Elevate Your Food Safety Culture to Survive the COVID Crisis and Future Ones

5 Min Read By Kari Hensien

Adults with confirmed COVID-19 were twice as likely to have dined at a restaurant in the 14 days before becoming ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That statistic is alarming — both for consumers and the restaurant industry. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues past the six-month mark, people remain wary about dining out. The combination of stay-at-home orders, ongoing COVID restrictions, spikes in COVID numbers, and consumer fear about the risks of dining out are significantly impacting the restaurant industry.

Due to social distancing, occupancy restrictions, and general caution about being in public places, consumers have been less likely to dine in restaurants since March. Per Statista, the year-over-year decline of seated diners in U.S. restaurants was an astonishing 43.38 percent as of September 30, 2020.

So, how can the restaurant industry regain people’s trust and increase business? And how can we combat whatever factors…