With talk turning to the easing of lockdown and some restaurants being able to reopen as early as next month, Barton says his business is well placed in attracting diners back through his doors.
“We are quite a non-committal business - you can grab a meal in half an hour for £15 and that will play into people’s minds,” he says.
“When lockdown is lifted I feel like there is going to be a huge appetite for people to experience a small part of their old life and grab a burger or burrito.
“It’s quite a big jump to say, ‘I’m going to go out and will spend £100 a head’. Age demographic of people supporting those restaurants will be a bit older, but people in their 20s and 30s make up the bulk of our customer base so we are in a pretty good position to weather what’s about to come.
“I feel like our kind of businesses will bounce back relatively quickly, but it depends on what happens day by day.”
Fleet says that restaurants will have to adapt to changes in customer behaviours as a result of the pandemic, and that some of Flat Iron’s restaurants will be in locations that will be particularly affected post lockdown.
“We anticipate Mondays and Fridays being quieter as people work from home on those days,” she says.
“People’s spending will be different - they will be more cautious and more demanding in terms of quality and what service people provide.
“You’ve got to be very nimble to change and also be very open minded - everything from the atmosphere to the service to food has to be perfect.”
To watch the first three video in The Future of Restaurants series click here 1 2 3
