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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

National Restaurant Association

Survey: Restaurant Industry in ‘Free Fall,’ 10,000 Closures in Three Months

The National Restaurant Association sent a letter to Congressional leadership this week sharing new survey findings on the state of the restaurant industry as it continues to navigate the pandemic. The Association’s letter didn’t mince words: “What these findings make clear is that more than 500,000 restaurants of every business type—franchise, chain, and independent—are in an economic free fall.”

The Association conducted a survey of 6,000 restaurant operators and 250 supply chain businesses from Nov. 17-30 of this year. Among its findings are:

  • Eighty-seven percent of full-service restaurants, including chains and independents, reported an average drop of 36 percent in sales revenue. Equally disconcerting is that 83 percent of full-service operators expect sales over the next three months to be worse.
  • Costs have not fallen, despite declining sales. Over half, or 59 percent, of operators said their total labor costs (as a percentage of sales) are higher now than before the pandemic. 
  • At the same time, 58 percent of chain and independent full-service restaurants expect more furloughs and layoffs “at least the next three months.”

The letter topped off this bleak serving of news with some numbers on the state of closures around the restaurant industry. As of right now, more than 110,000 restaurants in the U.S. have closed permanently or are closed for the long term. The majority of those were established businesses that, on average, had been open at least 16 years. Others had been open at least 30 years.

“For nearly nine months, restaurants—our nation’s second-largest private sector employer—have been in an economic free fall as a result of mandated closures and capacity limits due to the coronavirus pandemic,” states the letter, which was written by Sean Kennedy, the Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for The Association.

Further down in the letter he adds that, “for every month that passes without a solution from Congress, thousands more restaurants across the country will close their doors for good.” 

As The Association’s letter suggests, the restaurant industry faces a bleak few months as more cities face restrictions and outright bans around indoor dining and cold weather makes patio seating unfeasible. The letter urges lawmakers to “reach agreement on a compromise coronavirus relief package for our industry and employees, our suppliers, and the communities that rely on the strength of the industry.” 

Congress is trying to pass a stimulus compromise before the end of the year that would pump an additional $300 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses. The bipartisan $908 billion proposal is something of a last-ditch effort to get more aid and unemployment benefits to restaurants and other small businesses. 

Moving away from the dining room and to more off-premises channels, such as takeout, has added incremental revenue for restaurants (with varying levels of success). However, The Association’s letter more or less states that without a large-scale measure like a relief package from Congress, the situation will get worse, not better, in coming months, with more restaurants will closing their doors forever. 

National Restaurant Assoc.: Nearly 1 in 6 Restaurants Closed During Pandemic

Approximately 100,000, or nearly 1 in 6 restaurants, are closed either permanently or for the long term, according to new data from a National Restaurant Association survey released today. Adding to the bad news, the Association reports that 3 million restaurant workers are still out of work and projects that the industry is on track to lose $240 billion this year.

The news comes six months into the COVID-19 pandemic that continues its sustained presence here in the U.S. The restaurant industry was hit particularly hard, especially in the early months of the pandemic as state and local governments across the country forced closures of restaurant dining rooms. Many restaurants have re-opened, but at a reduced capacity and with greater reliance on off-premises formats like delivery and takeout.

The Association’s survey asked restaurant operators about the six-month impact of the COVID pandemic, and discovered that most restaurants are hanging on by a thread and don’t see a bright outlook over the next six months.

Specific findings from the Association’s survey include:

  • Restaurant sales were down an average of 34 percent.
  • The foodservice industry lost $165 billion in revenue between March and July and is on track to lost $240 billion this year.
  • The majority (60 percent) of restaurant operators say that their operational costs are higher now than pre-pandemic.
  • Restaurant staffing levels are at 71 percent of what they would normally be.
  • Forty percent of operators doubt that their restaurant will be in business six months from now without additional assistance from the U.S. government.

The survey adds more data that continues to paint a bleak outlook for the restaurant industry. In July, a Yelp survey found that 60 percent of closed restaurants were shuttered permanently.

The bad news won’t just end with restaurant closures, however. There is an entire tech industry built on the backs of restaurants including POS software, inventory management, staffing, and delivery integration, not to mention the equipment and other hardware manufacturers.

The permanent shuttering of so many restaurants could also lead to less diversity and further consolidation of the restaurant biz — in other words, fewer local sandwich shops and more Subways and other chains that have the size and revenue to withstand this tumult.

