Quick Summary: Are you looking for restaurant management tips? Whether you have just been appointed or promoted as restaurant manager, there are times . Sometimes, those tasks or responsibilities require new learning to achieve success in your effort. This article is just about helping you with proven management tips for restaurants. Keep reading.
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Learning is the only constant, irrespective of your area of profession. The same applies to restaurant and F&B businesses. Whether it is creating digital marketing strategies, managing the dining process, hiring or addressing customer complaints, you need to create innovative strategies and tweak them to achieve long-term objectives. We have covered several articles related to restaurant digital marketing, SEO, Email Campaign and others in the past.
Today, we will focus on a crucial topic that will help restaurant managers immensely —”restaurant management tips” to take your restaurant business to the next level.
In this article, we have covered;
What makes you an efficient restaurant manager?
What should be the restaurant management goals?
And, the restaurant management tips
After reading this article, you would be able to serve two of your objectives: first you will start efficiently if you are starting a new restaurant business. Second, you will learn the tricks and trades of restaurant management. The tips provided in this article will help you focus on the basics, sharpen your management skills, while driving sales and revenue.
You may have seen restaurant managers and chefs being bossy and yelling at employees. Sometimes, these things are bound to happen in a busy work environment. However, yelling and being bossy does not define an efficient restaurant manager.
Genuine restaurant managers respect their staff and treat them well. At the same time, they must be assertive while conveying their expectations. Restaurant managers with a positive mindset will appreciate employee ideas and suggestions, avoid favoritism and work on team building.
Effective Communication
Effective communication is another hallmark of a good manager. With proper communication, managers can resolve conflicts and boost productivity. Holding regular staff meetings, sharing ideas, concerns & suggestions while praising employee performance creates a positive work atmosphere. The restaurant business is dynamic. Customer preferences and industry trends change frequently.
A manager who adapts to such changes, manages new challenges daily and stays consistent delivers the desired results. What makes employees quit? Most employees quit because they feel unappreciated, or stressed out. The ideal manager will not only streamline operations but also create a positive work culture that motivates employees to stay and go the extra mile.
Proper Planning
Planning is a must for any restaurant. A restaurant manager should be able to plan daily, monthly, and yearly operations. Scribbling on pieces of paper will do no good. Chalk out a robust plan/strategy on your laptop. Understand what you have achieved and what you need to achieve.
Prepare a detailed roster, know who’s reporting to work and who is not. Do not wait till the last minute, and call up employees enjoying their day off. Such acts will demotivate hard working employees. Look at the menu, today’s specials and check whether you have the necessary ingredients. Stock up if necessary so that you don’t have to turn away customers.
Planning is the Key
Cooking and serving food are not the only tasks in a restaurant. Define the duties and responsibilities of each employee, so that everyone is on the same page. Efficient managers are problem solvers. Rather than complaining, they will find solutions to problems.
Be it irate customers, complaints, insubordinate employees, or other problems, managers with a positive mindset will always find solutions. Employees will learn to multi-task only if their manager sets the right example. An experienced and clever manager will juggle a million tasks without panicking or raising his voice. On a busy weekend, they will greet customers, ensure that the orders reach customer tables on time and end the day on a positive note.
Industry Knowledge
How will a restaurant manager lead employees if he does not know his job? Right from procuring vegetables, fruits, and ingredients, finding the right vendors to ensuring the right taste for each dish, a manager must have extensive knowledge. How can managers gain knowledge and be on top of things? They can gain knowledge by talking to chefs, keeping abreast of industry trends and listening to customer feedback.
Finance-based Perspective
Customer satisfaction and employee management is a must, but what is most important is profitability. If the management decides to introduce a new dish or renovate the premises, the restaurant manager must be able to ascertain the financial impact of the same. Accordingly, he can advise the restaurant owner. If the restaurant does not make a profit, everyone loses. Hence, a restaurant manager is like the captain of a ship. His guidance can make a world of difference.
Restaurant Management Goals for Manager
Now that we know the ideal qualities of a restaurant manager, it is time to discuss long-term restaurant management goals.
Turn your Restaurant into a Brand
A restaurant is not just a place to eat and socialize. It is a brand for business owners. The restaurant manager and the owner must brainstorm and choose the appropriate name and theme for the restaurant. Understand that the name, theme and colors should be unique to stand out from your competitors and grab people’s attention.
