Get Your Fix: How Restaurants Can Survive and Thrive In The Pandemic

 

One of the most visible economic victims of the coronavirus pandemic has been the restaurant industry, which has struggled to cope with stay-at-home orders. Even with dining rooms in some regions of the country, many diners choose to stay home as the pandemic continues to grow.

Many of the most innovative restaurants were able to quickly pivot to a to-go focus, leveraging technology like delivery apps or offering grab-and-go meal kits or home cocktail options. Now, after battling through a difficult recent past, some restaurants are even thinking about the future and what it will bring.

“There has been a ton of thought leadership put into what the new norm is going to be because they’re thinking they know what they’ve done now – and a lot of the restaurants have done a great job with what the safety is today, but they still have to pivot and say, ‘What’s our growth going to be?’” said Arin Alexander, VP-Client Relations for Vixxo. “If we’re going to grow, what’s that going to look like? You’re going to see less big buildings being built and more small-footprint sizes. I think restaurants also are learning what their menu sizes can be and what they need to be.”

Restaurants that were already innovative in their use of technology were more successful adapting once the pandemic forced them to modify their way of doing business, said Gary Stevenson, the Western Division President of Vixxo. Now, those same restaurants must continue to think about how they can improve, with Integrated Facility Management playing a role in helping them understand their back end and how best to manage it..

“I think a progressive facilities manager is clearly focused on data, how they’re going to get the data and what they’re going to do with that data,” Stevenson said. “They need to be focused on having a top-class facilities service partner to help make sure all that equipment and all those issues are functioning they way they’re supposed to and they can focus on the in-store experience with their clients.”

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Food & Beverage Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

kids
Designing a Brand Kids Love to Live In, and Parents Choose with Confidence
January 26, 2026

Gen Alpha’s coming of age is reshaping retail, with children playing a more visible role in purchase decisions through early preferences around color, comfort, and self-expression. Research continues to show that kids increasingly influence household purchases, especially in apparel and lifestyle categories, pushing brands to rethink how early identity, confidence, and joy are designed…

Read More
medical worker shortage
Experiential Learning: A Cure for the Medical Worker Shortage with Jason Aubrey of Skilltrade
January 26, 2026

Healthcare systems across the U.S. are facing a persistent and worsening medical worker shortage, particularly in allied health roles that keep hospitals, clinics, and surgery centers running. Rural access gaps, rising tuition costs, and skepticism about the ROI of traditional degrees are colliding with urgent employer demand. At the same time, momentum is building…

Read More
Broadband
2025 Broadband Year in Review, Part 2
January 23, 2026

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin continues his conversation with Alex Rozek, Founder and CEO of Mac Mountain, to examine how technology shifts, capital discipline, and changing consumer expectations reshaped broadband in 2025, and what those changes lock in for the future. As the broadband industry closes…

Read More
branding
Bonfire Branding: How Solo Stove Sparked a Customer Movement with Liz Vanzura (Episode One)
January 22, 2026

When pandemic restrictions shut down restaurants, paused travel, and compressed social lives, connection didn’t disappear; it moved closer to home. Backyards quietly emerged as important gathering spaces, offering a simple way to be together without screens, schedules, or spectacle. What began as a workaround evolved into a familiar rhythm of gathering. In that shift,…

Read More