Here we are again– another year has gone by and it’s about that time. Friends are asking if you have impact windows installed. Your wife is reminding you to deal with the lawn furniture outside. News forecasts become a bit more interesting as we brace ourselves for the inevitable yearly storms. However, restaurant owners have a few more things on their plate during hurricane season that regular homeowners do not, and the impending weather can really put a damper on business.
Have no fear, with this handy restaurant survival guide you can be assured that you and your restaurant will get through another year of hurricane chaos! Here are a few tips that should help you to get through this year’s stormy season:
1. Sort Out Your Insurance
One of the most important things you can prepare for hurricane season is your insurance, especially if you’re located by the coast or a particularly storm-ridden area. It’s imperative that you have the proper insurance covering your restaurant, so that in the case of damage due to a storm, you aren’t looking at a major financial loss. One strong hurricane with some serious damage– and you could be closed for good. Go through your policy in-depth and see what it exactly covers. Make sure that you are covered for both wind and water damage, as some policies can only list one or the other. Make adjustments as needed, to be on the safe side!
2. Take a Thorough Inventory
It will be beneficial for you to take a complete written (and photo/video) inventory of food, supplies, equipment, technology, furniture, and anything else within your restaurant. This will help the claims adjustor calculate your loss more accurately if anything is damaged. Please note: it is important to store this list off-site in a secure location that won’t be affected by the same weather conditions as your business. Your inventory list won’t be any good if it washes away with the storm surge!
3. Locate and Restock Your Emergency Kit
In addition to a first-aid kit, your emergency kit should include blankets, a back-up generator, flashlights, batteries, body cleaning wipes, and anything else that would be useful if people are stuck in your building during the storm. This will be beneficial to have in many types of emergency situations.
4. Protect Your Business Records
It is a good idea to back up any and all important records for your business in a location outside of your restaurant, to ensure the documents’ safety in the event of water or wind damage to the building. Your financial and professional records are crucial to your business, and risking the loss of these documents could cost your business greatly. Often this can be done easily via electronic methods, but if you have paper records that are important, it is vital that you find a way to back these records up and/or move them to a safer location.
5. Have an Emergency Plan with Your Team
When your restaurant is open, the staff works as a team to get things done and serve delicious food to your customers. The same method of efficiency should go into place in the event of a hurricane as well. Every member of the team, whether a manager or temporary worker, should have a role to play in the hurricane-prep process. This can involve making calls to vendors or utility companies, boarding up windows, or storing food differently to prep for the storm.
By preparing a checklist ahead of time of all of the tasks that need to be accomplished and mapping out who might be able to do each task, you will have a ready-to-go road map for when you do receive the sudden news that a storm is on the horizon.
6. Don’t Underestimate “Smaller” Dangers
Most Floridians have seen it happen before, but it is always good to remember that even if a storm seems to be headed in a different direction, there is never a guarantee of its path. Many hurricanes have changed course last minute, at first heading towards one coast, and then landing on another, making it difficult for some restaurants to fully prepare before they are hit by the brunt of the storm. The only way to prepare for this is to prepare for the worst (but hope for the best!). You can never be too prepared when it comes to hurricanes, and the time spent packing your restaurant away and putting it back will not hit your pockets nearly as much as storm damage can!
7 . Make Safety Your First Priority
Having a safety plan in place in case of emergency is always a good idea. As important as it is to protect your building and your business, protecting human lives will always come first. In general, you should have some sort of plan if people need to take shelter within your building, and some type of plan if people need to evacuate.
8. Reach Out to Your Neighbors
A great way to make sure you haven’t missed anything important in your hurricane prep is to speak with neighboring restaurant owners, preferably ones who have been in your area the longest. They will typically know the ins-and-outs of the neighborhood, the storm dangers, and what prep is most important. While perhaps your competition during normal times, restaurants often come together during hurricane season.
9. “Boarding Up”
Last, but certainly not least, you will need to prepare for the physical toll that the winds and the rain will have on your business, and on your indoor & outdoor seating areas. Don’t rely on plywood or makeshift methods to protect your business and your livelihood– seek professional help from a business that specializes in protecting restaurants and other buildings from hurricanes.
Here at Armor Screen, we will evaluate your property and from there provide you with the best storm solution possible. We may recommend that you use one of our custom methods such as our “roll up method” to protect your restaurant best from impeding storms. Call us today at 877-237-2337, or fill out our online form to find out more about what custom solution Armor Screen can provide for your and your restaurant. Don’t go unprotected this hurricane season!
