— By Bob Lester — Tips to ensure outdoor spaces are structurally safe for al fresco dining and more. Enjoying a delicious meal in the sunshine and warm breeze is one of the most pleasant experiences to come out of the pandemic. Dining patrons are requesting to skip the indoor spaces in lieu of fresh air — initially due to COVID-19 safety — but research is showing this trend may continue long past the pandemic. In spring 2021, only 26% of people say they feel comfortable dining indoors, and …
— By Steve Smith — Managing shopping center roofing issues with a post-pandemic budget. As the retail industry begins to fully reopen and emerge from the pandemic, shopping center owners are busy getting their operations back in full gear. This means bringing back staff, supporting retail tenants, reopening food courts, planning on-site marketing efforts and, most importantly, ensuring all the infrastructure is running properly and in good shape. This will no doubt create costs for shopping center owners and operators — and at a time when budgets are tight …
— By Joe Pazdan, AIA — Open-air restaurant and music venue thrives through COVID-19. The restaurant business is notoriously fickle, but the COVID-19 pandemic dealt death-blows to thousands of establishments across the country as they struggled to stay afloat through mandated closures, capacity limits and an overall downturn in patronage. So how did Gather GVL, a live music venue with a courtyard gathering spot bounded by restaurants in repurposed shipping containers, not only survive opening for business during the early days of the pandemic, but continue to thrive during …
— By Rick Orman — Why power surges are the hidden threat to restaurant business operations. The last decade has seen the rapid adoption of digital equipment in quick-service and full-service restaurants. It’s not uncommon to see mobile devices, fully digitalized point-of-sale (POS) systems, network-connected grills and self-service kiosks in restaurants. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this digital transformation due to the increased need to offer online ordering, contactless service and customer demand for a high-tech experience. While the use of technology has increased restaurant efficiency and helped create …
— By Robert Kravitz — Exploring three cleaning technologies that have taken center stage since the pandemic began. An entire floor of a high-rise office building in Chicago is rented out to a global, “virtual” office company. Most of the tenants rent office space weekly or monthly, and according to the management company, virtually all the spaces on the floor have been rented out. However, anyone walking on that floor would hardly know that. Virtually every door is closed and locked. Walking in the hallways, it almost feels like …
— By Pat Hottel — Controlling filth flies inside — and outside — restaurant facilities. Filth flies, like house flies and bottle flies, reproduce quickly and are associated with pathogen laden environments like manure, garbage and sewage. The bodies are well adapted for transporting the microorganisms responsible for foodborne illnesses to our food and food contact surfaces. As summer months approach, a relatively quick life cycle from egg to adult becomes even shorter. Depending on the species, development can occur in as little as 1 week. As a result, …
— By Steve Peldiak — The importance of having a disaster plan in place — prior to the emergency at hand. Did you know, there is a new bill being introduced to streamline disaster recovery assistance? It is named The Natural Disaster Recovery Program Act of 2021. States would be awarded half of the total grant funds immediately after Congress appropriates them, allowing recovery to start faster. Retailers, restaurateurs and commercial property owners need not wait for government intervention. Organizations that made emergency response planning a priority fared much …
— By Lesley Dunham — [EDITOR’S NOTE: This column originally appeared in our April 2021 magazine.] Before you jump into spring, be sure to schedule a property inspection. After the last snow melts and before you jump into spring, it is vital to organize a property inspection. Inspecting the condition of your site after the winter is an important step to putting your best foot forward. By setting up an inspection, you create an opportunity to hold your snow removal contractors accountable for any damage to your landscaping, hard …
— By Chris Murphy — Planning your successful painting program. As we begin the next season of reimage, repainting and rebranding, many facility managers will be using all their creativity to find the “magic” to maximizing budgets and facilities’ upkeep. That’s no easy task, and the answer isn’t as simple as deferring more maintenance or finding cheaper pricing. But there are tools that can minimize the challenges and ensure that your desired painting programs can move forward without breaking the bank. Utilizing a contractor who is already familiar and …
— By Clive Samuels — Creating safer and healthier indoor air quality. The spotlight is on indoor air quality as COVID-19 continues to change the way we look at the world. While there is more to learn about SARS-CoV-2, there is strong evidence that it spreads through the air from person to person.1 As a result, consumers and employees are aware — perhaps more than ever before — of the importance of safe and healthy indoor air quality. Viruses present a difficult challenge for air sanitizing and filtering systems. …
