Stop Competing to be the Best
Are you tired of competing? Would you rather lead the pack and have the others chasing you for a change? If you are not continually improving, you are surely losing ground.
There are probably lots of "good" reasons why your restaurant is in its present condition ... I know you work hard and do the best you can ... but good reasons are no substitute for great results.
So the real question is not how good do you have to be to stay in business? The question to ask is, how close can you come to your real potential?
Instead of trying to compete, what if your focus was on doing what you do better than anyone else; could you possibly do it? What if your goal was to create a positive personal connection with your staff and guests ... to make your restaurant a True Place of Hospitality? What would THAT do for your bottom line?
If at any time you have ever thought, "There's GOT to be an easier way to run a restaurant!" ... you are at the right place. We can help you visualize what you might know but do not think it possible to improve drastically your bottom line.
6 Steps to Stay Alive in this Down Economy
Your business is down as thousand of other restaurants. You might have lost 50% of your traffic due to this down economy. It doesn't matter if you are working hard or not the bottom line is clearly frightening.
What should I do is the question that is probably recurring in your dreams. There are no easy answers to a world wide down economy, and that is not what we are trying to do here either.
There are several steps that you can do to cope waiting for the recovery to come. Although the politicians want us to believe that the worst is behind us, you are for sure the ultimate judge. Does you business look better today than six months ago? I doubt it.
Here are a few suggestions to a street wise approach to the situation.
Review your Restaurant from Top to Bottom.
Do you have a Comprehensive Accounting Program, which encompass every step of your operation, including purchasing and control of your inventories?
Who enters the every day's reports (food, liquor, other sales(might be T-shirts or house dressings or...?) Do you have a separate person than your manager who writes the checks? Do you have an accountant who verify everyone's work? Any discrepancies in the accounting might mean that someone is dipping his or hers fingers in the till. Is this what you want? Never trust one person to do the accounting, always have a second person double check all phases of your operation. restaurant who keep a weekly account of their purchaes increase their bottom line by up to 6 - 8%
Do you have Training Program in place for the staff?
Without a training program you leave yourself open to mishaps. The money saved by not having a training program is lost in serious mistakes, mishandling of the food, liquors, orders placed with the purveyors or even worst unhappy guests. Is the guests experience any of your concern? Every one that I interviewed rely on the W.O.M (the famous word of mouth.) Your staff might be the only people that your guests will have contact with. Chains spend thousand of $ to train their staff on a continuous basis. Are you better than their are? If you are why have the chains swallowed up 92% of all the meals eaten outside of home -- It might be because they have better service. Something to think about.
Do you have a Marketing Program? Probably not, as most restaurateurs cut all extra-expenses that they see as frivolous.
Marketing your Restaurant is the least frivolous, and probably the most important step that you can do during a down economy. Marketing is not an expense as most people believe, it is an investment. If you do not want to invest in your own business, who will??
You can Market your restaurant yourself without hawking the farm. I am in the process of writting a complete course on "How to Market Your Restaurant on a Shoe-string." Due date end of May 2010.
Boost yourStaff's Moral, by showing humor understanding and asking them to participate to new ideas on how your restaurant should be positioned in your market. Do not poo poo your employees' comments. You are still the boss and the one to decide, but do not forget that the dining room staff is in continuous contact with the guests. They understand the guests reaction, needs, expectation and desire; listen and take note. Your staff will work better if they are asked to participate, and feel that they belong to your team. The kitchen staff if poorly trained can increase your food cost by several points, sending the bottom line to the abysses of no return.
Change Your Menu to accommodate the new the trends, stay tuned to what is happening in the world. Check your competition, understand what they do and what they do not do. Grab the opportunity before some one else does. Your guests can be worth their weight in gold. Small plate is in, as people are more conscious about their figure.
Review your Emergency Programoften, adapt to changes create new horizons, be alive do not wait for the sword to fall on your head. Above all do not join the 200,000 plus restaurants which are going to close in the U.S. before the end of 2010.
Summary:
It is critical that all restaurateurs obtain financial skills. As an independent operator you need to fine tune your financial knowledge to match your management and the culinary skills of your kitchen.161 TIPS TO BRING YOUR GUESTS TO YOUR RESTAURANT FOR LITTLE OR NO MONEY
On this site you will find insightful articles, uncommon resources and how to bring superior service to your guests. All of which can help you get more done with less effort ... and allow you to get your life back in the process ... but you will have to be willing to put a minimum of effort in the play first!
Everything is here to help you shift your thinking in some VERY productive -- and profitable -- directions ... if you have the will to let your life coast on the easy side, do it and do it NOW or it might be never.
Success in not through tips and tricks it is in applying the basics. As an independent operator you have the opportunity to make the necessary changes in a speedy manner. You can move ahead of the chains who have to deal with multi-sites and several hundred of personnel and henceforth cannot move quickly.
On the other hand You can focus on an exceptional service and beat your competition hand down.Your staff -- and yes, even you! -- must be hard-wired to deliver great service ... and to do all of you have to WANT to do it. A different pair of eyes than yourself will help you achieve excellence. We can help you see where the problem is for a price that will fit your budget. In anyway give us a call or send us an e-mail, you'll be the judge. Our consultation is FREE, nothing to loose
A Good Marketing Idea
Take this example and dwell on it. Thursday evenings atSTK, groups of ladies (four or more) will receive a complimentary bottle of champagne in the bar after dinner. STK,755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, 310-659-3535.
More ideas
Find more tips on our << blog >>
Thursday is ladies' night
Go after the women, remember always choose the restaurant. Make a special menu for the ladies and promise not football or baseball broadcast that evening. Have your valet wash their car and leave a rose on the passenger’s seat. They will remember for a long time.
VirusProgram
Customers become your sales people - they need big incentives to bring new customers your way. Give them a business card with incentives for all new people that they send your way to try your restaurant -- they put their name on the card. guests who show up with the card (points are assigned to the referer. So many points so many FREE dinners)
Get Your employees to participate to your marketing program
Build your own Oscar Winning Stars.
Each employee gets a restaurant business card with his or her name on it. They offer a free drink to new people that they meet in malls, theaters... Anywhere. The guests who show up with the employee's card get a FREE drink, a free appetizer or whatever you decide to give them just for showing up. The employee referring the new guests gets credited for it. The best referer for the month gets an IPod
This is a cheap way to acquire new guests at rock-bottom-price. If you cannot afford a simple program like this one, you are in deep trouble, it is time to hang them up.