How Food Businesses Stay Up To Date During Covid-19
Restaurant and food businesses have been greatly affected by the Covid19 pandemic. In this testing time, learn to adapt and keep your online presence relevant and up to date with Google My Business.
In this article:
- Restaurant Operations During Covid19: An Update
- Stay Up to Date With Google My Business
- Google My Business for Restaurant Businesses During Covid19
RELATED: Locl Announces COVID-19 Relief Efforts With Launch of New Software and Free Trial
Keep Your Restaurant Biz Relevant Online Amidst Covid19
Restaurant Operations During Covid19: An Update
The Covid19 pandemic has brought a devastating consequence in the food business and the global economy. According to Fox Business, the restaurant industry is on track to lose $240 billion in sales by the end of the year as one in six restaurants close for the “long term” and even permanently.
Equally, COVID-19 and the inevitable social distancing have changed how consumers behave, causing structural changes to the restaurant industry that could last long after the masses get access to vaccines.
With the shift in consumer behavior, the restaurant industry has learned to adapt, increasing outdoor dining, drive-through services, take outs, and utilizing food delivery apps.
As food businesses, restaurants, and bars reopen in some areas in the United States from complete shutdown early on this year, keeping up with the current events help you decide your next move.
Although it may be challenging, this makes it possible to set yourself up for for-profit acquisition. In this blog, we will explore how to generate leads and traffic amid the Covid 19 pandemic.
Stay Up to Date With Google My Business
If you are one of the restaurant owners that has been affected by Covid19, you’re likely asking yourself, “How do we continue to attract customers during this time?” and “What will business look like a few months from now?”
While these unknowns are scary, taking small steps, such as keeping your Google My Business account updated to reflect these changes, will help you in the long run.
Thanks to the delivery apps that existed before the pandemic, restaurants can choose this channel to continue operations and cope with consumer behavior– the social distancing and the dramatic increase in users’ social media engagement, among many others.
The key is to provide accurate information about the services you offer through Google My Business to help you drive engagement.
Google My Business for Restaurant Businesses During Covid19
On Google My Business, you can select various attributes to let customers know details about your business.
For example, you can share details such as whether your business offers Wi-Fi, outdoor, or if it is women-led. With these options, you can select relevant and accurate attributes to describe your profile, help your business stand out online, and attract the right customers.
Attributes appear on your Business Profile on Google Search and Maps. If you add certain attributes to your profile, your business might show up in search results when people search for places with those attributes on Google Search and Google Maps.
RELATED: The importance of updating your Business Description during Covid-19
How to Update Google My Business Attributes
Through updated Attributes, you can let your customers know whether your food business offers takeout, delivery, or curbside pickup and if you have stopped providing dine-in service.
To start, add or edit the “Dine-in,” “Takeout,” “Delivery,” and “Curbside pickup” attributes on Google My Business. Learn more about how you can edit attributes here.
When customers search for your food business, your Business Profile will prominently show which of these dining options you currently support: “Dine-in,” “Takeout,” “Delivery,” or “Curbside pickup.” Supported options will have a “✓” and non-supported options will have an “x.”
Another way to be sure your customers have the most up-to-date information is by updating the “menu” section on GMB, especially if you’re offering a limited menu right now due to the current situation. You can manually type in the current menu inside of GMB and customize it to your current offerings; however, as always, this is something that Locl is happy to do on your behalf.
Do you need assistance in managing and organizing your online presence? Locl helps millions of businesses drive billions in additional rev and bring clarity to a messy marketing world. We use Google My Business and Google Maps to help drive more customers into your door.
Businesses can sign up for Locl for free with their Google My Business account, no credit card needed, and start using it right away. Click here to start.
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