Qualitaly_119

OCT. NOV. 2020 IX to hygiene standards (47.4%), table spacing (35.2%), outdoor tables (34%) and attention to the number of people inside the restaurant (20%). It is not just a seasonal issue, of course. According to McKinsey, restaurants looking to the future must act in three areas: multi- channel strategy (35% to 55% of Europeans intend to increase the use of delivery in the future), menu optimisation (with customers asking for healthy, sustainable but also affordable options) and new business models involving partnerships and “creative” solutions. Such as the one implemented by the Bolognese osteria Vâgh íñ ufézzí, which has decided, in order not to increase prices against the reduction in the number of place settings, to charge “on time”: 18 euros for one hour and 26 euros for two. A way to give value to the time spent at the table, so precious now both for those who run a restaurant with fewer seats and for the customer, who wants to reduce the stay indoors. The return strategies are definitely many and varied, and creativity is indispensable. As demonstrated by the Winter Dining Challenge launched by the city of Chicago, one of the liveliest on the US gastronomic scene but subject to particularly harsh winters. Objective: “to design ways to convince customers to go to restaurants in the neighbourhood and stay there for their meals. Because take-away and delivery will remain, but often do not provide enough income to keep these places in business”. ______________________________ BOX From Chicago 643 ideas Outdoor heating This isn’t new, but it will not fail to be used again this year to heat the outdoor environment with “mushroom” heaters, fireplaces, but also heated seats and floors. Among the most original ideas there is the “megabarbeque”: a large common fire where chefs from various restaurants can cook for customers located under a tent with open walls and a ventilation system that purifies the air and spreads the heat coming from the super grill. But there are also tablecloths - blankets, which wrap the diners in an embrace, or individual sleeping bags that maintain body heat, solar- powered lamps and chairs heated and illuminated by coloured lights. Common spaces Many small restaurants are in great difficulty due to the spacing rules. The idea is therefore to use structures with large surfaces (buildings, arenas, stadiums, theatres) mostly unused for small group dinners and large breaths. The location could host in rotation individuals or groups of restaurants offering different cuisines (imagine a trip to the Italian regions as Eataly did at Expo 2015), and it will also be possible to organise musical shows or themed evenings. An opportunity also for hotels: the Parisian Les Bains, for example, hosts dinners in “atypical” hotel locations such as the empty swimming pool, disco or suites. Restaurant crawling The British custom of going from pub to pub is resumed for lunch or dinner: you are invited to eat a dish in every restaurant (staying a short time indoors minimizes the risk of contagion) and you manage everything from app to coordinate schedules and avoid queues and stops in the cold, finding the ordered dish ready on arrival. Teaming up with other restaurants to offer prizes or discounts once you have reached a certain number of meals can be a winning idea. A QR Code or app allows you to open an account and pay the cost of the dish, which ideally should be fixed by smartphone. Forms Tents, igloos, greenhouses, snowballs, yurts, huts, inflatables, toast or hive modules. Made of glass, plywood, plastic, tyres, with semi-open roofs or recycled air: there are countless solutions to create mono heated outdoor environments, a “shell” for a table. They can be located in city parks, ports, along rivers. Or on equipped roofs, great protagonists of past summers, or in car parks. A variant are the in-out barriers, a sort of passavivanda that allow the dishes to be served without contact, for the safety of customers and staff. Supporting the community The economic consequences of Covid will be the most devastating and lasting. Various projects therefore include charitable initiatives that also address the problem of food waste. Such as The Plate Beacon, an app that involves a network of restaurants where customers can donate meals at the time of payment to needy fellow citizens, the restaurateur can donate excess ingredients and a transport system and “soup kitchens” cook and/or distribute meals. Participating in the network is also a competitive advantage for customers who are encouraged to attend the restaurant “live”, knowing that they are active in helping the community. ______________________________ BOX From VIVA Covid-free technology It presents itself as “the first Covid- free restaurant in Italy” Viva di Viviana Varese, the starred interior of the Milanese Eataly Smeraldo. We went to see what it is all about. The technology installed in the ventilation system, developed by NeoruraleHub, is a system for monitoring and sanitising the air in closed environments that uses UV-C photocatalysis and is able to certify the elimination of viruses and bacteria, including Sars-CoV-2, specifically for each installation. Combined with spacing, it prevents infection between tables. Making the interior of the dehors safer. The cost? It depends on the size of the restaurant: to cover it, according to NeoruraleHub’s calculations, it would be enough to add 50 cents per cover. “It costs like other kitchen equipment, and in fact, like an oven, it could become part of the necessary equipment of the restaurant,” says Varese. These are technologies, among other things, that could benefit, after appropriate verification, from the incentives provided by the National Industry Plan 4.0. “It’s an investment that I make both for the safety of my employees and to get people back inside, now that winter is coming, many are hesitant” concludes the chef. “It’s also an investment for the future, the world is changing and