Effective restaurant management operation comes with several different challenges, such as public relations, inventory, dealing with staff, and delivering good customer service. Sometimes a restaurant owner doubles as the manager, but in most of the cases this is a separate position. Either way, a strong and street smart manager is an essential component behind the success of a restaurant. He or she is usually the person who handles both the staff and customer issues. Here are few things to keep in mind whether you're tackling the job yourself or overseeing someone else who's doing so.
Watch Cash Flow Closely: Cash flow is the amount of cash coming in versus the amount of cash that's going out of your business, and it should be monitored on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. If there is lack of understanding in the basic concept of restaurant finances, you might put yourself at great financial risk. “Restaurant management involves dealing with staff, public relations, customer service. The restaurant manager has to be very smart as he has to deal with all types of clients. The golden rule of this business is ‘Customer is always right’. It is very important to tackle day to day problems, providing good customer service while keeping in mind the importance of staff. Another important aspect of restaurant management is maintaining the levels of hygiene and cleanliness. Also, constant innovation is mandatory to keep the customers coming,” shares Rajvansh singh, owner of Clip Kitchen restaurant.
Keep your eye on customer satisfaction: Managing and serving customer expectations in any business can be challenging, but restaurant tops that list since dealing with everything from dietary issues, food preferences, traffic flow in the restaurant, last-minute reservations, and people who show up to eat five minutes before you’re ready to close can be a tougher job than it seems. Customer satisfaction is the goal for every decision you make when a customer issue pops up. It is important to get customer satisfaction without compromising on your staff. You must try to protect your staff from customer tempers and wrath as you don’t want to lose the staff, either.
Plan Ahead: In order to perform to the best of your capabilities, it’s very important to plan ahead. You have to become proactive in the anticipation of needs and problems, and in the management of these issues.
You can make a list of things that need to be done in the next few months. Then prioritize the items by importance and start working. If “hire a new server to replace one that’s leaving or not working efficiently” and “update inventory” are on there, those should go at the top of the list. If you get those done sooner rather than later, you’ll avoid the problems that may come with being short-staffed and without important supplies.
Innovate: The restaurant business may not seem like a prime place for innovation, but on the contrary it actually is. Whether it’s simpler point-of-sale technology, adopting a farm-to-fork initiative, or revamping the accounting systems, these innovations can keep a restaurant successful and running.
Delegate: On most of the days, there are just too many things for you to handle effectively. That’s why it’s important to learn to delegate. Start by delegating the less-critical day-to-day chores to trustworthy employees you know can get the job done. This frees you up and helps you to focus on the bigger, more important issues your restaurant will face. “The most important aspect is Inventory Management. It can have a drastic impact on your operational cost. Employee satisfaction is another important part. They are the face of the restaurant and a happy server means a happy customer. Proper maintenance, Hygiene and consistency are also a few aspects one should take care off,” shares Kapil Aggarwal, owner of Marine Drivve Club and Courtyard.
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