The coronavirus pandemic has caused small businesses everywhere a lot of problems. Social distancing, the limits on who can work, and even wearing masks and other protective equipment have created several problems for small businesses. Restaurants and grocery stores have been especially hard hit; restaurants have been forced to be even more careful than normal, and grocery stores have to be especially wary of how customers act within their stores. There is no question that the pandemic has changed business, and some of those changes are going to be with us for quite a while.
The Basics
Every business has had to deal with masks and social distancing, as well as determining if they are considered an essential business or not. That latter question is definitely a question for a business lawyer; which businesses are considered essential are not always clear, making for a question that can require a definite answer. Social distancing is another issue that businesses are finding to be interesting. While some businesses are already set up for it, others have had to place markers on the floor to help delineate exactly where customers can stand in line. A number of businesses have found some clever ways of getting the point across.
Masks have made life interesting, especially for businesses with a number of security concerns. Enforcing masks has become a major issue, both for customers and employees; some customers are balking their use due to political issues, while some employees are finding them restrictive at work. Even alternative gear, such as face shields, are disliked. Fortunately, most businesses have put up plastic shields near cashier stations as another form of protection for both customers and employees. Most businesses are quickly adapting to the majority of problems presented by the pandemic.
The Problem With Food PreparationÂ
Businesses that rely on food preparation have been especially hard hit. They have had to enforce new standards while at the same ensuring that old standards are still followed; the mask issue has really become an issue for some places due to how employees hate wearing them, but management has usually prevailed. Some items on various menus have been discontinued due to how they prepared, while others have had to be prepared differently. Some restaurants have had to curtail dine-in service, while others have limited seating to allow for social distancing. All of this has made preparing and serving food an interesting venture.
Curbside and Delivery
A shining light has been an increase in curbside and delivery. Businesses started offering curbside service as a way to deal with social distancing: A customer could place an order, pay for it through credit cards, and then pick it up once they arrived. This is something that some businesses may keep as it reduces the time customers are inside the store while providing a valuable service to the customers. Delivery has become a lot more popular, and apps and various delivery services have increased their range and services that they are attached to, making for a great service to the business and customer.
How A Business Attorney Can Help
Obviously, a small business can use whatever help they can use in this environment. There are a number of new legal codes in use in order to help limit the spread of the virus, making the advice of an attorney invaluable when it comes to navigating the new codes. An attorney can help a small business determine which codes apply to specific businesses as well as how to post the signage necessary to communicate the changes to customers and employees alike. The attorney can also help navigate any breaches of those laws, should it be necessary. One shining example is Cory Briggs, a San Diego attorney who works tirelessly to help small business owners when it seems like no one else will.
A business attorney can help any small business even under normal circumstances; there are always legal questions that pop up over even the smallest matter, and there are always legal forms that need to be updated and gone over. However, in an era where the rules seem to keep changing every few months, a little paranoia is not necessarily a bad thing and having someone able to go over the rules with a business owner can be well worth the money. You need someone whose expertise can make life easier for you, and given how vital following the rules can be to just doing business, an appointment with an attorney can be the best thing for your business.