your restaurant for snow, ice, and dropping temperatures. Use these simple, effective, and creative methods to prep your establishment for the chilliest part of the season.
Prepare for Emergencies
When figuring out how to prepare your restaurant for winter, remember that inclement weather can result in outages and other emergencies. So, it’s wise to prep for those types of situations first. Part of doing this is ensuring you have a “survival kit” with all the proper supplies. Some of the things on your list should include:
- Candles and flashlights
- Toiletries
- First-aid kit
- Tool kit
You’ll want to have shovels and rock salt handy, just in case you need to clear away large sheets of ice or snow. And if an emergency does occur, you’ll likely be glad to have nonperishable food items, lots of water, a radio, and extra blankets to keep you and any patrons warm.
Inspect Your Systems and Plan for Inclement Weather
If your establishment is in a region with lots of snow and ice, it’s prudent to get your heating and power systems inspected annually. And this needs to be done sooner rather than later. Just as well, it’s always good to have a specific plan in place in case a power outage occurs.
To illustrate, you could invest in a power generator and use it to keep your lights and heat functioning. Doing this can keep you warm and circumvent other emergencies. You might also consider preparing a strategy for removing ice and snow from your sidewalks and parking lots.
Winterize Your Outdoor Spaces
But prepping for the cold doesn’t always have to entail an emergency. Sometimes knowing how to prepare your restaurant for winter is about ensuring that your outdoor spaces are clean and well-maintained so that you can focus on making the inside of your establishment warm and cozy. Doing this starts with winterizing your outdoor spaces.
For instance, it’s a good idea to clean and take any patio furniture or décor inside before brutal weather prevails. Moreover, power washing your outdoor areas and wrapping your external pipes are excellent ways to ensure your restaurant is ready for frigid temperatures.
Offer Various Ways To Dine
Once your establishment is ready for the snowy season, it’s time to assess how the drop in temperature might affect your customers. Unfortunately, when it’s freezing outside, it can be a challenge for customers to get out and enjoy a dine-in experience.
For this reason, it’s imperative to ensure that you’re providing your customers with plenty of options for how they receive their meals. Perhaps you’re ready to incorporate delivery services into your establishment. Or maybe you want to try integrating online ordering with curbside pick-up.
And with myriad options for online ordering platforms for restaurants, adding new dining options like this has never been easier. Plus, your customers will be warm and cozy while they enjoy the convenience of ordering their food from their phones and waiting to receive their food curbside.
