In our first article - we thought it might be best to speak to what we know: making great drinks, and giving great service. But what does it mean to give great service amidst a global pandemic? We’ve narrowed it down to these key elements: guest experiences with unique & creative service styles, in a safe environment for both guests and staff.
For many businesses, when we begin to think about the best ways to create new experiences in this context, many of us feel the need to appeal to the client experience first. As our team discussed our path forward, we knew one thing for certain: our staff is our lifeblood, and their safety is an unmatched priority. So how do you keep your team safe and still provide excellent service to your guests?
The most obvious measures for staff safety are some that we’ve seen go into effect in many bars and restaurants across the world: plexiglass barriers at guest contact points, additional PPE such as gloves and masks, and increased frequency of sanitation on high contact surfaces. But we know we can do more. Our planned best practices include staff support for accessing biweekly free covid testing, and an innovative new scheduling technique that includes a scheduled on-call role to cover any short notice call outs, allowing the staff to more confidently call out if they begin to experience symptoms the day of a shift. We also intend to implement “compassionate isolation” protocol, a system that allows for testing and tracing to be effective, by creating a secure opportunity for staff to take a 2 week quarantine without a change in employment status or significant financial hardship.
By taking this concept of staff safety a step further, and combining it with a focus on guest experience, venues can create unique service styles that facilitate minimal contact between the staff and the guest, while still offering high quality beverage service. These service styles can vary: think everything from small format, 1-2 serving bottled cocktails set at each guests place setting, to larger format “bottle service” style cocktail kits for small groups within a larger event setting. This new wave of service affords the guest a curated beverage experience while also protecting them from unnecessary contact with individuals outside of their direct social bubble. We are also exploring self-bussing of drinkware and single use rental items to avoid staff contact with potentially contaminated items, something that has become increasingly popular in the outdoor dining phase of re-opening here in San Francisco.
With these thoughts in mind, Swedish American Hall is prepared to be at the forefront of innovative bar service for private events, as soon as it is safe for our guests and staff to gather. We’d love to hear from you, our colleagues and clients, on how you envision new styles of service at your events.