Restaurants Race to Survive Overnight Shift to Takeout Only, Find Timely Resources in Coronavirus Response Kit

MustHaveMenus rallies to give restaurants facing dine-in closures a Response Kit loaded with takeout and communications resources

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MustHaveMenus

Mar 24, 2020, 15:40 ET

ASHLAND, Ore., March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As the country faces the most dire health crisis of the last century, restaurants are shouldering the brunt of an economic shutdown. Between state-mandated restrictions on public gatherings and the closing of traditional dine-in services, restaurants are being pushed to the brink, and many are struggling to adapt and survive. MustHaveMenus has taken a front-line role by providing a Coronavirus Response Kit to put real solutions in restaurants' hands.

"I've had to layoff the majority of my staff. We had upwards of 13 employees. Now it's just me," says Sean Hagler, co-owner of Smoke Berkeley BBQ in Berkeley, California. "I'm at the most-trafficked area in the city. I look down the street, and where there used to be thirty restaurants open, now there are only eight. And they're offering takeout-only. I'd be closed if I didn't have takeout."

As more stay-at-home warnings reach the public, takeout and delivery programs have become essential revenue streams for restaurants. Until now, takeout was merely an add-on business for most restaurants. Now, with only days of warning, restaurants need to make everything for takeout, complete with pickup and delivery, and promote it heavily to survive.

"MustHaveMenus has done a ton to help us out," says Hagler. "They're the only vendor — and I'm talking partners, food suppliers, marketing people — who has put out a Coronavirus Kit. All I had to do was to edit the templates they provided."

MustHaveMenus, an online design tool for restaurants, released its Coronavirus Response Kit early last week, just as the first shelter-in-place orders were going out in the U.S. The Kit contains everything restaurants need to make the transition to a takeout business model, from detailed step-by-step guides to fully-customizable templates for takeout menus.

"We've switched our model to do curbside and delivery. Anything we can do to keep the business alive." says Mike Werlinger, co-owner of Ama's Mexican Restaurant, in Hearne, Texas. "Since we have no dining, takeout is the lifeline."

The Coronavirus Response Kit includes templates to help restaurants communicate these rapid changes. There are flyers and social posts to promote takeout offerings, and signage to instruct customers on food pick-up policies. There's also an ever-expanding collection of safety templates promoting sanitary and health-conscious practices.

"We share the pain of the restaurant industry," says Jim Williams, President of MustHaveMenus. "We'll do anything in our power to help them survive this crisis. We believe our Response Kit is making a difference by giving restaurants the tools to make the critical changes in their business practices and reassure their customers as quickly as possible."

"Now we have the opportunity to really do takeout right," says Gwen Holtsclaw, a partner at ScrubOaks Restaurant in Fayetteville, North Carolina. "We can think about presentation, add instructions. I was so thrilled when I sat down at my computer and found that MustHaveMenus had everything I needed. Right now we're beating last years' numbers thanks to takeout and gift cards. Customers have been really generous."

About MustHaveMenus

MustHaveMenus provides restaurants with a single source for their design, marketing and printing needs. For over a decade, we've provided everything customers need to market their restaurant - menu sets, flyers, takeouts, table tents, business cards and more - right at their fingertips. Website sharing tools and free social media content make it easy for restaurants to manage and build their online presence. A team of restaurant specialists is available to offer help and support at any stage of a customer's design project.

SOURCE MustHaveMenus