As the lockdown relaxations come into effect, restaurants and retailers in Coimbatore Corporation limits are gearing up to welcome customers by prioritising safety measures. Several retailers have taken to social media and posted short videos of their efforts.
Restaurants are looking at minimising contacts. “We want to give confidence to the customers that they can travel and eat out even as they remain safe,” said the general manager of one of the star hotels here.
Even for takeaways, which a number of restaurants are offering now, a series of measures are taken so that the customers are aware that the food is cooked and packed in safe environments.
“When food is packed and sent out for delivery, it passes through several hands. Our customers need to know and believe the efforts that we have taken. They need to feel ensured. We have taken a lot of steps towards ensuring the safety of the staff and the customers,” says Ranjana Singhal, Managing Director of That’s Y Food.
The staff need to clean hands, wear mask and face shield, get their temperature checked and register it, use sanitisers, etc. Every surface that is used and the entire premises is cleaned regularly. “We display the certificate for pest control. The temperature of the chef, packing person, and the delivery person are printed and pinned to the food parcel. A sachet of sanitiser is also attached so that the customers clean their hands before they pick the food,” she says. Many of these efforts can be sustained in the future even during the post-COVID period, Ms. Singhal adds.
Several restaurants are looking at offering the menus through QR codes and asking customers to place orders through their mobile phones and make digital payments when they open the premises to customers for dine in.
At Naira Kota, a jewellery outlet, or at Kirtilals, the jewellery tried by customers are treated in UVC cabinets so that they are safe for other customers. Every effort is taken to ensure that the entire outlet is safe. From the footwear to be worn at the outlet to the surfaces where customers place their hands to feel the jewellery, everything is cleaned after use, points out Kota Badri, Managing Director of Naira Kota Jewellers.
Ask the retailers about the cost impact of these measures and they say that the immediate focus is on opening the outlets to customers and building confidence.
