The restaurant industry is notoriously difficult: many restaurants don’t even survive beyond a year or two. There are so many restaurants competing for the same pool of customers that even if your food is excellent, that may not be enough to make the business viable. Unsurprisingly, restaurant managers are eager for help they can get to improve the business operations of the restaurant.
Here are four secrets to help your restaurant stay in business.
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Restaurant Scheduling Software
Many savvy Millennial small- and medium-sized business restaurant owners are turning to restaurant scheduling software to help manage their operations. There is important information for anyone thinking about opening a restaurant about these all-in-one platforms, which perform many vital functions beyond making excellent schedules for staff in up to 80% less time.
This software makes it easy for teams to stay connected in a way that is efficient and natural for everybody. If any changes are made to a schedule, every staff members get a notification on their phone. Restaurants don’t have to use a scheduling tool that is specific to restaurants of course, as there are loads of options out there than provide all the functionality needed. Plus, staff can submit requests for days off and tell their managers when they’ve available to work remotely, via an easy-to-use app. This means they stay connected not just easily, but faster. The restaurant knows it is staffed adequately sooner, and employees can better organize their life outside of work.
Its manager-facing dashboard is also an invaluable tool for unlocking key data that decision-makers need to know. Manager log books make it simple for managers at all your locations to see and track stats like total sales, total labour costs, percentage of labour costs against sales, weather, and even staff feedback. It’s also customizable, so you can track whatever stat you decide matters most to your restaurant.
Restaurant scheduling software can integrate with all the common POS terminals, so all the systems in your restaurant will work seamlessly together.
Get the Menu Right
Picking the food on the menu is harder than it seems. Beyond calculating food costs and portions, you need to decide what food your target audience doesn’t know it wants. If you have too many options, they will feel overwhelmed and will likely pick the same dish they always order.
This may prevent them from trying the food that justified the creation of your restaurant in the first place.
Social Media Done Right
Every restaurateur knows social media is necessary, but it must be done properly. Emphasize how your restaurant really is, rather than project an exaggerated and false aesthetic. Natural pictures of your food are better than bombarding people with info about deals or specials.
This will share the feeling of what the restaurant is actually like, rather than set up disappointment for when the eating experience itself doesn’t live up to the image.
There are many kinds of restaurants and no two will run the same way, but there are general lessons you can apply in a way that makes the most sense for you. Try out new software that makes running a restaurant easy, get the right food for your concept, and promote yourself accurately on social media – these are the secret ingredients to long-term success.
About Carson Derrow
