So as we head into the second lockdown I thought it was a good opportunity to take a minute to look at how lockdown has affected catering and hospitality businesses and how we can move forward from this.
Food businesses are one of the unique sectors that have both suffered and benefitted from lockdown and the pandemic. The negatives are fewer people are out and about, people will generally spend less in uncertain times and restrictions (including the necessary collecting of data like track and trace) contribute to putting people off eating out. The positives for food businesses are when people are stuck at home, they are more likely to use takeaways to order food. When lockdown measures are eased or halted people will be eager to get out make up for the lost time. This has certainly helped a lot of food businesses cash in on this pandemic.
We are eager to get back to some sort of normality and as a business that has yet to establish itself as a takeaway alternative, we are hoping the launch of our new website can be a direct portal into peoples homes and encourage people to order some of the awesome cakes they’ve been enjoying at Warrington market.
We have also seen that home baking has been a great source of pleasure for lots of people during the lockdown. Although this has led to a rise of new baking businesses as people try and turn their hobbies into money, I still think this interest in making cakes and desserts has to be good for businesses like ours in the long run. It also shows the feel-good factor that cakes and baking can bring to people. This shows how important hobbies like this are for positive mental health.
We have tried to take the time we have been given to work on some different areas of our business especially looking at alternative ways to promote our business such as tik tok. I think the fact some many people have joined this platform this year means it’s a must to reach a new audience or connect better with customers you already have.
Overall we know we are in one of the most challenging sectors at the moment, but there are worst sectors and businesses far greater affected than ours. We need to move forward positively and hopefully, we can make 2021 a great year for our business and Warrington.
We would love to hear your thoughts on lockdown 2.0. Keep in touch with us through lockdown via our social media channels and let us know what’s helping you get through this period
Andy
DARKSIDE
