In the next few months, as the COVID-19 pandemic curve flattens, shelter-in-place restrictions will ease. But this will be a long, gradual process. Consumer confidence will return slowly, and most restaurant guests will want to see stricter hygiene measures in place before they dine out regularly again. A look at other countries suggests that the US government will also impose further restrictions on restaurants to prevent more waves of infections.
As the situation continues to fluctuate, your restaurants will need a solution that allows them to gather real time insights on their operations so that they can remain flexible and optimize operational efficiency immediately. Computer Vision is a robust technology that allows you to quickly identify bottlenecks, reduce opt-outs, and get in-depth insights across your restaurant chain. It can be used to help meet new stringent COVID-19 standards, guaranteeing to your guests that you have the situation under control.
Lessen Crowding
In recent weeks across the country, we’ve seen grocery stores enact measures to promote social distancing in store to protect the health of their employees and customers. The same can be expected to happen for dining rooms. Rather than hiring more people to help enforce these social distancing measures, restaurants can use Computer Vision to monitor guest and staff movements for their health and comfort.Presto Computer Vision collects proximity metrics that can be filtered to highlight staff-guest interactions to ensure they are at a healthy distance from each other. It captures traffic flow and spots areas that lead to crowding, allowing the manager to optimize the restaurant layout for a more sanitary experience.
Occupancy Threshold Monitoring
To meet new government measures that place occupancy constraints on public places, restaurants can deploy Computer Vision to monitor the number of individuals present in a restaurant environment at any given time. In addition, this data can be aggregated to help restaurant managers determine peak traffic times to optimize staffing schedules.
Improve Sanitary Measures
Computer Vision can also be installed in the kitchen to improve back-of-house sanitary measures. Proximity metrics can be filtered to highlight interactions between staff and confirm social distancing in the kitchen. Computer Vision can capture the frequency at which staff members wash their hands and how long they wash their hands for. Additionally, the technology provides insights into face mask usage by staff in real time, allowing managers to remind staff on personal protective equipment usage.
Wait Time Estimates
Social distancing measures and occupancy constraints will lead to longer wait times for guests to enter the restaurant. Similarly, off-premise options such as drive-thru and curbside pickup will see higher demand. Computer Vision analyzes line movement over time to provide wait time estimates, which are helpful for guests and operators alike. When wait times pass a certain threshold, managers can be alerted to deploy Line Busters to shorten line lengths and reduce guest opt-outs. Guests who wish to visit a restaurant can be assured when seeing short wait time estimates being posted.
Performance Metrics
Finally, Computer Vision provides a high-level view of performance metrics and noteworthy events across brands for large restaurant chains. This reporting enables corporate teams to gain in-depth insights across the whole restaurant chain and learn which locations need help.COVID-19 will impact the restaurant industry and guest demands for the long term. A new era that’s still full of uncertainty calls for innovative measures to help restaurants take control over what they can in their operations. Restaurants that can adapt more quickly to the new climate and changing guest demand will ultimately thrive. If you’re interested in learning more about how Computer Vision can provide you actionable insights and help you remain nimble in a changing restaurant environment, please contact us at info@presto.com.