In response to the tumult, restaurants large and small have turned to all manner of solutions, from ad hoc drive-thrus to ghost kitchens to creative attempts at outdoor dining. All these efforts should be applauded. None of them guarantee the future of the dining room or the independent restaurant. Like the Association’s survey today, they suggest that the last six months have forever altered the restaurant experience as we knew it.

Survey: 3% of Restaurants Are Permanently Closed. More Will Follow

The National Restaurant Association this week released some rather gloomy statistics around COVID-19’s impact on restaurants so far. A survey of more than 4,000 U.S. restaurant owners and operators found that 3 percent have already permanently closed their restaurants, while another 11 percent say they anticipate doing so within the next 30 days.

Those that have remained open (at least for off-premises orders) have also had to make adjustments. Besides the switch to delivery and takeout orders, restaurants have also had to reduce staff as well as cut back their operating hours.

On that note, even mega-chains have not been immune. This week alone, The Cheesecake Factory furloughed 41,000 employees and is in talks about possibly deferring and/or adjusting its rent. Yum Brands, which owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, has outright closed 7,000 restaurants around the world, which affects hundreds of jobs. McDonald’s completely shuttered operations in the U.K., and has reduced hours (and menu items) in the U.S. 

According to The Association, roughly half of restaurant owners/operators “anticipate more layoffs and hourly reductions over the next 30 days.”

This infographic, also from The Association, breaks down the situation and its unsettling numbers pretty clearly. Notably, it states that “Restaurants can’t just switch their operations over to takeout and delivery and be fine. This is not an option for everyone in our industry.” And indeed, only 54 percent of operators/owners surveyed by The Association have changed their business model to off-premises for the time being.

Unlike QSRs, which typically offer food that travels well and was designed to eat quickly, many restaurants specialize in meals meant to be eaten in the dining room. It’s not a matter of simply throwing existing dishes in a box, and part of developing an off-premises-only model involves adjusting the menu. More items that travel well and family-style options are popular recommendations for restaurants.

Even so, doing delivery is expensive. Industry figures are telling businesses to join as many third-party platforms as they can right now — no small feat when you consider the exorbitant commission fees. Some companies, which are essentially third-party aggregators for third-party delivery platforms, can speed that process up by handling the bulk of the work. They do not necessarily guarantee better commission rates for restaurants, though.  

All of which is to say, unfortunately, we can expect the number of employee layoffs and furloughs, shuttered operations, and reduced hours to keep going up, at least in the very near future. The $2 trillion stimulus package that was passed this week will offer some relief for restaurants. The bleak reality is that it probably won’t entirely stop the bleeding.

Want to Help Restaurants Survive? The National Restaurant Association Suggests Just “Buy a Meal”

With restaurants struggling as they’re forced to adjust to the new restrictions in place to fight COVID-19, you, like us, are probably wondering “How can I help?”

There are almost too many options about where to put your dollars to aid struggling foodservice locations. You can buy gift cards, virtually tip your bartender, or donate to relief funds. For places that are still open, you can also order takeout or delivery, either from the restaurant themselves or through a third-party site like DoorDash or Grubhub.

So where’s the best place to put your dollars? That’s the question I posed over the phone this week to Vanessa Sink, Media Relations Director of the National Restaurant Association. According to Sink, the answer is simple: buy a meal.

“Restaurants still want to cook for us,” Sink said. “They’re safe, and they’re there to make sure that we’re getting good food and enjoying it.” If you can, order pick-up or for delivery directly through the restaurant. That way, they don’t have to pay super-high fees to third-party delivery services, which, despite their claims, are not cutting restaurants much slack right now.

Restaurants are trying desperately to get the word out about the importance of ordering to-go meals, while we’re still permitted to do so. Foodservice establishments have actually banded together to launch a new initiative called The Great American Takeout (#TheGreatAmericanTakeout on Twitter) to motivate people to order more to-go meals from their local restaurants. It’s launching today.

Maybe you don’t feel comfortable ordering takeout or delivery from restaurants at this time. And that’s okay. “We support whatever people can do,” Sink said. You can still donate to relief funds for restaurant workers and bartenders — there’s a comprehensive list right here. You can follow the New Yorker’s Helen Rosner’s advice and call your elected officials to demand government relief for restaurants and foodservice workers. If your favorite restaurants are selling gift cards, you can buy one for when this all blows over (but be aware there’s always a risk that the restaurant won’t return to full service).

