The Bright Side of COVID 19: Restaurants & Hotels.
Over the past three months, the situation has only seemed to go from bad to worse. For most businesses including the hospitality industry, though the situation may seem all grim, there’s an upside. It’s a matter of changing perspective. Here is our Positive Perspective on the seemingly negative situation…
1. Innovation is key – “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Quoted Plato, the Philosopher from Greece. Translated that means, if we need to grow we need to invent. Now, with the pandemic threatening life on the streets and locking us up into our homes, we have to change the way we operate. Training companies like us (HTI) moved to video conferencing platforms. Restaurants have targeted ‘contactless’ home and office meal deliver. And some groups are launching a retail line of their own signature sauces, dips and marinades; exploring new ways to stay relevant in the current context.
2. Collaboration –In 2019 the Hospitality Industry in India employed 42.7 million people; source World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Now, with the industry facing a first of its’ kind challenge (some businesses shutting down others laying off entire teams) and with no aid from the government, we have to “pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off”. To survive and thrive, restaurant groups have stopped competing and started collaborating like sharing home delivery teams. Leading the way are associations like NRAI and FHRAI that are developing applications that allow guests to scan a QR Code and place his/her order directly to the kitchen bypassing waiters – contactless ordering.
3. Self-Improvement – “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” These rough time are here to train us. We can spot weak spots in our self and company! We can build individual and team resilience (ability to bounce back). For while we watch the big companies and people around us crumble it takes a lot of courage and determination to keep on going with courage and determination. These are the times that reveal youand your team’s character. The weak ones (individuals and organizations) will get angry, panic, confused, blame and crack under pressure. The strong ones will remain calm, determined, focused, take charge and fly make plans to fly ‘despite’ the pressure… The test of your leadership character (individual and organization) is not what you do when things are easy but how high you bounce when you hit rock bottom.
A lot has changed already and change will continue at a steady pace. Let Charles Darwin maxim direct our thinking and guide our course of action, “It’s not the strongest of the species that will survive, nor the most intelligent but the one most adaptable to change that will survive.”
See you at the top – soon! God Bless! Keep Rockin& Roooaaarrrinn!
