As the restaurant industry faces major challenges because of restricted operations, Sam Cover Spokane Washington chef names some of the difficulties they face when reopening. 

Sam Cover Spokane WA is a renowned chef and industry leader who regularly shares insight into his profession with interested readers. Recently, he’s helped connect readers with facts and figures within the overarching food industry as they’ve altered their services to keep up with safer-at-home orders.

Restaurant owners, he says, have had to lay off significant portions of their staff or shorten hours to a minimum––and that’s if they’ve been able to stay open at all. Sam Cover Spokane WA says he’s never witnessed anything that affected the restaurant and food industries as heavily as coronavirus has, and he acknowledges that there are significant challenges in reopening just as there are in shutting down.

“States have been given the ‘ok’ to start reopening their doors to the public beyond delivery and carry-out orders, albeit at much smaller capacities than during normal operation,” says Sam Cover Spokane WA chef. “Many restaurants choose not to reopen simply because it’s not something they can financially manage at such low capacities.”

In his own home state, Sam Cover Spokane Washington says the governor has presented restaurants in the region with a second stage of reopenings featuring slightly larger capacities, but it’s still a challenge for many.

“Business owners in the food industry want to ensure their customers are safe and avoid any potential negative press from missteps during the pandemic,” says Sam Cover Spokane WA. “Without a clean, well-executed restaurant, even if only offering takeout services, owners will almost certainly face shutdowns. Reopening to this level of operation isn’t easy to do.”

Sam Cover says many restaurants are turning to costly tech innovations like ultraviolet light HVAC systems to help keep the air inside disinfected while customers eat. Many establishments that offer sit-down dining during this time are having to create additional seating outside where the virus is less likely to spread. Another issue has been cash handling and how best to prepare waiters to remain safe, often meaning investing in extra protective gear.

“The supply chain has also been skewed, causing business owners to falter when it comes to buying the right amount of food,” says Sam Cover Spokane Washington. “Trying to stay ahead of customers and providing everything in-house is out of the question. Now businesses must do their best to simply keep a smaller menu of ongoing items available at all times.”

Add in the difficulties of scheduling workers and payroll expenses and Sam Cover Spokane WA says it will be some time before the food industry stops feeling the effects of this pandemic.