Or you can see how chefs are getting creative in your area. In Seattle Eric Rivera is offering the sale of pantry items made in his restaurant as well as pick-up meals. Celebrity chef Sean Brock is doing live, private cooking classes. Famed restauranteur Hugh Acheson is offering contracts to come and cook at your house when the COVID-19 quarantine period is over.

Finally, no matter what you do, tip well. Hopefully together we can help more restaurants come out the other side.

Own a Restaurant? Here Are Some Resources for Surviving COVID-19

It’s way too soon to know exactly how badly restaurants will be impacted by the mandatory dining room shutdowns happening due to the spread of coronavirus. In a letter to the government obtained by The Spoon, The National Restaurant Association said it anticipates a sales decline of $225 billion over the next three months and the loss of between 5–7 million jobs. Since news of both COVID-19 and its effects on daily life and business change overnight now, there’s no telling if that number will go up in the near future.

To help restaurant owners, managers, workers, and other industry folks affected by this unprecedented situation, we’ve put together a list of useful websites, funds, fact sheets, and more. I’ll be adding to this list daily, so if you know of an organization or movement or own a tech company pushing out solutions to help restaurants, drop me a line at tips@thespoon.tech. 

The National Restaurant Association has put together a COVID-19 fact sheet (PDF) that includes information specific to the restaurant industry, such as the difference between cleaning and sanitizing and what to do if an employee gets sick.

Allset, a reservations and order-ahead app, now offers a contactless pickup option at participating restaurants. For all existing restaurant partners that provide the contactless pickup option at their stores, the company is waiving commission fees. Allset is also offering a daily $4 discount to customers for all pickup orders placed via its platform.

Restaurant tech company Chowly is offering a “no cost” starter package to businesses needing to quickly pivot to delivery models as more cities and states shut down dining rooms. Chowly’s software funnels orders coming from multiple different channels directly into a restaurant’s main POS system, which saves restaurants from having to manually input that information. Right now, Chowly says restaurants can get set up in as little as two business days.

DailyPay, an app that lets restaurant workers access their earnings immediately, has waived all access fees so that individuals using the service can get their earned income immediately. According to a press release from DailyPay, 43% of employees using DailyPay are accessing their pay early for COVID-19-related expenses. Restaurants not yet working with DailyPay can now do so at zero cost right now.

A group of restaurant industry professionals has set up an initiative to get immediate funds to restaurants through a campaign called “Dining Bonds.” It works like a savings bond: guests purchase a bond at today’s value rate and can redeem it for full face value at a later date. Customers can connect and purchase bonds from participating restaurants here.

DoorDash/Caviar is waiving commission fees for 30 days for new independent restaurants. Existing restaurant customers will pay zero commission fees on pickup orders for 30 days. The service has also set up a fund to assist impacted drivers and couriers.

Epicuri is waiving set up fees and offering a 60-day free trial with no commitment of its restaurant POS and guest management software. If interested, email onboarding@epicuri.co.uk.

Foodetective, a restaurant delivery platform serving Switzerland, is offering a commission-free delivery and takeaway platform for restaurants in the U.S. Restaurants will pay a monthly subscription fee but no commissions on individual orders.

The Foodservice Training Portal, which provides online learning tools for foodservice establishments, just released a new course which outlines how to respond to and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Grubhub/Seamless has suspended commission fees for independent restaurants and set up a fund to assist drivers impacted by COVID-19.

Modern Restaurant Management has compiled a massive list of companies, nonprofits, tech startups, and more all offering tools and tips for restaurants during this time. The list includes everything from free webinars to best practice lists to information about new products that can help restaurants shift to off-premises strategies quickly. Check the full roundup here.

OneDine is now providing its Touchless System for ordering and payment free to all restaurants. It will waive setup and transaction fees and provide free Tap & Order and Tap & Pay sensors to all restaurants staying open.

OpenTable has launched a Restaurant Resource Center with information to help restaurant owners adapt operations to weather forced closures during the coronavirus. It will also waive subscription fees to their booking service if the restaurant is closed, as well as gift card listing fees.

Ordermark, a software-hardware platform that streamlines the process of accepting, managing, and fulfilling delivery orders, is waiving all setup fees right now, according to an email sent to The Spoon.

Postmates will waive commission fees for new San Francisco restaurants signing up with the platform. The service has also set up a fund for impacted workers.

