A Chat with Jean-Charles

Restaurants are facing huge problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Fortunately, the 20-to-30-year group, the age of the bulk of the waiting staff, kitchen helpers and junior cooks in restaurants, are being vaccinated currently. Restaurant culture will also have to change owing to the pandemic. I had a chat with Jean-Charles, owner of Café Francais, regarding the future of running his restaurant, which happens to be one of my favourite restaurants in Colombo. Following are his responses to the three matters I stressed on. 

Increased spaces between tables and new layouts for restaurants that highlight contactless offerings with new technology where diners will order their food on tablets. 

Indeed, restaurants, like many other sectors of the economy and society, must reinvent themselves to face the global pandemic but we will have to find a fair balance because the people remain paramount. Personally, I do not like the concept of scanning codes to see my menu. At Café Francais we have film-coated menus that we disinfect after each use. But we did not wait for the pandemic to start to follow strict hygiene rules. We pay great attention to the safety of our customers and hygiene is essential in this business and we have been doing this for almost seven years. 

Rather than dining in air-conditioned surroundings, open ventilated dining rooms or outdoor dining areas will be the biggest factor for diners to return to restaurants. 

Several factors will come into play for the guests to return to the restaurant. It is certain that people will favour open spaces and outdoor areas but it is up to us as professionals to reassure our customers and to give them confidence through the professionalism and dedication of our staff and the quality of our products. We will have to learn to live with COVID-19 because I personally do not intend to stay locked up at home for the next five years.  I doubt anyone wanting to.  It is a basic function across all cultures to dine together in a social atmosphere and enjoy the company of friends and family.  People miss these bonding experiences after being in isolation for so long. 

Focus on health and safety by ensuring that employees are fully vaccinated to make the diner feel safer and prohibiting sick employees in the workplace.

It is obvious that the more people are vaccinated, the less people will get severely ill from COVID-19. Once again, a relationship of trust must be established between the restaurant and our customers.

Hopefully, things will get back to normal soon but in any case, there will be a before COVID-19 and an after COVID-19.  We have to learn to live with it and to function with a semblance of normalcy.  It is important for life to continue, for people to keep working and for society to function for the well-being of everyone.  I hope the worst is behind us and that people learn to live with this pandemic.