How Restaurants Can Respond to COVID-19

Responding to Coronavirus

We continue to monitor the situation and we’re focusing on being the best partner we can be to you and the industry.

We’ve put together a few steps you can take to actively respond to the crisis in your community. For additional resources and to see how other restaurants are responding, click here.

Develop a Response Plan

The first step when responding to coronavirus is for you to evaluate your operations and your area. Follow the instructions of your state and local health authorities and continue to monitor the situation:

• The CDC’s guidelines for businesses
• The latest updates from the WHO
• The National Restaurant Industry in the U.S. put together a list of recommendations for restaurants

How to Support Your Staff

In times like these, it’s important to remember your employees first. Communicate clearly with them that if they are showing any symptoms or have traveled to an outbreak area that they should stay home. If you have staff members who can work remotely — on payroll, marketing, or other office tasks — let them do so.

Toast put together several recommendations on how to support your staff, from offering paid sick leave to different technological solutions that can help maximize hygiene.

How to Communicate Your Plan with Your Customers

Make sure to let your customers know through email and social media how you’re handling the current situation and any operational changes you’ve made, whether that’s taking deeper cleaning measures, implementing paid sick leave for your employees, or closing your restaurant.

First, be super clear about what you’re doing differently:

Be open and honest on social media with how you’re doing and what your loyal customers can do for your business:

It’s likely your customers are scared, panicked, and unsure what to do — we all are in these unprecedented times. If there are ways they can support your business, like donating to a fund for any sick employees, purchasing gift cards to be used later this year, or other initiatives, let them know via email or social media.

When it comes to sending out an email, write from the heart. An open letter to your community, signed by yourself, will go a long way.

Monitor and Respond to Reviews

Reviews will continue to be an important resource for customers moving forward. Management Responses are also a good way to share what’s happening at your restaurant and how you’re addressing any concerns. We also recommend monitoring the Questions and Answers section of your listing and responding with any helpful updates.

Update Your Restaurant Description

Your 700-character restaurant description appears in the “Details” section of your listing. Similar to an “About” section, it’s usually used to tell the world about your mission statement and values. During a time of crisis, however, this can be a permanent place on your profile to include information about how you’re responding to COVID-19 and what customers can expect as the current state of your restaurant.

Learn more about your restaurant description here.

Add Takeout and Delivery to Your Listing

If your restaurant is using delivery with a third-party service like Deliveroo, DoorDash, and Seamless, it will appear automatically on your Tripadvisor page. Check with your third-party provider on when it will appear on your page. It looks like this:

Major delivery partners have waived their delivery fees, so if you haven’t already signed up for a third-party service, you can do so without worrying about your bottom line for the time being. Ask your current provider if they work with Tripadvisor to get started.

If you're only offering takeout or delivery right now, you can mark it on your Tripadvisor listing to let your customers know. Read our full how-to here.

If Needed, Mark Your Property as Temporarily Closed on Tripadvisor

If your area has been directly impacted by the spread of coronavirus, you can activate the temporarily closed feature to notify travelers that your restaurant is temporarily closed. Click here to learn more.

If you need to update any other part of your listing, like your contact information, website, or menu, click here for our guide.

Update Contact Information

Take a few minutes to ensure you’ve signed up for Tripadvisor email notifications to receive the latest updates from us. For more information on how Tripadvisor is responding to this crisis, click here.

Add a Gift Card Option to Your Listing

Gift cards can be a way for your regulars to support you, even if you're currently closed to the public. If you’re offering gift cards as a way to supplement your income during the COVID-19 crisis, you can add a notification to your Tripadvisor listing.Read our full how-to here.

Traveler Resources

For more information on how Tripadvisor is responding to this crisis, click here.