December 2020 | Relay Blog

Future Trends in Food Service

December 18, 2020/in Relay for Business

In early December, MarketWatch released a report on the Global Food Service Restaurant Market and covered everything from growth analysis to industry trends and future development. One especially interesting detail included was COVID-19 impact on the overall industry, including full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, cafes and bars, and 100% home delivery. While the report didn’t touch on hotels or the hospitality industry, it attempted to make broad predictions and assessments about the way the food service industry overall was affected by Coronavirus.

If you’d have asked a futurist a year ago their predictions for the food industry in 2021, they’d likely have spoken about emerging tastes, textures, and the next of the moment condiments from abroad. They might even have extolled the virtues of techniques that would have sped up the process or kept food fresh longer. What a difference a year makes, even in terms of long-term predictions.

As we now realize from this vantage point, the global food service industry will change most drastically in the years ahead because of the lingering effects of a worldwide pandemic. This means that beyond understanding that hotels, restaurants, bars, and larger venues must change the way food is produced and distributed, we also have to look into the longer-term ways we will keep staff safe and connected throughout the process.

These are some of the trends we think you can expect in food service in the near future:

A more streamlined service network: Alexandra M. (who chose not to reveal her last name here for professional purposes) has worked in food service production and management for over a decade. She explained that the foodservice production areas aren’t centralized in hotels, but rather “there’s this massive service network all over the place.” That meant that staff had to walk through kitchens and hallways and elevators and other areas simply to retrieve and then deliver food to the dining rooms, rooms or anyplace else food could be consumed.

Foodservice trend prediction: We believe that as restaurants, hotels, and larger venues consider reopening in the future, there will be small satellite kitchens or food service production areas. This way, they can minimize both ingredients and prepared food, potentially becoming tainted or coming into contact with too many people or being exposed to needlessly.

Better cleaning protocols: A food service executive who chose to remain anonymous said that in the not-so-distant past, food service trays were rarely (if ever) disinfected and cleaned only once or twice daily before being reused repeatedly. With many restaurants still only open for takeout, food service production experts are brainstorming ways to create a safer process overall for producing and distributing food.

Foodservice trend prediction: While most consumer-facing industries are completely overhauling how they connect and serve their clientele, food service production has an even greater challenge. This industry must create universal methods and requirements of keeping all places of food production disinfected while also creating the reverse of touchpoints. Instead of finding ways to connect with their clientele and guests, they’ll have to develop rigid ways of maintaining the utmost cleanliness in all public areas of their workspace.

“To avoid food contamination, food service workers will have to communicate at lightning-fast speeds.”

A radically updated communication system (hint: new walkie talkies are a must!): Alexandra explained that walkie talkies were essential to anyone’s working life in food services. She was also “grossed out every single time she picked one up” when her shift began. Since these mobile devices were generally shared by staff and rarely cleaned, “they were almost filthy and grimy.” Interestingly enough, Alexandra had no idea that better options existed. We recently shared five signs that it was time to ditch your old-school walkie talkies. We probably should have added a sixth reason. It’s time to ditch your old-school walkie talkies if you share them within your crew or team. At this point, it isn’t about having a gadget that’s cooler than the competition; it’s a potential health hazard to use the same walkie talkie that is shared throughout your team of workers.

Foodservice trend prediction: What good is it to continually disinfect your work environment if the device you use and share and then share again might be carrying germs – or worse – from employee to employee? We predict that as more food service companies understand that it’s easier to overhaul their walkie talkie system than pray for the best, more will implement modern systems like Relay. You can also customize your setup based on your staff or need. Relay provides a walkie talkie alternative that allows you to create customized groups, as well as private one-on-one conversations. You can easily limit access to some while granting it to others.

Plant-based food production increase: While vegetarians and vegans were once looked at askance when asking for special meals, plant-based food production is one of the fastest growing micro-industries within the food service production space. IndustryResearch.com published a paper in November 2020 detailing some of the ways in which global plant-based food will be developed, sourced, produced, marketed, and distributed.

Foodservice trend prediction: Unlike more shelf-stable ingredients, plant-based food has to be stored and shipped differently for optimum freshness and taste. That also means that the food service industry will have to closely monitor any growing issues or reports by the CDC about potential recalls. This means that to avoid food contamination, food service workers will have to communicate at lightning-fast speeds. As plant-based foods become a standard on all menus, food service staff will have to immediately inform each other if there are ever any potential issues.

Relay is the first real-time communications solution specifically designed for the desk-less worker and used by hotels, resorts, and event venues across the country. Contact us to set up a live demo, or purchase now (plans start as low as $100.00 yearly).

