Since digital is taking away everything in its path, including office work, and it is now possible to work fully remotely, the question of the relevance of local businesses (restaurants, cafes, etc.) located in the old office quarters arises.

In fact, teleworking has pushed employment to a four-day week, even if legally, this has not yet been formalized. In practice, attendance at local shops on Fridays fell by more than 50%. However, it is Friday which should (logically) be the busiest day at work, and therefore at the lunch restaurant, since it is the last day of work, the opportunity to toast with colleagues and to go out evening.

But instead, the timetable of individuals living in large cities is being literally chopped up, giving rise to a redistribution of frequentation of shops, or by spreading it out (example of the person who would its shopping on Tuesdays at 1:45 p.m.), or completely by polarizing it (see the restaurants – for those who are still alive – taken by storm on Tuesdays or Thursdays).

Not to mention the rainy days, the days when we are not motivated, the days when we have to look after the children, the days when the bike is flat... Not to mention the often ineffective transport, the “emptying” strategy. city centers by public authorities with measures such as paid parking for two-wheelers.

In short, all of this put together has literally changed the lives of employees, and the generalization of teleworking will perhaps disrupt urban planning by diluting the density of travel and housing.

On the positive side, employees feel less stressed, are more satisfied and report being more engaged in their work. They have an extra day or half-day of rest (even if not necessarily non-working in reality), they spend less time in transport, and they have more time for their personal life and for their family.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages, including reduced productivity of certain employees, very reduced responsiveness and competence of technical support that business customers may experience, a reduction in communication between employees and therefore a reduction in the effectiveness of these same supports.

Still in the disadvantages, we could mention the human bond between employees which is reduced to nothing, whether for the efficiency of the company or even from a purely personal point of view for friendly or romantic encounters, not to mention the increased increase in sedentary lifestyle, loneliness as well as the reduction in exposure to light. All of this is creating a generation of employees who very rarely move, very rarely connect in real terms with other people, and who feel less and less interpersonal emotion, with all the problems of health that this will lead to in terms of longevity and happiness.

And finally, the latest blow concerns local businesses, whose attendance has fallen, causing a cascade of bankruptcies in large city centers, and rental values which should probably fall within a few years, because the repayment of debts That's not the only problem. And since we were talking about meetings, connection and happiness, these same local businesses participated precisely in people's lives, and in the creation of their emotions, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, but which are ultimately the characteristic of To be human.

So while waiting for the creation of modern work centers or decentralized eco-villages, including swimming pool, gym, catering, bridge club, nurseries and tree climbing, what is the future in city centers for restaurants, cafes and shops in general which are not located in a tourist area but which are located in former work and meeting centers?

No one knows, in the meantime, here are some thoughts to survive the time it will take before the market finally self-rectifies definitively:

• Produce statistics on days of reduced attendance and adjust the workforce accordingly, or even calculate the benefit/cost of closing certain days;
• Improve processes and productivity by simplifying the menu and using machines (kitchen, order terminals, robot, innovations, etc.) in order to relieve pressure on days when everyone comes at the same time;
• Propose differentiating offers on off days, in order to start recruiting a different clientele (residents, tourists, etc.);
• Reduce all incidental costs and hidden costs, while waiting to find color;
• Start finding out about installations in decentralized places whose dynamism is maintained by rejecting city centers like Paris (suburbs, shopping centers, activity centers on the outskirts, etc.);
• In times of crisis, we tend to try everything, diversify our offering too much and confuse the message with the consumer, when it is possible as a strategy to take the opposite view and improve the experience and perceived value in our field. expertise, in order to convince the customer to come and consume at your place (typical example with the coffee shop), even if this advice goes against the 3rd advice which recommended differentiating its offer, but it is up to each person to find their own formula ;
• Communicate, communicate, communicate, since today, everything is (unfortunately) more than social networks and self-promotion...

If you have other ideas or would like to bounce back, don’t hesitate to leave a comment 😉