Crisis management for restaurants delivering food

Delivery crises can be operational (kitchen breakdown, massive stockout), sanitary (food poisoning) or reputational (bad buzz on social networks).

Operational crisis: your oven breaks down during a rush. Protocol: 1) Immediately close your restaurant on all platforms. 2) Contact your current customers. 3) Organize the repair. 4) Gradual reopening.

Public health crisis: a customer reports food poisoning. Protocol: 1) Take the report seriously. 2) Check your stocks and cold chain. 3) Contact your insurance. 4) Cooperate with authorities if necessary. 5) Document everything.

Reputation crisis: a viral comment or negative post on social networks. Protocol: 1) Do not react emotionally. 2) Evaluate the facts objectively. 3) Draft a factual and empathetic response. 4) Contact the platform if the review is defamatory.

Prevention is the best crisis management. Maintain your equipment, respect hygiene standards, and document your procedures. 90% of crises are avoidable with daily diligence.

Have a “crisis plan” written: who does what, who contacts whom, what are the emergency numbers (insurance, platform, health authorities). This plan must be known by the entire team.

After a crisis, conduct a lessons learned exercise. What caused the crisis? What worked well in the response? What needs to be improved? Document and integrate into your procedures.