Tips to Improve Your Restaurant | JillAlexa.com
The restaurant industry is highly competitive and extremely hard to be successful in. A study by Ohio State University found that 60% of restaurants don’t make it past their first year, while 80% close within 5 years of trading.
While it seems like the odds are stacked against you, there are some things you can do to help you keep your restaurant afloat and people coming through the doors.
5 Tips To Improve Your Restaurant
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1. Utilise Tech
Tech has revolutionized many industries but has been highly beneficial for restaurants.
You can incorporate point-of-sale terminals for people to place their own orders; we are seeing more of this in places like Mcdonalds and KFC, for example, QR codes on tables for people to access your menu and ordering system, using apps for the same reason and to allow people to book tables from home and see the menu before they arrive.
You can add kitchen display screens so the staff can see the incoming orders without waiting for wait staff to bring them in. Using the right tech helps you improve efficiency and customer service simultaneously.
2. Train Staff
The customer is always king. Even if they’re not right, they are king, and without your patrons, your restaurant won’t last at all.
So, you must ensure everyone working for you delivers the highest customer service standards possible. From your servers to bar staff, porters, and chefs, everyone needs to be on the same page about how to do their job and what you expect. Thorough training can support you and help you to make positive changes so your customers have a better experience.
3. Hygiene
Your restaurant needs to be clean at all times. You should be putting a priority on cleaning all aspects of your kitchen and your dining areas.
Ensure everyone knows how to wash correctly at the end of the shift, what is expected of them, and the legal requirements for meeting OSHA regulations regarding food safety and prep.
You can hire outside companies to conduct deep cleaning of your restaurant and kitchen, hire restaurant grease cleaning services, or have independent contractors help you improve standards and put a thorough cleaning schedule and hygiene standards in place.
4. Reduce The Menu
If you have too many things on your menu, chances are you won’t be holding all the food fresh, and you won’t know what you need on any given day.
Reduce your menu to a few specialty dishes and have the freshest ingredients on hand. With fewer items on the menu, you can ensure you have what you need to improve food quality and cooking times to showcase your dishes without worrying about holding too much stock or not having something people want to eat.
5. Themed Events
Themed events are a great way to get people through the door. You can host events relating to your cuisine, hold different events, and bring out a specialty menu for a few nights.
The choice is yours, but this can be an excellent way of marketing your business and attracting both regular and new customers through the door.
The restaurant industry is fickle and you need to react to changes in dining habits and competitors to help you keep going and make a success of your venture.
