Crisis Management in Restaurants: The Case of Polish Restaurants during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The article aims to identify effective actions taken by the catering industry as part of crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The time scope of the research concerns the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the period from 13 March to 18 May 2020. The research method used in the study was a questionnaire survey (CAWI). The survey results showed that the most frequent action taken by restaurants was applying for government assistance. On the other hand, most marketing activities were related to the assessment of the situation and the prospects for restaurants. Relationships were also found between restaurant management activities and restaurant characteristics (number of employees, number of years of operation and location). The developed research tool can help in assessing effective actions taken by restaurant managers during a crisis.