C-Store Design In A Post Covid-19 World

Last quarter we talked about the new decade and how it would be a great time to start thinking of new goals for the future of your business. COVID-19 may have caused us to adjust these plans. A portion of our daily lives, both personally and professionally have come to a standstill and we can’t quite picture what the new norm will be when it is all said and done. With the right adjustments, whose to say your business plans can’t exceed expectations?

A few ideas to think about while navigating the new norm:

How to make your stores safe for your employees?

  • So far, we have seen the addition of sneeze-guards to cash registers.
  • Upgrading technology – with technology always evolving, what aspects of your store can be upgraded to be zero- contact? To create a faster and checkout process and have customers use their phone as a method of contact-free payment.

How can design affect how your customer sees your store in the future?

  • The design and aspects of your store may become even more important than before. Especially for larger travel centers and truck stops. With truck drivers being essential, their ability to get the rest needed on long drives comes from truck stop amenities. The design of the bathrooms, lounge areas and food options are all important factors in keeping their essential industry up and running.
  • The current flow of your store will need adopt new guidelines for safety. This allows you as owners, and us as designers to get creative with how to go about making these changes while keeping the safety of all parties as a top priority.

Designing your food offerings to better handle delivery, pick- up, and drive-thru.

  • An open concept kitchen. A good example of this being done is Their open concept kitchen gives the customer a firsthand look at how their food is being made and how it has been prepped. Along with having the ability to see the cleanliness of the kitchen, they can trust that their food is coming from a reliable source.
  • Now that you have kitchen your customers can trust, how are you updating your ability to get your product to your customer? Do you have a drive thru? Can you redesign the layout of your store to accommodate this? If not, the option to have a curb-side pick up option will help keep your foodservice moving. What ideas can help develop our plans for future adversities?

 

Paragon is still up and running, let us help you design a store for the future that helps keep you, your employees, and customers safe and healthy. When you are ready or if you have any questions for us, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are happy to help in any way we can.

Call 817.927.7171 or email me at alawshe@paragon4design.com

Arika Lawshe Marketing Director

Paragon Solutions

817.927.7171

paragon4design.com

alawshe@paragon4design.com