Finding Firm Footing in Uncertain Times

3 Min Read By Mary Hamill

During a chaotic time, instinct prompts us to try to control what we can. And for businesses, controlling costs can determine whether a restaurant can navigate choppy seas for smoother waters.  A key lever for driving revenue through uncertainty is labor costs – a challenge as the COVID-19 pandemic has placed us squarely in unchartered territory, especially in the hospitality industry. More than 16 million Americans remain out of work, including 2.6 million jobs still yet to return in the leisure and hospitality sector. The margins for revenue, and for error, are razor thin. How can leaders better source staffing and supplies with an uncontrollable virus and wildly varying public health policies across state lines that change seemingly every day?

A few months ago, we had few resources to help us choose a direction; we had never experienced a global pandemic like COVID-19. Now, we have fresh data to help chart our course.

While the picture emerging of the 'new…