The restaurant business has much deeper roots than simply providing tasty foods and exceptional customer experiences. Managing a restaurant requires tackling numerous tasks, continuously meeting customer demands, and smoothly running a fast-paced business. There’s a lot we don’t see on the surface, such as coordinating the operations, controlling costs, financial reporting, troubleshooting, recruiting and training supply chain management, monitoring quality, ensuring compliance and maintaining safety and health regulations, and more.
There’s a lot at play if you want to manage your restaurant effectively, and we’ve got just the tips to keep your restaurant business running smoothly. Here are some worthwhile restaurant management tips that encourage out of the box thinking, and propose innovative solutions to age-old problems:
1. Create an Experience
People tend to dine out or order takeaway because of the experience. While the quality and presentation of the food matter, they too are just components of the overall experience. Standardize an experience, make sure all orders are prepared within the stated time, with fresh ingredients, and are presented accordingly. Observe touchpoints from start to finish and then standardize them to create the ultimate experience.
2. Offer Fewer Items on The Menu with Superior Quality
Offering multiple edible options that are not exceptional in taste or quality does more harm to your restaurant business than good. Instead, focus more on reducing your menu items and emphasize more or taste and quality. Less saves you money, and also gives you more control over your supplies, reduces waste, and makes it easier to train new staff.
3. Be Dedicated All Day and Every Day
Any business that meddles with fresh ingredients can’t afford to slack off. Similarly, in the restaurant business, you need to monitor and evaluate everything, every single day. While it might sound taxing, the help of software and system makes it a lot easy. For the rest of the tasks, such as supply management, and food testing – train your employees to prioritize results.
4. Be The Social Restaurant
The only thing better than taking reservations on the phone is taking them online. Social media can do wonders for a restaurant business, but you need to think beyond the traditional touchpoints. Social media is no longer just about advertising or responding, it’s about building a presence. Set up your social in a way that people can inquire about dietary restrictions, customize tables, make reservations, and more.
5. Focus on a Unique Selling Point (USP)
It’s better to have a speciality in the restaurant business that makes you stand out from your competitors. It could be your brand image, of serving safe and healthy food, your presence on social media, your value for money deals, your chef’s special, or something else entirely. Find out what are your strong points and work on making them your restaurant’s unique selling proposition.
6. Promote Your Restaurant’s Mission
A restaurant isn’t made in a day, it’s the result of a motive, investment, and a mission statement that brings it into existence. As a part of the management, you need to install a system that is constantly governed by those initial values. Teach the employees of your restaurant’s mission, make them feel part of something bigger, and let that mission be consistent with how you operate daily.
7. Be the Organized Restaurant
Customers’ talk and feedback travel fast, any comments about incorrect orders, lack of arrangements, or training will be quick to travel. Create a proper checklist to promote responsibility and stay organized for waiters and chefs alike. This can include hygiene steps before cooking or after closing time, or greeting customers and serving food. Never assume your staff already knows, remind them daily with an automated checklist, and review it periodically.
8. Standardize Your Hiring and Onboarding Process
Finding the right talent and making them a part of your business is quite a time-consuming process and one that isn’t to be taken lightly. Instead of hiring whoever fits the bare-minimum requirements, create a criterion that ensures that people right for the job will get the job. Offering competitive wages has always been a standard, and it’s time the criteria of the talent pool, hiring and onboarding become standardized too.
9. Plan for Profitability
There’s nothing wrong with maximizing your profit margins where possible. If your reviews and customers aren’t showing progress, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Take customer data into consideration and actual costs, find patterns that don’t provide a return on your investment, and perform this analysis monthly rather than annually. Cut unnecessary costs, and automate where possible.
10. Constantly Revisit the Basics
A common problem with the restaurant business is that they’re too quick to focus on growth over sustainability. Don’t fall into the trap that has led many restaurants to their demise. Constantly revisit your core operations, fundamental decisions, and touchpoints with your customers. Find ways to improve, and remove hurdles and create a plan focused more on sustainability and growth.