Copying someone else will not help leave a long-lasting impact. Don’t forget the ambiance. Visitors must feel comfortable spending time at your establishment. If they spend more time, there is a chance of them ordering more and recommending your restaurant to others in their social circle.
You don’t need thousands of dollars to get this right, all you need is creative ideas and robust strategies.
The food business is competitive. After Covid-19, people are reluctant to visit restaurants. They are more likely to order food online and enjoy it in the comfort of their homes. What will you do to counter this problem? Make your menu so enticing that people will be compelled to visit. The first few times they may order online but their curiosity will draw them to your restaurant.
If you have a niche food item/cuisine, stick to it. For example, if your restaurant specializes in Vietnamese cuisine or Indian food, focus on delivering the best. Depending on the market trends, you can add a few fusion dishes here and there. Understand the market segment you want to cater to and develop the right pricing strategy.
If your food is too expensive, you can only attract a certain segment of people. Pricing food too low may not be profitable for your organization. Consider your objectives, requirements, profit-margin and other criteria before developing the pricing strategy.
Last but not least, focus on the taste and presentation.
Think about the Environment
Profitability is crucial but not at the cost of the environment. Implement strategies that encourage eco-friendly behavior. Educate your staff and customers about your vision. Be it the ingredients or presentation, your choices should reflect your objectives.
Teach restaurant chefs and sous chefs to cook while ensuring minimal/zero wastage. Reward/appreciate customers who finish their food. Think of ways you can reduce wastage. Order from local or organic farms. Incorporate edible spoons, encourage open-air dining, restrict paper usage, use seasonal items, buy sustainable equipment, there are many ways to run a restaurant while being nature-friendly.
Tell customers about your initiatives, it will attract people who believe in the cause.
As stated above, dining at a restaurant is not only about filling one’s belly. It is the overall experience. Customers must enjoy the experience. Hence, service and presentation are equally important. Hire staff with the right attitude and skills. Being polite, courteous and practicing attentive listening pays off. Elevate your service to a level where first-time visitors become regular customers. Eventually, word of mouth will bring in newer customers.
Creativity is Key
Spice up things (not literally) to keep customers guessing. Serving the same dishes repeatedly can lead to boredom. Organize different themes and food items for occasions like Children’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Xmas, Thanksgiving and others. Introduce new concepts like live food stations, broadcast the most happening sports events on a large TV screen, play live music etc. These activities will give customers a reason to visit again.
Have something for different age groups so that people do not feel left out. Switch up the interior and seating arrangements for particular events. In short, do not be boring and repetitive. If people do not enjoy their time at your restaurant, you need to rethink your engagement strategy.
Spread the Word
Why would a customer visit your restaurant out of the thousands in the city? First, they need to know about your establishment. Set some money aside for marketing, even if it is prior to the opening day. Invite a local celebrity to participate in events or contests that will make people sit up and take notice of you.
It does not have to be MasterChef but people must know you exist. Even if you are an old restaurant, you can let people know you are doing things differently. Stay active on social media, post videos, images and flood blogger reviews. Do not try to do everything on your own. Hire professionals if necessary. Good deals and discounts will give your restaurant the extra push to boost revenue and sales. Be it traditional marketing or digital marketing, spread the word to increase customer footfall.
Get Customer Feedback
Know what customers expect and how they feel about your establishment. It will give you an opportunity to work on your drawbacks and make necessary changes. Tell customers that their feedback matters. Give them a free welcome drink or a discount coupon for their effort.
Apart from customers, the management should also consider the suggestions of employees. Since they deal with customers and observe things around them, they can see things from a different perspective. Most importantly, your employees are the one of the main reasons for your existence. Make them feel like their contribution matters.
Even if their recommendations or suggestions may not be perfect, there is no harm in hearing them. Bright ideas can come from anywhere. Being complacent or not being open to criticism is a recipe for disaster.
Inventory Management
Poor inventory management can lead to wastage, reduced productivity and customer dissatisfaction. Monitor stock levels and ingredients regularly to reduce wastage and shortages. Check if employees or others are stealing at your restaurant (sounds sad but sometimes you need to do it).
Invest in proper inventory management software for real-time monitoring and exact figures. Your staff handles the inventory. Hence, it is crucial that you train them to handle it. Instruct them to practice FIFO, make the best use of available resources without compromising quality.
Other good practices include optimal storage to reduce wastage. In the long run, these steps will increase profits and put your operations on the right track.
