If you run a restaurant that’s been impacted by COVID-19, it can be a challenging time for so many reasons. However, if you’re still staying afloat thanks to a surge in delivery and carry-out orders, it might be a good time to focus on renovating the interior of your restaurant. After all, when it’s safe to do so, eager diners will be flocking back to your restaurant, so upgrading or flipping some much-needed parts of your restaurant could be a welcome sight.
Focusing on a different project each month is a good idea during quarantine since it means that you can keep your restaurant running for delivery and carry-out even as you’re working through your restaurant renovations. Here a few projects, tips, and tricks to help you flip your restaurant like a pro.
Move what you don’t need to a storage unit.
Space is incredibly important during any remodeling project since it gives you the ability to perform any necessary construction or redecoration without worrying about damaging your existing chairs and tables. That said, it can be tricky to find a good place to store your restaurant’s items if you don’t have access to a basement.
In these kinds of situations, it might make sense to look into 24 hour storage facilities. A storage facility with 24-hour access gives you the flexibility and space you need to store your chairs, tables, cash registers, and more at a close-by location. Best of all, with 24-hour access, you’ll have the peace of mind that you can grab your belongings whenever is most convenient for you and your renovation timeline.
Get the windows sealed for comfort and your budget.
Window treatments are important on a variety of levels for a restaurant. For starters, ensuring that your windows are properly sealed if you run a restaurant in a city with cold winters can be crucial for keeping your customers comfortable. At the same time, having windows that are appropriately maintained also saves you money on your energy bill by helping to insulate your restaurant.
Normally, replacing your windows would require you to shut down your restaurant while the work gets done. However, thanks to COVID-19, if you’re only running deliveries while the work is done, it’s much less of a problem. There are probably plenty of local window companies in your city and other areas of the country that specialize in getting you new windows quickly and efficiently.
Consider reaching out to an installer about a consultation to see how they’d go about getting you replacement windows for your restaurant. If you’re not sure who to call, simply head to Google and type in “window companies Grand Rapids” (or wherever you’re located) to see who might be worth talking to about a free estimate.
Save on used restaurant equipment for your kitchen.
Outfitting a kitchen with completely new equipment can be a major expense to take on during a pandemic. At the same time, having the right restaurant supplies, from dinnerware to glassware and stoves, can be critical to running your restaurant. A happy medium that allows you to purchase newer items like dishwashers without stretching your budget too thin is to look into used restaurant equipment.
When shopping for restaurant equipment (used or otherwise), it’s best to consider local options for this since it will save you money on shipping or transportation. That said, sometimes you can’t find a supplier of used equipment in your city or town. In those sorts of situations, it makes sense to find the closest major city in your state and research options there. That means if you operate a restaurant near the city of Seattle, you’d likely wind up looking for used restaurant equipment in Seattle. While traveling to a nearby city does increase the cost of transportation, you’re still likely to get a discount by purchasing used equipment.
