If you’ve ever dreamed of running your own restaurant you’ll quickly realize that the secret to successfully running it is in the way you approach restaurant management. Finding and purchasing (or renting) a good location, commercial kitchen equipment and even getting staff is much easier than getting the management right.
But, it doesn’t have to be. In fact you can manage a restaurant in 6 easy steps:
Step 1 – Consistency
Whether you’re looking at the best washroom supplies or working out a way of communicating between the restaurant and the kitchen; you need to be consistent.
This will ensure that the rules you create are maintained and applied fairly every single time. It will also make sure that every employee knows what is expected from them and what will happen if they don’t deliver.
In short a consistent approach relives the stress on your staff allowing them to prepare and deliver quality food.
Step 2 – Be Proactive
The restaurant business is extremely fast moving. You need to be constantly looking ahead of yourself in order to anticipate the food demand, staffing needs and opportunities for marketing.
The latest technology and social trends should form an integral part of your proactive approach
Step 3 – Do It Yourself
The best way to learn the procedures and ensure they are the most efficient and effective possible is to get your hands dirty and do the work yourself. This is also a great way of saving money when you’re first starting out.
If you know how the kitchen operates then you’ll be able to lead, guide and even discipline staff from a place of knowledge. This will greatly improve their respect for you.
Step 4 – Loyal Staff
Loyal staff are generally happy staff and are likely to stay with you long term. It’s important to spend time focusing on what the staff need in order to ensure that are happy.
This will help to avoid the need for you to constantly be training new staff. It can also improve the experience for customers as they will become familiar with the food and the service; encouraging them to return.
Step 5 – Customer Happiness
You need to be aware of how satisfied the customers are; they are the key to a successful business. This means logging the number of customers you have, introducing a loyalty scheme and monitoring how many are repeat customers.
You need to have customer feedback opportunities and you must show that any issue is dealt with promptly, effectively and fairly. This will help you to attract more customers. Just remember to look after your staff in the process; you need them.
Step 6 – Improve The Experience
There are hundreds of restaurants competing for the same business; you need to make sure that the service and the food you offer is top every time. But, you also need to find ways in which you can make the experience more fun and personal for every customer.
The better their experience the more likely they are to return or rate you highly to others.