5 Ways Educators Can Benefit From Relay Devices

December 11, 2020/in Relay for Business

Written by Rebecca Adkinson, a longtime educator who understands the importance of communication

In our modern society, teaching and educating is more challenging than ever. Buildings and campuses sprawl out over vast square footage, separating staff and students. Using communication devices like Relay can help educators get in touch with each other quickly.

Here are five of the best ways educators can benefit from Relay devices.

1. Special Event Coordination:

Schools host and coordinate events, and it can be difficult for staff to contact each other. When you’re holding a dance, for example, there may be multiple chaperones at the front entrance, numerous others within the dance area monitoring students, and others in various areas of the premises.

Relay devices are useful for an activity like this because teachers, administrators, and other adults in charge can maintain constant contact and promptly alert each other in case of problems.

You never know what may happen at a school dance. Educators must be on the lookout for dangerous activity, unauthorized visitors, illegal substance use, and more. It’s essential to reach one another fast to keep students safe.

Sporting events are another example of when communication among authorities helps keep students safe. Tensions run high at a school basketball game, so admissions people, concessions staff, and others need to be in touch with administrators. You may even need to watch out for fights among students, parents, or coaches.

Rather than pulling out your cell phone and trying to choose the correct person to call or text, you can use your Relay device to contact an entire group or quickly contact the primary person in charge.

These events can also be tricky because personnel can be significantly spread across multiple buildings or even outdoors. Relay has a wide range of services, and you don’t have to worry about going “out of range.”

2. Reporting Major Discipline Problems:

Unfortunately, in all types of schools, you will encounter disciplinary issues and safety issues. Students don’t always follow the rules. As an educator, your safety depends on your ability to respond to potentially risky situations quickly. While security measures have increased dramatically in schools since the 1999 Columbine shooting, they’re not perfect.

If a student picks a fight with another student in your classroom, you need to call for backup. Yes, it’s nice if you can trust the teacher next door and simply yell for that person’s help, but it’s best if you can reach someone with authority immediately.

It can be awkward to use the phone in your classroom to call an office for help with disciplinary problems or an intruder in the building. After all, if a situation is heated, announcing it to the whole class may not be the best solution. Using a Relay device gives teachers and other school faculty and staff an easy way to get in touch with a principal, dean, or school police officer right away.

“Team communication and group channels enable educators to connect to the right people at the right time. Instead of disrupting an entire building of students and staff by going on a loudspeaker, leaders can relay messages instantaneously across secure channels.”

3. Handling Medical Emergencies:

Sometimes the unexpected comes in the form of medical emergencies in the classroom, hallway, cafeteria, or gym. All schools contain many opportunities for kids to get sick or injured. Educators must be prepared for those situations.

A trustworthy communication device gives peace of mind that you can radio for help as quickly as possible. Relay devices can call 911 for severe circumstances.

Teachers and other school staff are trained in basic emergency care such as CPR and injections for allergic reactions. However, in a true medical emergency, educators need to reach the school nurse immediately.

Relay devices are lightweight and easy to carry on your person, so you’re unlikely to ever be without it. Use yours to quickly reach medical assistance for a child with a seizure, severe allergic reaction, or any other sudden emergency. Time is one of the critical factors in ensuring a medical episode doesn’t turn tragic for students and their families.

4. In Case of Power Outages:

Not every teacher, educational secretary, or staff person has a cell phone at all times. When the power goes out in your school, Relay provides an additional layer of security. You know that even if your computers are down and your phones are off, you’ll still be able to contact each other. Plus, Relay devices are GPS-equipped, so you won’t have to worry about losing them.

Another great thing about Relay devices is their Wi-Fi connectivity. If you’re reliant on cell phones for staff communication, you’ll run into issues with dead zones both inside and outside of buildings. If the power goes out and you’re in a part of the school where your cell phone is useless, you’re in trouble, but a Relay device can keep you connected.

5. For Staff Communication Among Various Groups:

If you’ve worked in education for more than a day, you know every educator is a part of many different groups and teams across the school system. A teacher may also be a mentor, club supervisor, coach, and serve on teams for curriculum design, student assessment, and more. Relay makes it easy to connect each of your various teams across unique channels.

If you’re a team leader for your department, you can easily set up your group or channel online. There are flexible communication options to send messages directly to a specific team member or the entire group at once. It all depends on what you need.

Team communication and group channels enable educators to connect to the right people at the right time. Instead of disrupting an entire building of students and staff by going on a loudspeaker, leaders can relay messages instantaneously across secure channels.

Educators Can Stay Connected with Relay

As an educator, you know it’s essential to be available to others within your building and even your district. Relay helps make that possible — and easy. Try our flexible and top-of-the-line communications devices to bring your teams greater peace of mind today.