Restaurant Business

Be it a fast-food establishment or a full-service, there are certain details when it comes to managing a restaurant that entrepreneurs often miss out on. The challenges are many but we shall be taking a look at 3 of them. However, keep in mind that when you are working as one in the team, in a high-pressure environment, the way you handle and lead the lot effectively in a motivating manner is what helps more than any “tips and tricks” in the book:

Inventory: Leaves You Equipped Or Leaves You High And Dry

Your inventory takes time, and doing it right can help you grow in revenue and profit. It is something measurable and every staff member must be aware of it. If you require 1000 units of an item a week, but you are buying 1300 units, then you have a problem of surplus in your hand. Many of the items may be perishable, and it is comparable to you flushing dollar bills down the toilet. Take time to manage your inventory of the costliest items on a nightly basis, the medium-priced item every week, and the low-cost items on a monthly basis. Find out what you have in surplus and what is deficient.

Use this scheme to evaluate waste issues on your different shifts throughout the day. Have this information available to your staff, and your procurement manager. There is a difference between you saying that you need to watch the inventory, and keeping an eye on the rib eye steak dishes for the week. You could severely cut your expenses by making sure your inventory needs are just right.

Don’t Sit On Schedules And Spend The Whole Day Preparing Them

Setting schedules is one of the roles of a supervisor/manager. Rotating staff can break your brain in the long run and so is making sure that everyone gets their share of tips and good shift. Rotating schedules will break into your sanity and fixed schedules are more likely to make managers and staff happier, as per studies.

Another important benefit of sticking to fixed schedules is that the manager can save time, effort and money, and instead spend that time on other responsibilities- an average of 10 hours/ week of the manager is spent on fixing the schedule.

Ask the employees to find coverage (with prior approval of the manager) to take day-offs. Do your staff and your bottom line a favor and stick to fixed schedules.

You Will Get Customers Mad, No Doubt There

If you serve 500 customers in a day, then you will get spot-on results from the 98% of the lot. The rest of the 2%, around 10 customers will be upset. Scale that up to a year with 182,500 customers served you will get 3650 customers mad and upset with their dining experience. No matter how watertight you make your workings, there will be something that goes wrong. When it does happen (and it will), talk to the customer to understand the circumstances, apologize to the situation, and focus on rectifying it. If not rectifying, at least breaking the fall.

Find out what went wrong, and make subtle tweaks to make it right. Stick to a staircase approach, where the shift manager or supervisor handle the situation with the customer, and calm them down, if they are still not contented with your dispute resolution and want to take it up with higher management, then so be it.

Chances are that if you are proactive and if your staff and you are doing the job well then there isn’t a cause for worry. Turn the situation around, and give them a complimentary meal and treat them well- This is how you build loyal, long-term customers.

Who Is At The Table?

Managing A Restaurant

If you are the manager or the business owner, and you are being hard on your employees then you are part of the problem. You are only adding to their stress rather than removing them- in a very short time your team will suffer and so will you. Remember that your staff is serving the customer. If the staff is demeaning, in a stressed and defensive mood, how do you think it will reflect on the customer?

Having a strained and stressed-out staff is like a ticking time bomb that is waiting to blow on your face. Keep away from the negative vibes, and make sure to lead by example. If you still feel that you are freaking them out, then it means you need to employ someone who can positively manage and guide them. You only need to be in the side-lines, if that is the case.