From the Frontlines: A Conversation with Brooke Gatton

In this series, Harri is highlighting members of our team who are up to big things and have big insights. This week we have Brooke Gatton, Account Manager at Harri, discussing the market happenings she is seeing. As restaurants and bars across the country are navigating reopenings, we are discussing employee health and safety measures your business should be taking to make employees and guests alike feel safe. 

Q: So Brooke, as someone who deals facilitating the expansion of products to current clients, what do you see as the biggest challenge for restaurant operations, in regards to health and safety compliance?

A: Right now, there are little to no guidelines and this lack of clarity is immensely tough for restaurant operators to navigate. Most of them want to be part of the solution by mandating health and safety practices to ensure that employees and guests are safe. In reality, restaurants are operating with much leaner teams than before the pandemic and far more is expected of them. There is no room for error and it is forcing these organizations to reflect on the way they are utilizing or not utilizing technology. 

Conversations around health and safety are changing from day to day, minute to minute, and state to state. Operators need to figure out the best way to implement, train and track these practices from corporate down to the unit level. Then figure out how they will communicate across the organization when rules and regulation change again. Not only are restaurants expected to be up to date with current mandates they are expected to adapt quickly. 

The one thing every organization I speak with agrees upon is that we need to protect our frontline restaurant workers. It is an incredibly frustrating time for operators everywhere, however, we are seeing a lot of brands turn this frustration into a positive change for their organization. We are seeing many use the opportunity to consolidate technology and focus on the employee experience which will benefit them as our industry bounces back in the years to come.

Q: What trends are you seeing in states with higher case numbers? 

A: The restaurant industry shoulders a lot of responsibility for public safety, which means we suffer for non-compliance as a whole. Different parts of the country continue to respond and operate very differently. At first, states with higher case numbers were resistant to implement any health tracking methods beyond pen-and-paper. From my end, I saw coastal states take the lead in implementing safety practices and utilizing our technology to keep employees and customers safe. Restaurants in states with higher case numbers are coming around but it is our goal to get this tool to the industry before things get this bad. 

Q: Why is it so important for restaurants to utilize masks and other forms of PPE? Why is there resistance anyway?

A: Guests are expecting a much higher standard of safety. Masks and other PPE are a physical identifier to your guests that you are taking proper precautions. On top of that, from what I have seen, staff wants to protect themselves even more and HR should be supportive of employee health and safety. However, some states do not have to comply with PPE, so there is resistance from customers and employees. Although, the fact of the matter is that these health and safety practices are the new reality, at least for the foreseeable future. The more we can do on our end to encourage restaurant operators to instill a health check platform and PPE usage, the safer it will be for customers and employees alike.

Q: Since operations are changing on a seemingly daily basis, how do Harri’s solutions work to make proving compliance and managing the new regulations easier?  

A: Our technology provides our clients with the dexterity needed to successfully navigate these employee health and safety changes. We allow for you to have a different set up for each jurisdiction you operate in, so if you operate a business California and Florida, you can have two separate setups that each comply with the rules in that particular jurisdiction. Our Health Check Platform is another fantastic tool that comes with a map that articulates the different rules and regulations per state so you can be aware of any changes. Yes, these changes can be incredibly difficult and hard to follow, but they are for the better. Harri’s technology allows you to put these into practice and rest assured that you are doing everything to promote the safety and well being of your team and guests.