SAN FRANCISCO, March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As cities around the country shut down amid COVID-19 fears, few industries are feeling the effects quite as harshly as restaurants. With a shelter-in-place order from California Governor Gavin Newsom in effect since March 19th, 2020, many restaurants are shutting down with no news of when they might reopen.

The long term impact on restaurants and their staff is predicted to be devastating. In a matter of weeks, restaurants have gone from service as usual to, in many cases, a 100% loss in income. According to a report by the Job Quality Index (JQI), a research project from Cornell Law School and the Coalition for a Prosperous America, in the restaurant industry alone more than 10 million jobs are at risk. Many of these are low-wage positions making the potential layoffs even more devastating for vulnerable workers.

However, there is some hope for saving the industry through takeout and food delivery orders.

The California executive order requires all restaurant dining rooms to remain closed and asks all residents to remain at home except for essential activities. Essential businesses are allowed to remain open if they can ensure social distancing guidelines. This includes takeout and delivery restaurants.

Allowing restaurants to remain open will not only help feed local residents in lockdown but more importantly, it will help save jobs and small businesses. While restaurant dining rooms continue to shut across the country, food delivery orders are up. These orders help to support not only restaurant owners but restaurant employees and even more vulnerable gig economy workers, like those delivering for UberEats.

Paytouch, a POS and restaurant management system, is stepping in to help. At Paytouch, we are seeing the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on our community firsthand. As restaurant owners continue to stay vigilant with food safety and customers' wellness, we want to help smooth out your transition to a delivery only system during this crisis. Our partnership with UberEats enables restaurants to recoup possible revenue through delivery orders.

"In times like these, it's important to help the restaurant owners that have been the backbone of our communities," says Robert Marhamat, CEO of Paytouch. "It's time to forget about our revenues, forget about profits and focus on helping others in need. We are all in this together. As an organization, we believe it's time to take action and do what we can to support our local restaurants and communities."

The COVID-19 crisis will most likely be devastating to the restaurant industry as a whole. We would like to help restaurants minimize the interruption of sales, with the adoption of online ordering and delivery becoming a key element of getting ahead of the losses. If online ordering, takeout, and delivery are not currently part of a restaurant's business model, Paytouch would like to help your business build them out quickly and at no cost.

Delivery service is a great way for restaurants to stay connected to existing customers. It allows customers to lend their support to their favorite local restaurants in this difficult time. With so many restaurants closing, offering delivery service is also a great way to connect with new customers in the area.

To show our ongoing support, all restaurants will receive:

• 3 months of POS service: $79/month is now Free
• Online ordering platform : $49/month is now Free indefinitely
• Free Delivery Integration Module (Integration with 3rd party Takeout and Delivery Apps): $89/month is now Free indefinitely

About Paytouch
Paytouch, established in 2017, was built to help empower restaurateurs and help their businesses thrive. Our platform helps restaurateurs orchestrate their operations through an innovative point of sale and end-to-end operations system. The AI-based controls help restaurants thrive by managing and simplifying everything from the POS system to staff management, marketing, inventory, online orders, and delivery.

Contact:
Phuong Vu
469-818-4931
[email protected]

SOURCE Paytouch