Businesses adapt and succeed during COVID-19 crisis

Three Gladstone businesses have thrived in the challenging climate by adapting their operations.

Schnitz Gladstone manager Kristal Laugesen has adapted the restaurant's practices to include deliveries during COVID-19 under the guidance of owner Christopher Allen.

MANY Gladstone businesses have been challenged by the impact of COVID-19 and for Schnitz, Guzman y Gomez and Ray White, it was a chance to refine their processes to succeed in a brave new business world.

Guzman y Gomez Gladstone manager Dante Reynaud said social distancing restrictions inspired him to come up with new ways of supporting customers and staff.

"At Guzman y Gomez, we always support our customers and so we launched our Got Your Back menu through our app and in store," he said.

"Our hope with the app is to be able to reach all of our regular customers - and entice new ones - to try our food from the safety of their own homes."

This move to delivery has allowed the restaurant to succeed by not only retaining its staff, but even taking back staff who were studying in Brisbane who may have lost their jobs.

For Schnitz Stockland owner Christopher Allen, the move to delivery was a "no-brainer".

"I worked in the pizza industry for 15 years, where delivery was a key element to business, and so have applied that knowledge and experience to make it work for us here at Schnitz," he said.

Mr Allen said all menu items available to order through the website, with delivery straight to your door.

"It's something I've always wanted to offer our customers as an option, so this was the push we needed to finally make that work for our store."

Ray White Gladstone director John Fieldus said his staff saw the pandemic as an exciting new challenge.

While his office had been shut, staff worked from home and they introduced virtual video property inspections.

"We are adapting and changing and what it has done is challenged us to enter the virtual world much quicker, we have evolved probably two or three years in 30 days," he said.