10 Tips For Running a Busy Restaurant
10 Tips For Running a Busy Restaurant
The restaurant business isn’t just stressful, it’s hugely competitive. You may notice other restaurants popping up here and there, which could result in you feeling under pressure.
If you can get the right recipe (excuse the pun) then you won’t have to worry about your restaurant failing.
When it’s done right, restaurants can be highly successful and lucrative, providing many jobs in the local community. If you want some tips on getting it right, take a look below.
Quality Over Quantity
Before and above anything else, you should always prioritize quality. Mainly the quality of the food and drinks that you serve, but quality service should be a priority too.
Work on creating the best dishes for your customers so they have a good reason to keep coming back.
If the quality of food is poor, your customers are unlikely to return and may give your restaurant a bad review.
Always strive to put quality above how many dishes you can get out quickly, even when you’re a fast food restaurant.
Find Good Staff
No matter what area of the restaurant your staff work in, it will be stressful. Kitchens are well known for high stress levels but serving customers on the restaurant floor can be just as tough.
Make sure you hire people who can handle the pressure when your restaurant gets busy.
Experience of working in a restaurant or food service environment would be preferred, but it’s still important to offer plenty of training. Take time to organize restaurant staff scheduling, so everyone knows their shift patterns and where in the restaurant they are working.
Encourage Customer Reviews
If you want to keep your restaurant thriving, you have to keep it relevant. Encourage your customers to write reviews about their experiences, so others can find it online.
There are many options for writing reviews, from review sites to social media.
Another way people hear about good restaurants is through word of mouth. This isn’t as simple as it used to be.
It can be as simple as telling a friend about a great meal, but more often these days it’s about TikTok videos or social media posts.
Stick To Budget
There are a lot of expensive elements to running a restaurant. When it comes to buying ingredients, try to stay on budget.
This doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on quality, but it does mean you have to think realistically about your budget.
The same goes for restaurant equipment and furnishings. You don’t have to spend a fortune to buy practical pieces. You may even be able to find second hand equipment that will do the job just as well.
Menu Item Pricing
This can be a tricky one for many restaurant owners. There’s a knack to pricing dishes in the correct way. You don’t want your dishes to be so expensive that it puts people off, but you don’t want them to be so cheap that you don’t make a profit.
The best way to do this is to consider what you’re spending on ingredients and look at the prices of competitors’ dishes.
Think about what you’d be willing to pay for your dishes. It’s important to constantly revisit the menu pricing as prices change for ingredients or the industry changes.
Keep Your Customers
Rather than focusing on gaining new customers, perfect keeping the ones you already have. Retaining customers is the best way to make sure you make the money you need for your business to thrive.
You can keep regulars coming back by making them feel like they’re valued and appreciated.
Many restaurants offer loyalty programs or send email coupons for specialty nights. There are many ways you can choose to reward your loyal customers and give them an incentive to stick with you.
Make The Most of Technology
When you’re running a busy restaurant, and you’re stressed, technology is your best friend. It’s imperative that you make every job as quick and as easy to do as possible.
Technology can help with anything from POS systems to ordering via an app or table tablet, and everything in between.
You can even use it for payroll and scheduling social media posts. The best part about being able to delegate using technology is you have the time to be on the restaurant floor and create relationships with your customers.
Delivery Arm
Not every customer wants to sit in a restaurant to eat a meal. Food delivery has become a booming business in recent years, and it’s not going to change anytime soon.
If you want to increase your revenue, setting up a delivery arm could be the way to go.
It means your customers can still order your food without having to sit in the restaurant. They can eat your delicious dishes in the comfort of their own home.
Although many food delivery sites charge restaurants to list their menus, you’ll still walk away with a profit.
Think Daytime Hours
Many restaurants only open in the evening hours because that’s when they draw in their largest crowds. If this applies to you, you may be paying 24/7 rent while only operating for a few hours in the evening.
It’s a good idea to think about how to utilize the remaining hours in the day.
It’s time to get creative and start thinking outside the box when it comes to making new profit. For example, you could offer your skills and open a community cooking class or use the space for events and parties.
Be Flexible
The world changes and people change which inevitably means what they want will change. As the owner of a successful restaurant, you have to be willing to adapt.
Keep abreast of industry innovations and be willing to go with the flow. Don’t wait until your competitor is offering what your customers want to make a change.
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If you’ve found this article helpful, take a look at the others.
Do you have any tips for running a busy restaurant?
Let me know, til then—cheers m’deres!
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Nancy Polanco is a freelance journalist, lifestyle content creator, and editor of Whispered Inspirations. She is a proud Mom to Gabby and Michaela and partner and best friend to Darasak. Having worked as part of a health care team for almost a decade, Nancy is happy to be back to her passion. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY’s Parents, and an Oprah Magazine Brand Ambassador.