Restaurant order management platform Revention is offering an Online Ordering and Delivery Starter Bundle for a reduced price. It includes a POS terminal, optional DoorDash on-demand delivery service, and remote installation.

Restaurant Playbooks will offer sales and hospitality training programs free to restaurant operators who are using their mandatory closures to develop their team.

The Restaurant Workers Community Foundation now has a COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund where individuals and businesses can donate to help provide financial relief to restaurants and workers. 

Seated, a restaurant reservation and rewards platform, has created a help hotline to provide free financial, business, and legal advice to restaurant owners.

Toast has set up a relief fund called Rally for Restaurants. Users can search an online directory for their favorite restaurants and donate to them by purchasing gift cards.

Uber Eats has waived delivery fees for independent restaurants and offers two weeks of pay to drivers diagnosed with or quarantined because of COVID-19.

USBG National Charity Foundation is raising funds for the COVID-19 Relief Campaign in order to finance the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program.

The U.S. Small Business Association is offering low-interest disaster recovery loans to small businesses that have been severely impacted by COVID-19.

Online food ordering platform Zuppler is offering free setup and reduced pricing for restaurants and caterers who want to add online or Google ordering to their websites.

Report: ‘The Future Is Off-Premises’ for Most Restaurant Operators

Restaurant sales are expected to reach $899 billion in 2020, according to The National Restaurant Association’s recently released “2020 State of the Restaurant Industry” report. By 2030, that number will jump to $1.2 trillion. Unsurprisingly, off-premises restaurant experiences will drive a lot of that momentum in the coming years. As The Association’s report plainly states, “the future is off-premises.” 

The off-premises category includes delivery, takeout, catering, curbside pickup, drive-thru, and food trucks. In the report, three in four operators say this category is “their best growth opportunity,” and the vast majority of those respondents said they expect to add more resources and technology to improve their operations around off-premises orders.

Consumer demand is clearly driving that optimism: 52 percent of adults said purchasing takeout or delivery is “essential” to their lifestyle. At the same time, certain restaurant types rely on off-premises orders for the bulk of their sales. For QSRs (73 percent), fast casuals (51 percent) and coffee and snack outlets (77 percent), off-premises is the main sales driver. In all likelihood these numbers will rise as AI technologies come to drive-thru lanes and most major QSRs offer delivery, ghost kitchens, or a combo of the two.

But before you go rushing off to mobile-order drive-thru lanes and special systems for pickup orders consider something else the report highlights: “Off-premises is an opportunity — not a requirement.”

Off-premises orders still make up a fairly small part of business in many parts of the restaurant industry. While 70 percent of customer traffic in QSRs is off-premises, eight in 10 customers still prefer to dine in when it comes to more traditional table service restaurants.

Part of that may be that there is no “one size fits all” strategy for boosting off-premises sales. A delivery strategy that works for Wendy’s may not be as effective with Chili’s, who offers different meals at completely different price points to its own unique customer base. This is why we’ve seen the rise of things like hybrid delivery and customizable ghost kitchens.

For some restaurants, such as fine dining establishments, off-premises will probably never make much sense. The vast majority, though, will adopt at least some technologies and strategies for off-premises ordering as that sales channel’s popularity increases over the next few years.

What the Sustainable Restaurant Will Look Like in 2030

There’s little doubt the restaurant of the future will be a more sustainable operation for both quick-service stores and full-service Michelin star joints. As the idea of implementing sustainability into those operations becomes more of a priority for restaurants, the question is, What will that look like in the future? More plant-based meat options? Reusable to-go containers? Kitchens that waste less food inventory?

All of the above and more, as it turns out. In its just-released “Restaurant Industry 2030” report, the National Restaurant Association zeros in on how it expects environmentally friendly practices “have been increasing over the last decade” and will increase “even faster in the next one as innovative restaurants lead the way in more sustainable operations.”

The report makes two major claims around sustainability. First, that “sustainability isn’t just a buzzword.” It’s a daily practice rather than a marketing phrase to slap on a press release. And as the Association notes in the report, it’s a way for restaurants to cut down costs and also attract eco-conscious guests through initiatives like better packaging and sourcing ingredients responsibly.

The other claim the report makes is that sustainability “will be integrated into every aspect of restaurant operations in 2030.” That includes using equipment in more energy efficient ways and incorporating things like store designs that use alternative sources of energy, implementing more recycling programs, and nixing single-use plastics.

