A new era for Hospitality: Proofing your business for the future.

With all the uncertainty around the ongoing pandemic, one thing at least, is known for sure: whatever food and beverage scene is waiting for us after this is all over will look very different than the one we left behind.

As a coffee company and supplier to many cafes and restaurants around Melbourne, we are helping our customers proactively plan for a new normal. helping businesses train their team, and assure that they're following the recommended safety guidelines as well as establishing a health and safety system similar to something like HACCP.

We can plan on seeing face coverings, Perspex dividers, and floor markings to help protect the customers experience. Window banners or stickers to certify a premises has been checked and is safe. Depending on the style of business, instead of a maître de, there might be a health and safety greeter at the door controlling the traffic. Either way, it’s safe to say dropping in to quickly order and grab a coffee to go might take a bit longer, but all worth it in the name of health and safety, as well as supporting your local.

We are working with many of our customers now to future proof and build contactless coffee solutions. Imagine a set up at your local café where the barista can make a latte or cappuccino without touching any of the components. This would include fully automated and scaled grinders, automatic puck presses, automatic and robotic milk steamers such as the Cafe Assist, and then state of the art espresso machines that self-purge and have built in scales. From the customers end, we encourage see through protective screens between the barista and the customers for an added layer of protection.

All of this allows cafes to maintain the theatre and traditional experience while lifting their health standards to a new and virus proof normal.

At dine in and full-service establishments, menus and ordering capabilities will increasingly function through your smartphone. Imagine waiters less like servers and more like “wardens” overseeing the entire experience. Outdoor dining will need to continue to grow, a bit of an issue for many battling Melbourne weather.

Hospitality schools and training academy’s will also need to teach the new generation on the uneasy scenario that arises when a costumer refuses to follow safety guidelines. Successful restaurants are the ones equipped to calmly handle such situations, such as a patron refusing to wear a face mask when necessary. Staff will need to know how to best handle these customers and disarm what could become a tense moment, with a combination of empathy and understanding.

What is obvious is that the establishments that succeed going forward are going to be the ones that take safety measures above and beyond just spray and wiping down tables. From cafes to restaurants, hotels and bars, there is no going back to the old systems, we must adapt.

Aaron Lagias | Cottle Coffee