The Restaurant Business may seem like an industry that’s impossible to systemize, but if you know what to do, you can systemize it. In fact, if you follow the right steps, you’ll find that it’s not only possible to systemize your restaurant business, but that it also will make your life easier and more enjoyable because the Restaurant Business will become less stressful and more organized. Here are 10 ways to start systemizing your restaurant business today!
1) Inventory
Getting an inventory management system in place will reduce your stress levels and improve your customer service. One of our favorite inventory management systems is Restaurant Manager Pro, but there are others out there as well. If you’re a new business owner, we recommend choosing one that integrates with one of your restaurant POS systems (more on POS later). Many restaurants fail because they don’t get their inventories handled properly—so take care of it before you run into any problems.
2) Schedule
Create a realistic schedule for how you will run your restaurant. Create a day-by-day schedule that is achievable for everyone involved. A great tip for systemizing your restaurant business is to create a checklist that includes all of these components, as well as any other factors you think may be important (such as staff training and safety). Make sure you review each checklist with every person in charge of their own area before they start working. This should help eliminate any mishaps or confusion that may have occurred in past years.
3) Dishes and Supplies
Instead of spending money on a variety of kitchen equipment and furniture, buy just one solid stockpot and your business will have a solution for every time it needs an extra bowl, plate or spoon. A system like that can save you lots of cash when you’re starting out. Besides, once you get going and get those feet wet in your restaurant business, you can always invest in specialized management system pieces as needed. You may find that you don’t even need all those dishes!
4) Recipes
It’s no secret that developing and selling recipes is an easy way for amateur cooks to become successful entrepreneurs. Recipes are also another product that you can copyright, which means you could make even more money from each recipe sale. Even if your restaurant business doesn’t start off selling these types of products, keep it in mind for later—developing a line of recipes can be a great second or third revenue stream down the road.
5) Cooking Methods
Developing systems in your restaurant business will help you streamline your operations and make life easier on yourself. As a restaurateur, you have a lot of responsibilities—from managing employees to keeping customers happy. Make things easier on yourself by developing cooking methods that keep your menus consistent but also allow for flexibility. Whenever possible, standardize components across menu items; you can then pick and choose what to swap out for different seasonings or sauces when serving certain dishes.
6) Staff Roles
A restaurant is a business just like any other, with distinct roles and responsibilities for each member of its team. The success of your restaurant relies on your ability to identify staff members who are well-suited for these roles and then train them in their responsibilities—this process is called job analysis. During job analysis, you should define each of these six restaurant positions: Host/greeter, server, kitchen staff, food runner/busser, bar staff and manager.
7) Routines
To systemize your restaurant business, start by looking at some of your current business operations. What type of equipment and technology do you use? How do you take inventory? Do you have a point-of-sale system that helps process sales and track inventory management? If not, it’s time to systemize these areas. And keep in mind that implementing a new technology or procedure isn’t easy—it may require staff training and realigning priorities.
8) The Digital Menu Board
Everything in your restaurant should be systemized. That’s right, everything! Even your menus and point-of-sale software can be systemized by utilizing a digital menu board. This gives customers a visual of what they want while keeping them out of wait lines. All employees need to do is scan an item or two into the best restaurant POS systems, meaning that no one will ever have to run back and forth between kitchen, tablet, and register ever again.
9) Income Forecasting
Do you know how much money your restaurant will make next year? If not, you should. Income forecasting can help you determine whether or not your business has a sustainable future. To do it, prepare an income statement based on projected sales (such as cost of goods sold and operating expenses) and expected revenues. Projecting these numbers is simple if your business is new, but more difficult if you’re working with data from existing restaurants or businesses in different industries.
10) Marketing
Because a lot of your success depends on finding great employees, having healthy cash flow and good business credit, and attracting a large customer base, here are 10 things you can do now to systemize your restaurant.
Conclusion –
How can teens start their own restaurant business? For many, the idea of being in charge of your own business can be extremely attractive; you get to set your own hours, and you have the chance to have some measure of creative control over what you do each day. But when it comes down to it, there’s much more involved in running your own restaurant than just showing up and serving food or drinks — no matter how great your idea may be! In order to truly systemize your restaurant business, follow these ten steps to help organize your thoughts and prepare yourself for the challenges ahead.
