WEBVTT - The Future of Restaurants

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and Jason

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<v Speaker 1>Kelly on Bloomberg Radio. Jason, New York City is going

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<v Speaker 1>to start third phase of the reopening that happens July six.

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<v Speaker 1>So that means indoor dining capacity is limited to maximum

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<v Speaker 1>occupancy and all tables must be at least six ft apart.

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<v Speaker 1>So lots of rules and regulations, but it's slowly happening.

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<v Speaker 1>We've talked a lot about the hospitality space and dining space.

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<v Speaker 1>Back with Us is not back with us? With us

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<v Speaker 1>is A respected voice in the restaurant world is Robert Irvine.

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<v Speaker 1>He's cheff and host of Restaurant Impossible, back for a

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<v Speaker 1>new season in fact, on the phone joining us from Akron, Ohio.

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<v Speaker 1>Nice to have you here with us. How are you?

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<v Speaker 1>How's your world? Caroline? Doing great? Thank you on mind

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<v Speaker 1>doing what I do best? Restaurants? Well, tell well, tell

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<v Speaker 1>us about that. Tell us what are you reopening and

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<v Speaker 1>how's that going? Well? We're on a trip. I can

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<v Speaker 1>tell you on the project to open six plus restaurants

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<v Speaker 1>in the last four weeks or three weeks, I should say, um.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's really interesting because you talk about the space

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<v Speaker 1>and talk about New York City opening dining in I've

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<v Speaker 1>been in Mississippi this week where there's a hundred options

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<v Speaker 1>depending on what where you where you are in that state. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>and I gotta tell you it's it's interesting trying to

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<v Speaker 1>get to consumer confidence back that is that is the

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<v Speaker 1>biggest problem we we have. You know, COVID nineteen here

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<v Speaker 1>in March, eleven million workers or food and beverage and

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<v Speaker 1>hospitality workers go out of work. Hundred eighty four plus

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<v Speaker 1>countries shut down, and people are scared. People are fearful

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<v Speaker 1>of restaurants. So Robert, how do you make them feel better? Like, like,

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<v Speaker 1>what's the what's the way? I mean, obviously people want

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<v Speaker 1>to be safe and they don't want to get sick.

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<v Speaker 1>But is there something you can do or say? What

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<v Speaker 1>are what's the thing that you can tell people to

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<v Speaker 1>make them feel better? Yeah, Well, first of all, we

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<v Speaker 1>have we have something called transparency. We have to be

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<v Speaker 1>transpiratory what we're doing in the restaurants to be able

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<v Speaker 1>to make sure that those are employees are safe and

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<v Speaker 1>the consumers safe, you know, accountability and health and safety.

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<v Speaker 1>We have a duty of care and responsibility to both

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<v Speaker 1>of those employees and the customers. I mean, I'd come

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<v Speaker 1>up with an amazing group of people, not just myself,

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<v Speaker 1>with a project and an app called Virus Safe pro

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<v Speaker 1>taking protocols that we would have in those respective restaurants, hotels, motels,

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<v Speaker 1>and bars and putting into an app very simple to use, um,

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<v Speaker 1>but it really is how do we how do we

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<v Speaker 1>let people know that we're doing the jobs that we'll

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<v Speaker 1>say we're doing. And everybody's been to an airport, everybody's

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<v Speaker 1>doing to a bar, and you can see those checklists

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<v Speaker 1>on the door said, oh we've done this, We've cleaned,

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<v Speaker 1>we cleaned the restroom, We've done this, we've done that. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know if if if you don't do it, what happens?

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<v Speaker 1>People get sick on the virus state pro Literally, I

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<v Speaker 1>can g tag you. So if you're smoking a cigarette

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<v Speaker 1>outside and you're saying you're cleaning the bridge rator, I

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<v Speaker 1>can say, well, you haven't clean your rebridge rator. Why

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<v Speaker 1>haven't you done it? You know again, it's accountability. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, Robert, I was just thinking listening to you,

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<v Speaker 1>it's no different from kind of the restaurant ratings that

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<v Speaker 1>we see in New York City. ABC. Combine that with

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<v Speaker 1>the thinking of like an uber and lift where there's

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<v Speaker 1>you know, an app where if you go to a

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<v Speaker 1>restaurant and you right away or or or I'm thinking

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<v Speaker 1>even some of the you know the food apps, you

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<v Speaker 1>know you rate it right away about what your experience was. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a way of all of us kind of contributing

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<v Speaker 1>to this to make sure it's safe for everyone. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's what exactly what virus they pro is. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a mobile help checklist ver verification software. That's what it does.

