The Struggle to Reopen: Tara Lazar, founder F10 Creative

Dine in is done yet again. Parts of California are facing another stay at home order. What do you do if you own a restaurant? What do you do if you own 2 or 3 or more. Tara Lazar owns 6 spanning all sectors of hospitality. While most of us are struggling to pivot one location, Tara is masterminding how to ensure all 6 survive the year. Today we get real about the struggles she’s working to overcome and the highs and lows along this path. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES Owns 6 locations Building was about taking opportunities when they came Having multiple locations is more entertaining and stimulating The restaurant revenue offsets the cost of management labor from the catering company What has it been like as a woman in the industry Fight a lot harder to be taken seriously The network of restaurateurs is a gentlemen’s club Woman leaders tend to be of an older generation Initial reaction to Covid This could be devastating on the catering side Failed with communication during Covid Stayed really quiet which stressed out staff Started having zoom calls and updates every two weeks Being realistic with your team How many will be able to come back in the fall? Being honest about not knowing the answers Failure depends on so many things out of our control Landlord Government restrictions Consumer behavior Restaurants in charge of public safety Food sourced responsibly Following safety regulation An outbreak in your restaurant could be devastating Using contact tracing forms Greatest fear How do we keep staff safe Using PPP loan Distributed to staff who needed it Paid staff to stay home Was hoping that the team would repay this by working when the restaurant was able to reopen Unfortunately many wanted to collect unemployment instead Pivoting during Covid Does not want to do fast-casual or ordering online Less interaction with clients Branded to-go packaging to be more experiential To-go model at Cheeky’s Redefining hospitality How do you anticipate your guests when you don’t know who they are? Following comment cards and customer surveys Success in 2020 Already been successful Realigned with what is important Automating BOH operations Makes work more efficient Would like guests and staff together again Short term goals Keeping staff on the payroll Long term goals Partner with companies Acquire businesses Growing wide vs growing deep Buying out competition Expand into a different market Innovations caused by Covid Cocktails to go Cocktail food truck Farmer’s market boxes New to-go packaging Online to-go platforms Word to the industry Show your appreciation to your customers for supporting you