Hello, Chattanooga!
We hope you had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the sunshine! We also hope you were able to safely socially distance yourself out of your house this past weekend! We opened our patio with the Lil Oso team, and HOLY SMOKES! What a joy it was to be able to see and serve people! Thank you to everyone who came out - and to those who ordered take out / delivery!
With every week that passes, we are seeing more and more states, cities, and businesses begin opening up. As we head into our third week in May (...whaaat???), we are seeing 48 of the 50 contiguous United States lifting restrictions. While opening your establishment, or returning to work, may seem a bit unsettling, please rest easier knowing there are lots of resources and help to get you started on the right food. A few weeks back, we hosted a webinar covering Restaurant Protocols and Reopening (the information and a recording of the webinar can be found here!). As the weeks have progressed, we are seeing increased appreciation for the establishments taking this pandemic seriously and handling health and sanitization protocols as their top priority.
LOCAL NEWS:
Lil Oso will continue to offer curbside pick up and delivery, as well as outdoor patio dining from our location at 422 E MLK Blvd.! The hours are updated - Wednesday - Saturday; 4pm - 8pm.
Looking for which restaurants are open? Check out Chattanooga's list here!
Small business hotline opens in Chattanooga for assistance during COVID-19 crisis
Farmers markets reopening in Chattanooga area as coronavirus restrictions ease; find one near you
REOPENING NEWS AND GUIDELINES:
FOOD AND BEVERAGE:
As always, please visit the Hospitality Relief Board for a lot of available resources as well!
UPCOMING SEMINARS + OFFICE HOURS:
US FOODS webinars:
PREPARING TO REOPEN: RUN A PROFITABLE KITCHEN
From receiving to storage, from prep to plating, your kitchen is where a profitable operation starts. Our Food Fanatics® Chefs will show you how to reopen with a profitable kitchen in the new normal. We'll discuss the keys to kitchen efficiency, streamlining your menu and how to stand out from your competitors to give diners what they want now.
CARES ACT Q&A
Join our resident expert Brian Kerby (Restaurant Operations Consultant at US Foods®) to ask any questions you have about navigating the CARES Act. We will briefly review any recent, relevant updates to the legislation and open the floor for your questions.
MOVING FORWARD: CALCULATING CASH FLOW
To help ensure you can weather the COVID-19 pandemic, our Restaurant Operations Consultants will review tools and best practices to calculate your cash flow and manage your operations accordingly.
ACCELERATING TAKEOUT
Learn from our Restaurant Operations Consultants and Food Fanatics® Chefs how to quickly ramp up your takeout and delivery program.
STAY CONNECTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Our Restaurant Operations Consultants will share social media best practices, including how to create engaging content and stay connected to your customers during this COVID-19 crisis.
REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING SESSION
National Restaurant Association Webinars:
Technomic Talks - Off-Premise Shift - During this webinar Technomic will give an update on dining-in restrictions throughout the US and the shifted emphasis to off-premise occasions.
James Beard Foundation Industry Webinars:
Tuesday, May 19: Global Considerations for Re-Opening Restaurants As more and more states push small businesses to re-open, restaurant owners in the United States are having to make tough decisions about how and when to open their doors to customers. In this session, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities facing chefs across the globe as they look toward re-opening. Moderated by Mitchell Davis, chief strategy officer of the James Beard Foundation, this discussion with Unilever Food Solutions chefs Joanne Limoanco and Gili Haim, Thitid "Chef Ton" Tassanakajohn of Bangkok's Le Du and Baan, and James Beard Award winner Sarah Grueneberg of Chicago's Monteverde will tackle health and safety considerations, the economics of re-opening, and best practices and resources for owners and operators. Register here. Thursday, May 21: Safety First—13 Guidelines to Shape Restaurant Re-Openings
Recognizing that restaurant owners and operators are struggling with the myriad rules, regulations, and guidelines around how to re-open their businesses, the Aspen Institute, World Central Kitchen, Off Their Plate, and the James Beard Foundation partnered to create the Safety First: Serving Food and Protecting People During Covid-19 guide. Join the lead author of the report, James Beard Award–winning journalist and Aspen Institute fellow, Corby Kummer , Smart Catch Leader Danielle Leoni, Tracy Chang, Chef/Owner of PAGU, Founding Chef Partner, Off Their Plate, Anna Bornstein of World Central Kitchen for a discussion moderated by Katherine Miller, vice president of Impact at the James Beard Foundation on why the guide was important, how it was compiled, ways the guide can be used to inform re-opening strategies around the country. A free copy of the Safety First guide is available here.
Register here.
And as always, our local favorites:
Online Office Hours with Co.Lab - If you're a small business looking for any assortment of advising from legal to digital, schedule a one on one virtual hour with a professional!
Chattanooga Chamber - COVID-19 Webinars
Chattanooga Tourism Co. is hosting Daily Discussions at 2pm each day. The Schedule is as follows:
Monday - Attractions
Tuesday - Food and Beverage
Wednesday - Accommodations
Thursday - Culture, Heritage and Arts
Friday - All Partners
Thank you! Have a wonderful week!
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