Industry Voices

— By Ramez Naguib, P.E. — Mitigating COVID-19 spread in restaurants using CFD analysis.   The world is having an unprecedented time due to the pandemic. Currently, more than 93 million people have been infected, and over 2 million people have passed away since 2020. SARS-CoV-2 has forced people to change their lifestyles and patterns. Under the pandemic, buildings are no longer safe shelters. The infected transmit infectious viruses to other occupants by direct contact or indirect contact (i.e., indoor airflow).i COVID-19 outbreaks were associated with droplet transmission that was …

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— By John Gajewski, MRICS — Retail strategies for leveraging historic assets to build a competitive edge.   In a highly competitive, complex and dynamically shifting retail market, all eyes are on innovative solutions, and the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic have provided a catalyst for transformation. Takeout eateries and online megastores dominate the retail market based on convenience, selection and pricing. Traditional retailers must compete on alternative measures. Urban Outfitters, RH (formerly known as Restoration Hardware) and The Old Spaghetti Factory, some of the brick-and-mortar retailers that have …

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— By Tom Coble — How facility managers can improve the performance of their roofs without increasing spend.   We’re at an exciting time in the national commercial roofing industry (yes, I said “exciting” and “roofing” in the same sentence) — especially as it applies to the level of service experienced by consumers. Whereas retail and restaurant facilities managers used to stay awake at night wondering how they could find a roofing partner that could give them at least an average level of service and project management across their disparate …

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— By Chuck Casto —   While the majority of SMB employers want to hire more people, the percentage of small businesses facing labor shortages continues to rise in key industries.   The U.S. Jobs Report was a highlight of the economic news during the first week of May. However, across the small business landscape, the job situation for many employers is growing bleaker as 2022 proceeds. While the majority of SMB employers want to hire more people, the percentage of small businesses facing labor shortages continues to rise in …

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— By Charlie Meyer — How brick-and-mortar retailers can leverage in-store technologies to beat the online competition.   The last 2 years have been absolutely awful for owners of physical stores. Online competition has been around for decades, of course, but during the pandemic things have gotten even worse for independent stores, franchises and chains. Thanks to an ever-shifting world of lockdowns, social distancing requirements, mask mandates and constant battles between government agencies and health departments at the federal, state and local level, merchants have been at a disadvantage against …

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— By Tiffany Largey — 5 steps to prepare your property for a flooding emergency.   Flooding is the most common natural disaster and leading cause of weather-related deaths. It is becoming a larger threat each year with 25-30% of all flood losses being in low to moderate flood zones. With global warming, different weather patterns, climate change and inaccuracy of flood maps and zones, we must have a set plan in place to prepare for Mother Nature’s most common catastrophe. There are 5 steps that will help you to …

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— By Bill Flynn — Preparedness is the best protection against workplace violence.   Restaurant and retail workers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning. Every day these essential workers are exposed to the risk of violence, potentially exacerbated by societal stressors including health concerns, economic uncertainty, political divisiveness and social unrest. In that heightened emotional state, the threat of active shooters has only increased, evidenced by a recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that since April 2020, there …

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— By David Sansenbach — Efficient energy management requires high-quality power, not just high-quality equipment.   For businesses in an industry that operates on tight margins, restaurants have incredibly intensive energy demands that continuously increase costs and challenge the bottom line. Estimates from the last decade show restaurant spaces require an average of 38 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power per square foot of space, with quick-serve restaurants in particular surging to even steeper costs of 81 kWh per square foot. A fair share of this energy is consumed by critical electronic …

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— By Amanda Anderson — Do you have a team in place to react and respond?   It is nine in the evening and the doors to your business are locked, drawers counted, shelves faced for a successful tomorrow. The day has just ended for you, but disasters don’t keep time. There has been a leak detected and it’s coming from behind a wall. The drywall is soft, and water is seeping onto the floor, drenching the carpet. It might be the end of day for you, but it’s the …

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— By Aliyah Kaye Crawley —   How is inflation affecting the restaurant industry?     Inflation impacts everyday decisions in restaurants: how they price their food, what type of service they provide, which menu items they can afford to serve, etc. The fiscal conservatism that comes with inflation can also negatively impact a restaurant’s overall brand image, if marketing and maintenance are allowed to slide. This was discussed in Retail & Restaurant Facility Business’ February 2021 article titled “Maintain Your Brand,” written by Trip Jobe of the strategic marketing …

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