LOCAL NEWS
“State COVID-19 Cases Rise To 1,484; 10 In Harrisonburg, Nine In Rockingham County” by DN-R News Desk
- The number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia has skyrocketed to 1,484, with 10 cases in Harrisonburg (DN-R NewsDesk, 2020).
- 9 cases follow in Rockingham (DN-R NewsDesk, 2020).
- Frequent hand washing and social distancing are still encouraged to be practiced during this pandemic (DN-R NewsDesk, 2020).
- Depending on age range, cold or flue symptoms may worsen to imitate pneumonia symptoms (DN-R NewsDesk, 2020).
“Here are the restaurants across our area still serving food” by WHSV Newsroom
- On March 23rd, Governor Northam issued closure of all non-essential businesses and continue the social distance policy (WHSVNewsroom, 2020).
- Restaurants have closed their in-room dining option, but are allowing their customers to continue picking food up from outside areas (WHSVNewsroom, 2020).
- Many workers who have lost their jobs during this pandemic, local restaurants have continued to donate towards the pop-up food bank (WHSVNewsroom, 2020).
- There are still many restaurants open, and serving delivery/pickup options in Harrisonburg, VA (WHSVNewsroom, 2020).
- Includes: Bella Luna Wood-Fire Pizza Kitchen, A&A Kabob Grill, A Bowl of Good Cafe, At Thai Restaurant, Arby’s, Benny’s Pizza, Billy Jack’s Shack, etc (WHSVNewsroom, 2020).
MONITORING SOCIAL MEDIA
INDUSTRY NEWS
Why Pizza Chains Are Weathering The Coronavirus Downturn Better Than Their Restaurant Counterparts
- During the COVID-19 pandemic many smaller restaurants are experiencing a “downturn” in income and are having to look at new marketing tactics
- Many large chain companies have adjusted their marketing strategy during this time towards family meals and meal prep
- While “restaurant brands that have a strong digital infrastructure” look to be in the best position during this crisis
- Digital or mobile services have seen 10 times the usual activity on some platforms, “UberEats has also received up to 10 times its usual restaurant leads”
- While many companies have had to lay workers off pizza companies have been hiring
Many smaller or independent restaurants have had to lay off employees or “like The Cheesecake Factory announces furloughs” (Kelso, 2020). While pizza companies who have adapted and seen an increase in business thanks to their digital strategy have been able to employ “tens of thousands of new employees” (Kelso, 2020). It would benefit Bella Luna to improve their digital options, which are still fairly new. Using social media during this time to clarify how Bella Luna is operating would benefit them as well. So Bella Luna does not suffer financially during this time it would be in their best interest to make an app or register with 3rd party services like Grubhub or UberEats.
“Pat a farmer on the back” : Ag industry continues to face tough times with COVID-19
- Farmers who had been waiting for the trade war with China, which started back in 2018 had been waiting for it to “be ironed out” then coronavirus hit
- “Farmers are seeing anywhere from a 10-20% reduction in price-per-pound at auction” in cattle auctions
- “field service agent for Virginia Farm Bureau overseeing Greene, Madison and Orange counties, said school closures have affected farmers”
- Many farmers are suffering during this time and are uncertain on what their situations in the future may look like
Since Bella Luna is a farm to table restaurant they may want to look into how they can help their providers during this time, to insure they’re there in the future. With rising produce prices Bella Luna may have to look into raising their own prices in order to still purchase produce. If Bella Luna can figure out a marketing strategy that benefits them during this time then they may be able to afford higher produce prices in the future and now.
ADVISORY COMMENT
Bella Luna has implemented curbside pick-up to incorporate social distancing into their business plan. They should also add delivery, which would allow a few more of their employees to continue working as well as encourage people to stay at home. They should emphasize that their restaurant supports local farms who are suffering right now. The need to support local businesses is already being emphasized but we can’t forget about local farms. Since the public cannot easily support farms on their own, they should be encouraged to support them through businesses like Bella Luna rather than ordering pizza from chain restaurants.
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