The Great Reopening Of Restaurants: What CPS Is Doing To Help

If you were to ask any restaurant owner in July of 2020 whether or not it was a good idea to open a new restaurant, they probably would have given you a crazy look. Covid-19 decimated the food service industry, and the National Restaurant Association estimates that more than 110,000 eating and drinking establishments in the United States closed in 2020, with nearly 2.5 million jobs erased from pre-pandemic levels.

However, with vaccines on the rise and dwindling Covid-19 cases in many states, life seems to be slowly returning to some semblance of normalcy – and that includes eating out. According to Forbes, many restaurant owners are asking themselves important questions: Are we going to keep serving up QR codes in 2022 or go back to physical menus? Do we continue to expand our app-based ordering programs, or focus mainly on in-person dining?

Although many questions are unanswered, one thing’s for sure: 2021 is experiencing a great reopening of restaurants nationwide.

So, what does that mean? For starters, restaurants are challenged to re-hire employees who they were forced to let go when the pandemic hit. That in itself is proving more difficult than anticipated. According to The Guardian, “workers in the restaurant and service industries have expressed their struggles throughout the pandemic and pointed to industry-wide obstacles as driving factors for labor shortages.” Indeed, when opening a new restaurant there are a million things to worry about…

Testing recipes and collaborating as a team shouldn’t be one of them.

That’s why at CPS we’re proud to announce the official opening of our Test Kitchen locations in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. Our Test Kitchens are exactly what they sound like - a commercial kitchen space with commercial kitchen equipment where restaurant employees like chefs, bakers, and mixologists can confidently prepare for the opening of their up-and-coming restaurant.

Our Test Kitchens serve as a way to alleviate at least one worry during the restaurant opening process, and they’re extremely easy to book and use. We provide all the commercial kitchen equipment; our partner restaurants just need to bring their ingredients. Available amenities include a stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer, deep fryer, and even a bakery proofer.

Although our goal with the Test Kitchens is to provide support for up-and-coming restaurants before they open, the service doesn’t stop there. With our Proactive Maintenance Program, we can also help new and existing food service establishments extend the life and reduce the cost of repair costs for commercial kitchen equipment. And by doing so, we also help reduce unwanted downtime in the back of the house – key for new restaurants that are trying to make a name for themselves and establish a loyal fanbase.

For more information on our Test Kitchens, visit our dedicated program page HERE. Or, if you’re ready to book a facility, simply contact your local branch with your proposed dates. Together, we’ll keep America cooking.

  • Cincinnati: John Thorpe, Branch Manager; 513-984-1990
  • Columbus: Brian Hamilton, Branch Manager; 614-221-0057

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