L ’ OSTERIA
L ’ Osteria ’ s restaurant empire has bounced back from Covid stronger than ever , says Stefan Höllen , its Supply Chain VP
For the hospitality industry the pandemic was traumatic – the stuff of nightmares . Overnight , restaurants closed , staff were furloughed and customers were but a wistful memory .
For the Germany-based Italian food franchise chain L ’ Osteria , the date of March 20 , 2020 , was its darkest ever ; it was the day it had to close all its restaurants across Europe .
“ It was the hardest day in our history ,” confirms Stefan Höllen , L ’ Osteria ’ s Supply Chain VP .
But rather than being defined by the trauma of those closures , L ’ Osteria instead chose to be defined by its response to it .
“ It took only two weeks for us to reopen our delivery and pick up channels ,” says Höllen . “ And within a very short time we had developed a web shop for a home delivery service .
“ Covid showed us just how important it was to be flexible , and how crucial it is to have strong partnerships in the supply chain . It is also important to show our nearly 7,000 employees that we are resilient . Resilience is key .”
L ’ Osteria was so strong that during the entirety of the pandemic it was nearly never out of stock on any products “ because our partners supported us ”, says Höllen .
He adds : “ It showed that we need to have more stability for the future , to be prepared for whatever happens .”
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