Measure your Growth
Everything might look good on paper but you cannot just take somebody’s word for it. The figures speak for themselves. Don’t rush, things take time. Depending on the activities, give it a few days or weeks. Establish proper procedures to implement new strategies and measure the results.
Use your POS system to generate reports for various periods (past years and months) to compare wastage, expenditure and profits. A restaurant manager/owner who does not understand numbers will be unable to operate for a long period. Additionally, analytics and reports will shed light on whether new strategies and policies are yielding fruit. The key is to follow this rule – Observe, implement, monitor and re-strategize if necessary.
Tips for Optimal Restaurant Management
After finalizing your restaurant goals, we will give you some quick management tips.
Outdoors and Indoors Approach
Many customers like to dine outdoors these days. However, a new Covid-19 wave can complicate the situation. Provide both options to people. There is no need to overspend. Start take-away stalls or food trucks nearby to give customers a different dining experience. At the same time, do not experiment blindly. Understand the market and your target audience.
Smart Menu Management
More is not always good. In one of the above sections, we discussed how providing multiple food options can increase sales. However, too many options can ruin the operations. Are you finding it hard to manage expenses and overheads? In such situations, it makes sense to cut down on the menu items and focus on your strengths.
Use analytics to predict customer footfall and prepare accordingly. Do not copy the restaurant across the street because what works for them may not work for you.
Promote Smartly
Flyers, hoardings, social media channels and print media marketing are nice ways to promote your restaurant. However, not every strategy is right for you. It depends on your establishment and its objectives. A marketing strategy employed by a fine dining restaurant may not suit a Thai fast-food restaurant.
Whether it’s flyers or social media posts, keep it crisp and to the point. Customers must understand what they will get, especially with coupons and discount offers. Extend these offers for a reasonable time. Spread the message along with takeaways and home deliveries.
Monitor Online Reviews
Do you observe what customers are saying about you online? Practice social listening. Word spreads fast in 2023, especially negative feedback. Potential customers tend to read reviews on Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor etc before engaging with a brand. Additionally, these websites help customers with directions. Take our advice and do not neglect online reviews
Make Online Ordering Easy
Depending on customer walkins alone is unwise. The food delivery market is expected to register a 9.18% annual growth to reach 45 billion dollars by 2025. Provide customers with easy pick-up options near their location. Alternatively, you can request them to pick up orders at popular spots or offer home delivery. Don’t think of these activities as unwanted expenses. Other companies are doing it, if you do not follow the trend, you may lose out on customers.
Partner up with local players like GrubHub and UberEats. If you do not want to share your profits with others, create an app to facilitate online orders.
The restaurant business is lucrative. Many restaurants open up each day and customers have many options. The margin for error is small. It can be challenging to understand all your competitors but you need to focus on the big fish. Know their menu, how they entice customers, their loyalty programs, local events they attend and so on. Whether you like it or not, it’s a rat race out there, more like survival of the fittest.
Follow Health and Safety Standards
Following local health and safety standards helps your restaurant avoid penalties and legal hassles. These factors also affect your productivity. In the internet age, customers know everything. They read reviews, watch the ratings, and they visit establishments accordingly. Therefore, it is necessary that you follow the regulations regarding storage, temperature, and serving while taking the necessary steps for pest control.
Discard ingredients that have been lying in the cool room for long. Create manuals and implement proper checks to ensure that all your employees adhere to the established standards.
Plan for the Future
Future planning goes beyond the next week or month. Whether it’s the serving staff, kitchen staff, marketing or finance department, everyone must know their duties and responsibilities. Create short-term and long-term goals, mongols and the results at regular intervals to avoid unpleasant surprises. Continuous monitoring will ensure improved performance and profitability.
As mentioned above, use analytics and reporting features to compare the past with the present and how you can prepare for the future.
Bonus Point: Restaurant manager responsibilities
Hiring and training staff
Scheduling
Inventory management:
Menu planning
Ensuring food safety and hygiene
Customer service
Marketing and promotions
Financial management
Summing Up
Managing restaurant operations may not be a piece of cake but it’s not rocket science either. No strategy or plan is forever. The market changes constantly and so do customer preferences. The trick is to keep up with the changing times.
Successful restaurants and intelligent managers will always find answers to problems. In the end, it is all about applying common sense, using the right technology and hiring the right people. Follow the tips above, research your market, implement the right strategies and the results will follow.
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