We already see some of these elements in various forms in today’s restaurants. Most notably, the state of California recently signed AB 827 into law, which requires restaurants to provide customers with food-waste and recycling bins, as well as signage that explains what type of waste goes where. California also recently passed a law that makes it easier for restaurants to accept reusable containers from consumers in which to place leftovers from meals.

And with delivery, to-go, drive-thru, and who knows what other types of off-premises ordering here to stay, we’ll also see a distinct lack of single-use packaging at restaurants in future. “With a surge in delivery, packaging considerations will become more important,” according to the report.

The key will be finding ways to implement more sustainability practices cost-effectively. Already, some restaurants are experimenting with ways to do that. For example, a restaurant in NYC called Mettā is the city’s first zero-waste restaurant. It’s carbon-neutral, completely trash-free, and even uses a dishwashing method that eliminates the need for soap. Silo, in the UK, is another notable example.

Mettā and Silo are both fairly high-end restaurant experiences, so while the Wendy’s and Chipotle’s of the future certainly won’t look exactly like them, they nonetheless provide the start of a blueprint for others to follow in future. In other words, they show us what the practice of sustainability looks like so other restaurants follow suit and help make sustainability way more than just a buzzword.

Report: 60 Percent of Restaurant Orders Are Now Off-Premises

Off-premises dining — that is, delivery, takeout, and drive-thru orders — now accounts for 60 percent of restaurant occasions, according to a new report developed by Technomic for the National Restaurant Association. The report, which was released yesterday and digs into the factors driving the demand for off-premises orders, also notes that this trend will continue to grow and that restaurant operators who don’t yet have a strategy for off premises in place “risk being left behind.”

For consumers, drive-thru topped the list of the types of off-premises dining consumers use, with 92 percent surveyed saying they ordered via that channel at least once per month. Takeout was next, at 90 percent, followed by restaurant delivery at 79 percent and delivery via third parties (e.g., DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.) at 53 percent.

Restaurant operators are responding with more of these channels, though what they offer the most doesn’t align exactly with what consumers use. Among those restaurant surveyed, 93 percent offer takeout, followed by 66 percent doing third-party delivery, 55 percent with their own delivery operations, and 20 percent offering drive-thru.

The difference in numbers makes sense, though. For example, most non-QSR restaurants (think Olive Garden or Outback) wouldn’t have a delivery window. And more restaurants embrace third-party delivery because, for now at least, it’s cheaper to let, say, Grubhub handle the logistics and actual couriers involved in getting food from restaurant to customer.

All that said, The Association notes that operators are “not keeping up with consumer demand for technology,” which is at the heart of most of these sales channels. Twenty-nine percent of operators said they are “lagging the industry,” citing things like high costs or not enough demand to justify the cost. There’s also the matter of getting both staff and customers on board with new technologies. For example, will customers actually use a self-service kiosk if it’s installed in the front of house?

Well, that depends on the kiosk. Or digital menu board. Or mobile app. Generally speaking, the easier and more intuitive it is to use the technology, the more people are likely to use it, which is one of the reasons voice tech is becoming known in the restaurant industry as a promising solution, particularly in the drive-thru. However, some of these more advanced technologies are also some of the least prevalent, according to the report: “More advanced technologies that operators report as being most impactful to their business—location intelligence, geofencing and virtual assistants used for voice ordering—are also the least available technologies that operators currently have in place.”

Nonetheless, as the report makes clear and as we discuss often here at The Spoon, tech is the driving force behind the movement towards off-premises dining, and also the critical means by which restaurants can serve more of these customers and improve their tools. Over the next year, that 60 percent of off-premises orders will only grow. Restaurants must ensure they have the right elements in place to help them climb with it.

Shake Shack Gives Self-Service Kiosks a Second Chance

A little over a year ago, Shake Shack opened its first-ever location powered by self-service kiosks in the East Village. At the restaurant, all ordering and payments were made through digital kiosks — no human intervention necessary.

Except human intervention actually was totally necessary. In a matter of months, customers practically declared mutiny and Shake Shack abandoned the concept. “The kiosks are also supposed to make things go quicker, but the wait is even longer,” one commenter noted.

But it seems the Danny Meyer-backed chain is giving the concept another go. This week Shake Shack announced it will expand its kiosk locations; but with some differences from the pilot.

