Now that indoor dining is back in full swing, restaurants are faced with the challenge of reconfiguring their layout to accommodate COVID-19 safety measures – signs for restaurants are thus not only important for the purposes of advertising but informing. Patrons are still learning how to dine in a post-pandemic world, so take the opportunity to update your restaurant by posting clear, instructional signage to direct customers. For maximum efficiency, and to limit exposure, dine-in customers should be seated away from where take-out customers pick up their food. This way, customers avoid crowding high-traffic areas, and maintain proper social distancing.
Need to upgrade your restaurant? Here are our top tips on how to incorporate signs into your dining room to make your business more efficient, organized, and successful.
Signs for Restaurants: Dining In
Customers who decide to dine at your restaurant are responsible for complying with all posted health and safety guidelines. To this end, it’s necessary to provide signs detailing policies and expectations.
Space It Out
Safe indoor dining is all about spacing. Instead of crowding tables close together, make sure that all patrons are seated at least six feet apart from one another. If your restaurant has built-in booths, consider using table tent signs to indicate that certain seats are “unavailable” due to social distancing protocols. This will also help manage traffic flow in your restaurant, and ensure that dine-in customers aren’t being jostled by food delivery workers or customers picking up take-out orders.
Use Sanitation Stations
Provide clearly-marked, accessible hand sanitizing solutions for customers. If you choose to have a permanent sanitizer dispenser at the front of the restaurant, make sure the area is clearly labeled so customers entering the premises have the opportunity to sanitize their hands. The sanitizing station should be in a spot where dine-in and take-out customers have access to sanitizer.
Use Touch-Free Ordering Systems
Whether your customers are dining in or taking out, you should adopt a touch-free ordering system. All tables should have a posted QR code linking to your online menu. This way, you won’t need to hand out physical menus and customers can still easily browse your selections and view the latest updates. Plus, QR code access allows all customers to view menu updates even if they’re ordering from home.
Signs for Restaurants: Take Out
Ensure that your business is running smoothly by dedicating specific areas for takeout orders. With the sharp rise in takeout demand, it’s more important than ever that all your customers have a pleasant, hassle-free experience at your restaurant.
Use Floor Decals
Floor decals are a great way to indicate where customers should walk or stand to maintain healthy traffic flow. For COVID safety, decals should be spaced six feet apart to encourage social distancing. Floor decals also provide customers with wayfinding information such as directions to the restroom, or where to pick up their food once it’s ready. Decals can be used to demarcate where to queue for order pick-ups, so customers are waiting in a contained area.
Adopt a Pick-Up Window
If the layout of your restaurant allows, consider creating a separate pick-up window for to-go orders. Clearly marked banner signs or A-frame sidewalk signs will indicate to customers where to go to pick up their food. Instead of dealing with a crowd of hungry patrons waiting for their take-out inside the restaurant, an outside pick-up window encourages customers to maintain space from one another. This solution optimizes space, and prevents take-out customers from disturbing dine-in patrons.
Encourage Contactless Pickup
If customers have already paid online or over the phone, then all they need to do is grab their dinner and go. Encourage customers to participate in contactless pickup by offering payment online and over the phone when they are placing the order. Once inside the restaurant, a simple poster or A-frame wayfinding sign can direct them to their order pick up spot.
Prioritize Delivery Services
Working with a delivery service like Uber eats? If space allows, designate a separate area for delivery service drivers to pick up food. This way, you keep your dining room organized and prevent dine-in customers from feeling claustrophobic.
Get Signs for Restaurants with Bishop Image Group
At Bishop Image Group, we’re dedicated to providing each and every customer with top-of-the-line signage solutions. Bishop Image Group’s team prides ourselves on our innovation, our “can-do” attitude, and our ability to take on even the most pressing job at a moment’s notice. We are experts at solving last-minute printing problems, and are committed to make sure you’re 100% satisfied with the results.
With installation capabilities across the country, BIG has helped businesses of all sizes create cohesive, effective signage solutions. Pick up the phone and call Bishop Image Group to start the conversation today.
