How Businesses Are Adapting to Our New Reality

Before: More than 3.2 million visitors per year
After: Virtual reality tours, re-opening with limited on-grounds capacity and reduced hours of operation

The San Diego Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in the world, typically receiving over 4 million visitors a year. The zoo is home to more than 650 species and subspecies of animals. Needless to say, this is a massive operation to attempt to make valuable during times of a pandemic. 

San Diego Zoo @PatchCalifornia / Twitter.com | ©Fotos593 / Shutterstock.com

The zoo’s website features multiple live cams of animals such as koalas, hippos and more! They even have an entire website dedicated to learning and experience for kids, including virtual field trips. Although they have been hard at work for the entirety of Covid-19, they plan on opening back up in late June. 

Before: Theatrical releases
After: Films released online

Let’s face it: the film industry was one of the hardest hit by this pandemic. With all movie theaters closed nationwide, films that had been planning on coming out on certain dates for over a year were suddenly thrown in limbo. Do studios push the release date and wait for theaters to open? Or do they just release the films online?

NBCUniversal ©StockLite | ©Antonio Guillem / Shuttesrstock.com

NBC Universal has had virtual conferences with advertisers to explain how their content will be unfolding in this digital, watch-at-home age. One of their latest big blockbuster comedy films that was supposed to be in theaters, is Judd Apatow’s new film, The King Of Staten Island, which is available to stream online now, when it was supposed to be in theaters. 

Before: Massive offices around the world
After: Work-from-home 

For a company that has always been a leader in terms of cool, hip, snack-filled office environments where you can skateboard down the halls and get free frozen yogurt whenever you want it, it takes a lot to change their policy to allow some staff to permanently work from home.

Facebook ©G-Stock Studio | ©Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock.com

Facebook followed other big tech companies like Square and Twitter, who also announced similar policies. One of the financial benefits for large companies like this is lowering the overhead of their in-office amenities, but also reducing salaries to match the costs of living where remote workers reside.  

Before: Crowded convenience stores
After: Strict social distancing measures in place

Although rules have been different in different places around the country, all 7-11’s are taking measures to ensure minimal customers in the store at a time. Before the pandemic, people could walk into a 7-11, grab their Slurpees and Doritos, pay and walk out, no problem.

7-Eleven ©Sorbis | ©ferdyboy / Shutterstock.com

But now, most stores are limiting their capacity to 10 people at a time and have even placed markers on the floor to make sure people stay 6 feet apart. They have placed plexiglass screens in front of the registers to ensure workers are protected from potentially infected shoppers. 

Before: Busy, crowded restaurants
After: Doordash, Uber Eats, partitions

Even before Covid-19, Shake Shack was already ahead of the game in terms of digital technology. With the Shake Shack app you could place orders on your phone and get notified when they are ready. That said, they took pride in their in-restaurant experience and made efforts to make the restaurants a pleasant place to hang out. 

Shake Shack ©Heng Lim | ©Simone Hogan / Shutterstock.com

Well, since no one can hang out in restaurants anymore, Shake Shack had to get very clever to keep their business thriving during the times of Covid-19. The Coronavirus pandemic has caused them to make their burgers and shakes available on many of the other delivery services. 

Before: Normal operations
After: Private dining huts, plexiglass dividers, take-away services, and more

In the age of celebrity chefs and visually stunning,  Instagrammable meals, higher-end restaurants have had to completely redesign their business model to stay in business during the pandemic. They are doing everything they can to keep their employees employed and income coming in for their business. 

Fine Dining Restaurants ©Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com | @mkmargie / Twitter.com

Some restaurants have offered pre-fixe to-go only options when you get an entire meal specially made to work well for take-out, and instructions on how to reheat the food properly to the standards specified by the chef. Some restaurants are also turning into temporary grocery stores, selling their organics produce, dairy, and other dry goods to customers looking to find high-quality ingredients. 

Before: Casual attire
After: Mask production

The Japanese casual wear company Uniqlo has always been known for comfortable, affordable simple attire. When malls and retail centers shut down due to the pandemic, Uniqlo had to adapt quickly, just like most other attire brands. They shifted to promote online shopping of course, but they also focused on making one new product: masks.

Uniqlo ©2p2play / Shutterstock.com | @PatBed / Youtube.com

Uniqlo’s masks were met with high-demand that moment they became available. Customers around the world wanted to get their hands on some of these masks because they are made with their signature, “AIRism” technology. The masks are selling out near instantly when made available. 