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<v Speaker 1>It tells me that I've cleaned something, and it tells

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<v Speaker 1>you that it's been done like those just like those

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<v Speaker 1>ratings that you you know, once there is a verification

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<v Speaker 1>check on the outside of your restaurant the wind though.

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<v Speaker 1>It's really simple. Folks can take the phone check or

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<v Speaker 1>take a photograph and very trying the QR code and

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<v Speaker 1>it tells me exactly what's happened in that restaurant at

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<v Speaker 1>that day, so I feel safe. All the protocols, the

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<v Speaker 1>gloves of the mass of social distances, the refrigerator that

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<v Speaker 1>was checked to make sure that it was in temperature,

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<v Speaker 1>that this one was doing, the toilet this one was doing, say, etcetera, etcetera.

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<v Speaker 1>At the end of the day, we're going to make

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<v Speaker 1>sure that the employees are following and performing all of

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<v Speaker 1>those mandated measures and protocols that we set in place. Otherwise,

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<v Speaker 1>nobody's going to those restaurants unless we get that consumer

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<v Speaker 1>confidence back and we show that we're doing the right things.

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<v Speaker 1>But they're not coming back. We're not making money, and

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<v Speaker 1>especially especially as now we're you're talking about fifty New

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<v Speaker 1>York City where I am here, it's only twenty five percent,

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<v Speaker 1>So we've got to make up all that money for

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<v Speaker 1>the other semi fiber and you'll take fift. So where's

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<v Speaker 1>the revenue coming from? So I've gotta look at We've

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<v Speaker 1>got to look at how the hours extended we are.

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<v Speaker 1>We've got a ton of the revenue sources coming in.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it carry out? Is it liqutor, is it you

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<v Speaker 1>know all those things. And if people are not visiting,

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<v Speaker 1>we're going out of business. And that's my biggest concern.

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<v Speaker 1>Thirty of mom and pop businesses will not be able

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<v Speaker 1>to make it through this coronavirus pandemic. You think of

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<v Speaker 1>this of the smaller sort of single owned restaurants, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>totally wow. So what is the restaurant feel like you

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<v Speaker 1>know all if all the safety protocols are followed, Robert,

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<v Speaker 1>how different does it feel if I'm walking in to

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<v Speaker 1>have dinner. Well, it gives you. If you if you

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<v Speaker 1>check on the QUOD number one and you know that

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<v Speaker 1>these protocols have been followed, you're still going to be

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<v Speaker 1>met by somebody that's wearing a mask, which is very

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<v Speaker 1>unusual for us. We're not used to that, or or

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<v Speaker 1>a visor in some cases, and I've seen both. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>it's very unnerving. But once you get used to sitting

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<v Speaker 1>down in the server talking to you, you have to

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<v Speaker 1>have a mask on this. This the server bring is

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<v Speaker 1>the clean food. Somebody else comes along and removes the

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<v Speaker 1>dirty plates. Um, a completely different person by the way. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>and these are these are that's a new norm. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think it's going to change until we have a vaccine,

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<v Speaker 1>and even then, I still believe these protocols will be

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<v Speaker 1>in place. And those that don't follow these protocols, we've

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<v Speaker 1>seen what's been happening in those states that have not

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<v Speaker 1>been wearing masks and not been doing these things. There's

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<v Speaker 1>a there's a reassurgence of the pandemic. Coronavirus is coming back,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've already seen in certain places in Tampa. There's

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<v Speaker 1>some places or St. Pete speech, I'm sorry that are

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<v Speaker 1>closed because of that. So you know, we really have

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<v Speaker 1>a and I say this world because we use it

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<v Speaker 1>in the military or the sentence and duty of care,

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<v Speaker 1>our responsibility to make sure that we make you feel safe.

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<v Speaker 1>I do feel like we're living in an era where

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<v Speaker 1>there's a lot of responsibility upon all of us to

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<v Speaker 1>change a lot in our world. M Robert, thank you

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<v Speaker 1>so much, Robert round chef and a host of Restaurant

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<v Speaker 1>Impossible joining us on the phone from seventeen season. I know,

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<v Speaker 1>I know. Yeah, it's pretty much longevity in this media world. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that stuck with me and that mom pop restaurants will

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<v Speaker 1>not make it through k Crater our restaurant critic uh

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<v Speaker 1>an expert. She's been talking to us about how hard

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<v Speaker 1>hit that industry is going to be