Most notably, the selected stores will feature a more hybrid concept, offering both cashiers and kiosks. This combo is a wise move on Shake Shack’s part, since kiosks still cause a fair share of confusion and there are many who would benefit more from interacting with an actual person. Guests will also be able to use cash if they prefer, as the card-only payments were a point of grief with the original kiosk-concept location. Right now, Shake Shack currently has five locations that offer this hybrid kiosk-human structure, and plans to open more in areas like San Francisco and Seattle, where labor costs run especially high.

And labor costs will continue to be an issue. On its second-quarter earnings call, Shake Shack reported that those increased year over year by 26.3 percent, partially driven by increases to minimum wage.

That’s where the kiosks come in: “We are learning how the kiosk experience changes the flow in the front-house, the extent to which we are back to speed at service, kitchen throughput, how it best enhances the guest experience, its ability to deliver labor leverage in the future and how ordering behavior may be impacted,” said CEO Randy Garutti.

Automation in quick-service restaurants is becoming more and more commonplace, to make an understatement — and it’s not hard to see why. Analysts say that kiosks could help McDonald’s recoup $2.7 billion in sales. The fast food leader said it plans to add kiosks to 1,000 stores every quarter for the next two years.

And kiosks were all the rage at this year’s National Restaurant Association show, which had products from 365 Retail Markets, Adusa Inc., and Apex. And those are just the first three on the alphabetized list.

Shake Shack stands a somewhat better chance of succeeding with kiosks this time around. That’s partly because they’re still accepting cash and party because people’s perception towards automation has shifted since the first iteration. Consumers in general are more comfortable with kiosk interfaces in 2018 than ever before, whether at the airport or eating lunch.

However, it’s best not to paint too rosy a future at the moment. Shake Shack and others may be touting an ideal solution with these kiosk-cashier hybrid locations, but there are no significant numbers yet on how well the locations will perform. And with labor costs continuing to rise, the pressure to automate more and more restaurant operations will increase. Understanding when and where to do that — and when and where not to — will be key to any fast-casual chain’s success.

Interested in the future of restaurant tech? Come to the Smart Kitchen Summit! Use discount code SPOON for 25% off of tickets. 

National Restaurant Association Attacks Cyber Threats With a New Tool

Restaurants are as vulnerable as any business when it comes to cybersecurity and data breaches. We saw that last month, when at least 5 million credit card numbers were swiped from Sonic Drive-In customers.

In a timely move, the National Restaurant Association has responded by publishing an update to its 2016 Cybersecurity 101 guide and tool (PDF), titled “Cybersecurity 201: The Next Step” (PDF).

The tool is a kind of primer on the five steps of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework: Identity, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. Gartner has predicted that half of all U.S. businesses will use this framework by 2020.

Cybersecurity 201 is considerably longer than its predecessor, and is focused specifically on restaurants and the actions they can take to protect themselves. It lays out four hypothetical “attack” scenarios and the actions restaurant owners should take in response.

Not that these types of scenarios are fictional in any way. As new technologies make their way into the hospitality industry, and as establishments accept more and more digital payments, businesses grow more and more vulnerable. Arby’s and Chipotle were both attacked this year, as was Whole Foods. And those were just the big ones. You don’t have to be a nation-wide chain to get hacked. Many of restaurant-industry attacks are focused around the POS system, which also happen to be one of the most difficult types of threats to protect against. And a restaurant without a POS system these days is a rare find.

Cybersecurity 201 was designed for restaurants of all sizes and types. The tool walks readers through restaurant industry-specific action steps around the NIST Framework. Every suggested action is rated on a scale of one to five in terms of importance, with five being “urgent.” Currently, 17 items are considered urgent, including having a consistent response plan, monitoring the physical environment (aka, guidelines for day-to-day operations at the restaurant), and identifying internal and external threats. The guide wraps up with a handy glossary of terms.

Restaurant Business Online, meanwhile, has published six tips for restaurants to consider when it comes to security at their establishments. Of all the tips, “understand that you can’t eliminate risk” highlights one of the most important points about cybersecurity: technology and guidelines may be evolving to combat attacks, but those attacks are evolving right alongside them. Acknowledging that and committing to a plan of constant assessment is perhaps the smartest thing restaurants can do right now.

Sonic eventually acknowledged the attack and posted information on what affected consumers could do. That’s cool and all, but patrons have the least amount of control over the situation when their favorite restaurant gets attacked. Hopefully Cybersecurity 201 can help restaurants assume more of the responsibility for these attacks—before they happen.