Cooler Weather Checklist

As we approach a seasonal shift, it’s important to make sure your business is in order. Much like spring cleaning, fall can be a perfect time to prep for what’s ahead – colder temps, holidays and changes in customer traffic (both good and not so good). Make time now so you can ease into the colder weather. Consider the following list a good starting point for preparing your operations, employees and facility for fall and winter.

• Deep clean outside. Before closing patios for the season, power wash floors and clean all furniture and umbrellas with an all-purpose cleaner.
• Spruce up inside. Make small repairs, check the roof and debut fresh paint. Tackle all the projects you didn’t have time for during the busy summer months.
• Change your mats. With fall and winter come added debris, rain and snow. Help prevent slips and falls with a scraper mat that traps soils below the surface and a classic mat to wipe off any remaining dirt or water. It’s the perfect floor mat combo.
• Freshen up your website and social channels. Take this time to check your website for accuracies and relevance: Are your hours up to date? Do you have the most up-to-date services posted? Has it been awhile since you’ve shared on Instagram?
• Create holiday promotions. If your industry typically slows down during the cold months, think of ways to entice customers (e.g., sales, 2-for-1 offers or loyalty programs). Hospitality businesses should start developing holiday menus and work out inventories.
• Plan for seasonal hiring and time off. Speaking of holidays, get ahead of any employee adjustments, such as hiring temporary staff to keep up with seasonal spikes or cover workers who ask for vacation around those days.  
• Order new uniforms. Short sleeves and shorts will need to take a back seat to long sleeves, pants and outerwear. You may even want to switch up your styles a bit.
• Keep outdoor staff safe. If employees are shoveling sidewalks or parking lots, or working outdoors for extended periods of time like construction crews, provide hi-visibility jackets, pants or coveralls for increased visibility and safety.
• Make sure your mechanical systems work properly. Schedule a furnace inspection before you think you’ll need to use it. Also, you may want to invest in a generator in case of power outages. A small restaurant could lose everything stored in a walk-in freezer if power is lost.
• Prepare your fleet. Winterize all employee vehicles before the snow flies. This may include putting on winter tires, inspecting brakes, providing motorist kits and checking batteries.

By no means is this an exhaustive list of everything you may encounter, but it does cover the basics. Let it serve as a springboard for specific conversations in your business. Being planful means you won’t have to drop everything to put out fires. When you can minimize interruptions to your service, customers keep coming back and you will reap the rewards.