If you’re the proud owner of a restaurant, you’re aware that keeping such an enterprise afloat is a mammoth task. The restaurant failure rate in the US is pretty high, especially within the first year of establishment.
Some of the most common reasons include inadequate capital, tough competition, failure to adapt, and limited experience. At its business core, a restaurant is not just a place where people come to sit down and eat.
Various factors play a key role in determining customer satisfaction, like how warmly they’re welcomed, how easily they’re seated, how quickly their food is prepared, how delicious the meal is, and how easy it is to pay and leave.
All of these factors prove a restaurant’s efficiency or lack thereof. An inefficient restaurant’s days are numbered, so it is important to consistently work toward improving efficiency. In this article, we will discuss four ways you can make your restaurant highly efficient.
Leverage Technological Support
In an age of technology, you have plenty of scope to free up time and resources for core operations. Depending on your business needs, invest in smart tools and technology to gain a competitive edge.
One example would be a restaurant management platform. This software is designed as a point-of-sale (POS) system to streamline customer service and reduce labor costs. With the help of this software, you can keep track of sales and inventory counts, set up menus, manage orders, process payments, and even plan employee shifts.
According to CheddrSuite, such a platform helps the owner take control of their enterprise and organize it for better productivity. With this system, you can streamline multiple areas in one go. Other than restaurant management software, tools facilitating customer loyalty programs, accounting, and marketing are useful.
With technological support, you minimize the risk of errors, centralize all data for easy access, and get a bird’s-eye view. This will also help identify areas that need to be optimized.
Invest in Employee Training
Your restaurant’s greatest assets are its employees, so empowering your people must be a priority to improve efficiency. In many cases, a restaurant’s staff is willing but clueless about how to run operations smoothly.
From your firm’s kitchen and waitstaff to those in higher management, everyone must receive proper and timely training. The training programs should cover basic areas like service as well as complicated ones like financial management and leadership.
You can introduce a hybrid training model where some topics are covered online, whereas others are explained in a real-world setting. This is a proven cost-effective method. Don’t forget to incorporate fun elements in the form of gamification.
These may include maintaining a scoreboard, points, rank system, etc. The healthy element of competition will encourage employees to engage with full concentration. Finally, let the training process be continuous to keep your staff on their toes and help them evolve in their respective roles.
Establish a Culture of Communication
The hospitality industry is largely a people’s business, which means communication is at the root of its success. By establishing a culture of clear, concise, and thorough communication, you will see business efficiency metrics improve.
Some of the common communication challenges that exist include language barriers, personal biases, and cultural differences. You can help remove language barriers by introducing visual aids or using a translation application.
As for the remaining two, it’s crucial to ensure your employees are taught the importance of empathy and acceptance. Put a complete ban on workplace microaggression and motivate your employees to show genuine interest in others’ cultures.
This will encourage them to avoid forming stereotypes and practice active listening instead of holding biases. Above all, set an example for empathy since it’s easy to lose the human element in an environment so fast-paced and pressurizing.
Set the Right Ambiance
Just imagine this scenario for a moment – you’ve already had a stressful day and wish to enjoy a delicious meal in peace. The restaurant you chose offers good food, but the noise and clamor make it nearly impossible to savor the meal.
Would you want to revisit such a place? This brings us back to the main point that simply good and timely food does not guarantee restaurant efficiency and business profitability. The right ambiance not only satisfies customers but also motivates staff members to function at their optimum.
The ambiance that makes for an unforgettable experience would include tasteful décor (that perhaps matches the restaurant’s cuisine), soothing music, overall layout, and dim lighting. Also, don’t forget scent branding where you use proven aromas (like vanilla and cinnamon) to dominate the ambiance.
After all, nobody enjoys getting a whiff of a concoction of wild aromas (emanating from the various dishes).
Let’s close with some interesting findings reported in the 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry Report published by the National Restaurant Association. From 2023 onwards, most restaurant owners have adopte2023 State of the Restaurant Industryd a growth mindset.
The competition was 47% more intense compared to the previous year (2022). It was also found that customers prefer the restaurant experience over cooking and cleaning up. This means it’s time to tighten gears with effective efficiency practices for smooth sailing in 2024 (and beyond).
