Bay Businesses

Bay Businesses Anticipate BART Strike

SAN FRANCISCO -- -- In the restaurant business, preparation is everything. At One Market restaurant in San Francisco, they're prepping for that new menu item: a BART strike.

For restaurant employees living in the East Bay, the restaurant is encouraging car pools.

For diners with 510 or 925 area codes, they're double-checking reservations, and considering a reduced valet charge as extra incentive to cross the Bay Bridge.

Michael Gilpin, general manager of One Market said, "Kitchens have a word they call Mies En Place, it means "in it's place", so before you start your shift and prepare any foods, you have everything you need in its place, and we think of our business in the same way. It's a hundred percent loss if you do nothing. So I keep saying, plan what you can."

University of San Francisco business management professor recommends businesses be assertive at a time like this. Check in with clients and customers and work with them to make sure traffic hassles don't keep them away.

Professor Eugene Muscat said, "Looking at the potential revenue, you might say, why don't you come in the night before? There's a motel that's close by, I'm happy to put you up for the night."

Medical offices might be smart to reach out to scheduled patients and stagger appointments to avoid commute hours.

San Francisco's Stone Clinic has orthopedic patients from all across the country who often stay in hotels. But ironically, Bay Area patients will have the hardest time getting here if gridlock sets in.

Trish Fong, a physical therapist, noted, "Some of them are stressed about just getting in here, especially patients who've just had surgery. It's pretty important they get their therapy so they're going to have to sit through the traffic."

No doubt, a strike will stretch everyone's patience. Sometimes, working from home is an option. But bosses might also consider a car-rental to make carpooling more attractive.

Muscat suggested businesses could offer to pay for a rental car and ask the person who lives the farthest to pick up people along the way.

Another tip from Professor Muscat: If there is a strike, businesses should keep a journal. Log what they're doing, what works, and what doesn't, as they struggle through it. It will come in handy for future traffic disruptions, whether they're natural disasters, or man-made.