Before: Regular games with crowded arenas
After: TBD

The NBA completely shut down back in March as the Coronavirus began to spread across the US. Since then, they have been working diligently to find a solution to finishing the season and preventing the crushing of the hopes and dreams of fans and players who were anxious to see their teams compete in the playoffs. 

NBA ©zhangjin_net | ©Anze Furlan / Shutterstock.com

Recently, they have been trying to arrange for a tournament in Orlando at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, but even that has proven difficult. One hurdle is that virus cases have been on the rise in Florida lately, another is that many NBA players are talking about boycotting in the interest of raising awareness for social justice and racial inequality.

Before: Bustling lineup
After: Empty stages

Unfortunately for NYC Opera lovers, the Metropolitan Opera House was not considered “essential business” and was forced to close its doors. Luckily, many wealthy donors have supported the Opera during these times. That said, even with it’s doors closed to the public, the Metropolitan Opera House has been able to keep their mission alive. 

Metropolitan Opera House ©Ferenc Szelepcsenyi | ©Diego Cervo / Shutterstock.com

To further the advancement of the artform, they have made many opera shows available for online streaming. They have been putting out announcements and newsletter and all sorts of other information to keep the opera community engaged. 

Before: Open houses and home tours
After: Virtual open houses and drive-thru closings

Over the past few years, the technology that comes along with home shopping has been evolving dramatically. With quarantine rules and social distancing in effect, finding yourself a new abode is extra tricky, but real estate agents are doing everything they can to help you find your dream house. 

Remax ©True Touch Lifestyle | ©Andrey_Popov/ Shutterstock.com

The major real estate broking company, Remax, has utilized many online tools to help potential home buyers browse new homes without having to leave their current homes. You can take a virtual 3-D tour and get a sense of how the space feels, without having to take the risk of contracting Covid-19. 

Before: Common public hangout
After: Pick up orders only

The humongous coffee corporation Starbucks had to drastically shift their global business model once the pandemic started to spread internationally. In the US especially, Stabucks is a business that thrives on a tried-and-true American business model: people grabbing a quick cup of coffee on their way into work. 

Starbucks ©Michael Gordon | ©Bignai / Shutterstock.com

Well, that has all changed. Considering coffee is one of the easiest things to make at home (and that you can even get Starbucks coffee at the grocery store) people are less inclined to visit the shops. That’s why Starbucks has implemented delivery through Uber Eats, mobile app ordering, and quick grab and go take out systems.

Before: Open to the public
After: Virtual reality tours

Although you might think a space as wide open and majestic as Yellowstone National Park would be generally easy to maintain social distance, the US government shut down all National Park amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though National Parks are beginning to open again, there are still many procedures in place to ensure safety for all. 

Yellowstone National Park ©RaksyBH | ©Mr. Tempter / Shutterstock.com

One fun thing Yellowstone did while they were closed was create “virtual walks” and post the videos to the National Parks Service website. You can go online and check out the Lower Falls, the Lookout Point and even observe the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.” You can even watch a live cam of Old Faithful!

Before: No restrictions
After: Many safety restrictions in place

Golf was one of the first outdoor recreational activities to be allowed to resume when restrictions began to lift around the nation. However, because of the variety in kinds of golf course, public, private, walking course, cart driven course etc, each golf course was faced with their own decision making process on how to keep the game safe. 

The Golf Club At Newcastle ©sirtravelalot | ©Mr.Somchai Sukkasem / Shutterstock.com

Many courses have implemented a “don’t touch the flag,” policy. Whereas one would usually pull out the flag prior to the end of a hole, now you just leave it in there so people aren’t touching it all day. Courses have also placed foam risers within the holes so you can easily grab your ball without spreading germs into the cup. Another rule is that only one person can ride in each cart.

Before: Crowded stores, no delivery
After: Doordash, Drive-thru Covid-19 testing

CVS, being an essential business, has been open the entire time since the beginning of the pandemic. They have enforced a strict 6 foot social distance rule, with markers on the floor to ensure customers maintain this gap. This makes lines longer, but it is worth it to prevent yourself from contracting the virus. 

CVS ©Colleen Michaels | ©On The Run Photo/ Shutterstock.com

CVS also has implemented delivery services to encourage customers to stay at home. They have their own pharmaceutical delivery service in some areas and also have utilized the popular food delivery service, Doordash. Some locations are even offering drive-thru Covid-19 testing.