Page 31 - BusinessWest January 6, 2021

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2021 >>
Restaurants
Continued from page 25
test’ is those with the experience and will to maneuver through this whitewa- ter. “There are some people who have been doing this a long time, and this
is a tough business; these are the ones who will probably buckle down and adjust to leaner times.”
Summing up 2020 and speaking for everyone in his sector, Yee said it’s been a long, long, long haul.
Indeed it has, a nine-month stretch of restrictions that have varied in their severity, but have been generally puni- tive to restaurateurs, limiting how, where, and when they can serve diners. Some have fared reasonably well with takeout, outdoor dining, and reduced indoor seating, he noted, but none are doing anything approaching what they
Fitness
Continued from page 30
world over.”
For gyms that are moving forward with in-per-
son activity, the safety measures are critical, Danny Deane said. At a time when Baker is rolling back indoor capacity limits and tightening safety man- dates due to the recent viral spike, “we’ve had all this set in stone from the get-go, so we don’t have to all of a sudden introduce masks or reduce capacity. We’ve been on point the whole time.”
Added Jessye, “there’s no reason for us not to be as safe as possible. We have members who have com- promised immune systems. We have members who have elderly parents. It’s really important to us that we’re protecting all our members — our F45 family, and all their families.
“This is hard,” she said, gesturing at a safely dis- tanced group workout going on behind her. “It’s even harder with a mask. But people have adapted, and it’s been really impressive to see the way our mem- bers have been committed to us and stuck by us
— because we would not be able to get through this without them.”
Not only has the business survived, but, as noted, it expanded. When the Deanes decided last year to open a second location in West Springfield, called F45 Training Riverdale, the pandemic was months away from anyone’s radar.
When COVID-19 did appear, “did we ever think
“This isn’t the business model we signed up for. I don’t think it’s the business model anyone signed up for. But we wouldn’t be operational at all if we weren’t positive we could offer a safe environment.
about turning the other way?” Danny said. “No, abso- lutely not. It was full steam ahead, always.”
Jessye called it a “burn the boats” move. “We will always adapt, and we’re committed to the people we serve because we’ve seen how it changes lives,” she said. “Every worry has been worth it. We’re giving people years on their lives. We’re not here so people can have abs. Abs are great, don’t get me wrong, but we really want people to live longer and move better. So there was no way we were going to turn our back on that.”
Of course, the planned April opening on Riverdale Street wasn’t going to happen, but they did go ahead with a grand-opening event of sorts: a virtual workout fundraiser to support local healthcare heroes, with all proceeds donated to Baystate Health. The new facil-
ity opened its doors to members four months later, in August.
The fitness centers that survive 2020 will have to make their own decisions about how much program- ming to offer in-person and virtually going forward. As Mannion noted, “COVID-19 accelerated a trend of at-home workouts, and businesses have been forced to respond ... The fitness businesses of the future real- ize they need to be adaptable and offer both in-per- son and virtual workouts in order to prevent shocks and to cater to the evolving needs of the consumer.”
Still, Jessye Deane said she’s looking to the days when they can once again pack in members at their two physical locations.
“This isn’t the business model we signed up for,” she said of the much-less-crowded studios these days. “I don’t think it’s the business model any-
one signed up for. But we wouldn’t be operational at all if we weren’t positive we could offer a safe environment.”
However, they’re both optimistic about what will happen in 2021, as mandates fade and people realize they miss working out together.
“We have done a significant job growing through this, but there’s still a significant pool to tap into once the restrictions are lifted,” Danny said. “I’m really excited to see both facilities back at full capacity.” u
were doing a year ago, revenue-wise. And many have decided they can’t
continue to slug it out, he said, noting closures up and down the Pioneer Val- ley and also in the Berkshires. As bad as it’s been, it’s been far worse in major cities with much higher commercial lease rates, he told BusinessWest, add- ing that Boston has been devasted, and perhaps 35% of all the restaurants in New York will chose for good due to the pandemic.
Despite the devastation, the pan- demic did provide some positive learn- ing experiences, especially when it came to outdoor dining, something few restaurants had tried, but now were all but forced to undertake. It’s something that may become a permanent fixture.
“It has been a good learning experi- ence for us,” he said, citing the Student
Prince in Springfield as perhaps the best example from within the Bean Group of an establishment that invest- ed heavily in outdoor dining and saw some success. “We are going to try to emulate that and duplicate that next year.”
Looking ahead, he does have con- fidence that the vaccines are cause
for optimism, and also that, when this pandemic is over, people will go back to their old habits of dining out — a question that many have been asking over the past several months as the discussion turns to how the pandemic may change societal norms for the long term.
“I agree with people who say we can see the finish line with COVID,” he told BusinessWest. “My feeling is that, by March, things will start to loosen up a
little; by the summertime we’ll be back to some kind of new normal, whatever that means; and in the fourth quarter we’ll roar back with people going out and celebrating.”
Meanwhile, for the entrepreneur- ial — and he certainly falls into that category — there will be opportuni- ties within this sector as the pandemic draws on and more establishments grow weary of the fight.
Yee said he’s already received a number of calls from individuals look- ing to sell, and he expects those calls to keep coming.
In that respect, 2021 might see many more changes to the landscape in this important sector. u
—George O’Brien
”
Technology
Continued from page 27
risk factors.
If a business owner wants to plan
for a hybrid model going forward, he or she must consider ways to secure entrances, exits, and access points with tools like body-temperature scanners or touchless door-access controls. They can also benefit significantly tools like cloud voice with call forwarding, to make transitions seamless when staff migrate from the office to remote-work environments.
“In order for hybrid to work, remote technology needs to be secure and
seamless,” Hogan said, “while work- ers and customers need to feel safe in person.”
The third model is an in-person workplace with social distancing. “For a minority of businesses, all activities are dependent on the physical location remaining open,” he noted. “For these businesses, owners need to consider how to adhere to and accommodate various safety measures to ensure com- pliance and worker safety.”
Regardless of which workplace envi- ronment is chosen, Hogan said, three critical aspects must be addressed
to ensure success. The first is that
employees need access to cloud voice to keep team members in constant communication and to ensure that office calls are properly routed to cell phones when team members are out of the office. Second, the team needs to be able to collaborate effectively.
Lastly, every workplace environ- ment needs to be kept secure. For in- person strategies, this means secure access points, with tech like body-tem- perature scanners to ensure illnesses cannot spread. For remote workplaces, this means cybersecurity precau-
tions have to be considered because, generally speaking, home networks
—Joseph Bednar
pose much higher risks than office environments.
“We are currently meeting with customers, and, depending on what they want to achieve in 2021, we are devising custom technology plans to help them accomplish their strategic goals,” Hogan said. “This is what lead- ers do — they step up and lead in times of uncertainty. We are using our exper- tise to provide structure and clarity so that businesses can continue to thrive. Technology just happens to be our par- ticular expertise, but this effort is about honoring our responsibility to the busi- ness community at large.” u
BusinessWest
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2021
JANUARY 6, 2021 31