The restaurant business was a challenge before the global economic downturn. These days it is a real struggle to make a restaurant a success and keep the business bringing in diners. However, owning and running a restaurant can be both personally and commercially rewarding and anyone with the finances, drive, commitment and passion should not be dissuaded from striving to realize their restaurant dream. Here are some business survival secrets for your restaurant.
Follow these tips and your restaurant business will be on the right track.
Source – lynchaos
One top tip is to treat your restaurant as if it were a business that might be taken over at anytime. This may sound odd, but treating your unique restaurant like a franchise means that you will develop a fully functioning and detailed system with clear rules. This will help your restaurant if you fall ill or are otherwise absent for a period of time for whatever reason, as you will be able to hand over the restaurant to a trusted colleague by explaining the system in place, which they will already know if they have worked there for some time. The disruption to your business would otherwise be far greater.
A happy staff workforce really shines through to your customers. Involve them in business decisions, making it clear that their opinion is truly valued. Employee empowerment will really make a difference, as your employees will undoubtedly have some great ideas regarding the restaurant. They engage with the customers or prepare the food, meaning they have a clear idea of what is popular and what the customers really want. Letting the chefs and cooks create special dishes they feel will be popular is a sound business move. Your waiters and bar staff should have excellent customer service skills, making each diner feel special, which will of course bring them back again and again.
Having a wonderful menu and perfectly trained staff is all very well, but if nobody in the vicinity knows about it, all your effort will be for nothing. Marketing is essential for a restaurant if it is survive as a business. Make sure your restaurant is in all the local directories and organize special promotions to advertise in the local press and on the radio. Special offers and promotions will entice customers in, and having a spectacular menu and friendly staff will ensure they come back.
A recent restaurant trend has been the use of locally sourced produce, which is a great way to play an integral role in supporting the local business economy. If you run a fish restaurant, for example, highlight the fact that your stock is freshly sourced from fishermen working at the nearest coast. Likewise, source your vegetables and meat locally and advertise the fact. Becoming a central part of the local business community will ingratiate your restaurant with the locals. To secure new diners, advertise in hotels to benefit from the local tourist trade. If your restaurant is to survive you need new diners coming through the doors as well as the established local diners. Tapping into the tourist trade is the key to this.
Guest blogger Rachel writes for a number of business blogs with advice on the hospitality industry, with topics including the hotel sector, pubs and restaurants for sale.