A Virtual Restaurant Concept Coming To Nascar Has A Higher Purpose Than Feeding Fans

COVID-19 changed the world as we know it, in many ways permanently. The devastating pandemic affected everyone, forcing us to quarantine; mask up and practice “social distancing” on the few occasions we dared venture out.

Shut off from the world, we all adapted to a new normal. We had groceries delivered directly to our doors, along with just about everything else we needed to get through the week. Our lives carried on through Zoom, we binge watched Netflix NFLX +3.4% and learned how to make sourdough starter.

More than a year removed its start, the pandemic is still with us. But we are quarantining less, doing our own grocery shopping, and on occasion visiting restaurants. At least those restaurants that survived.

Of all the industries that were devastated when the world shut down, perhaps no industry took a harder hit than the restaurant industry. According to some estimates more than 110,000 eateries were forced to shutter their doors with a loss of 2.5 million jobs.

Those that did survive had to overcome, adapt, and pivot. Delivery and take out became an important part of the business, in many cases the only part of the business.

With the world slowly emerging from COVID the restaurants that remain are once again seating diners. Yet, many of the lessons learned, and habits formed, during the shutdown remain. New ways of doing business that were once unthought of are sticking around.