Our Business Development Manager in Australia, Quinton Fortune (left), shares insight on kicking off 2018 with renewed focus on your restaurant operations. Quinton has over 25 years of hospitality industry experience, including once owning and operating a successful café and catering business in Williamstown, Victoria. He is a certified foodservice trainer and knowledgeable in culinary execution and trends.
Welcome to 2018! We hope that your holidays were filled with customer satisfaction and financial success. If not, now may be the prime time to assess and review all important areas of your business with a fresh set of eyes. What are your first impressions? Does the appearance of the exterior look inviting to customers? Does the menu match the ambience of the establishment? These details need to be revisited, as well as the following areas:
Menu
Does your menu cater to the customers who are attracted to your venue? Do you have appropriate-sized portions of food? If your meals are too large, you might lose the opportunity to offer an appetizer or dessert. What is being thrown out? Have you engineered your menu? If you serve fried food, do you have a solid oil management program in place? Are you using a filter aid such as Magnesol to produce consistent, high quality fried food to your guests?
Front of house staff
Do you have the correct staff running the front of house? Do they deliver service with pride and care to ALL customers, loyal or new? Are the premises clean and tidy? Is your staff’s presentation and appearance in line with your guidelines/ brand?
Back of house staff
Is your staff working as effectively and cost efficiently as possible? Chefs, do not roll your eyes, but think about the opportunity cost associated with buying a product with similar quality attributes rather than making the product from scratch. The opportunity lies in what can you do with the time saved to create another product that will provide you with a greater rate of financial return or a major point of difference.
Costs
When did you last review the cost of your food, labor and overheads? Now is the time to re-cost your menus, review your suppliers and work flow habits. Remember that reviewing products does not mean going for the cheapest priced product, it is reviewing the quality that sits behind the product. Waste is an important cost that needs to be considered. How can I reduce my waste costs?
All of the challenges referenced above address not only products, but also the importance of relationships. You must consider the value proposition you offer from each one of these relationships when reviewing the above. After all, there is more to a price, your success is built on those partnering relationships. Here is to a successful 2018!
To learn more about Magnesol and implementing a successful oil management program, go to www.magnesol.com. Complimentary consultations are available by our local field staff.
