From Good to Great in Starting and Managing an Independent Restaurant

There is no magical formula for a successful restaurant business, but there are common sense rules that apply and proved to be essential ingredients. Here are 6 of them!

R1 Get basic management skills and knowledge

A clever management is essential! There is no place for improvising if you want to be successful. You maybe the best chef or manage successful a business in a different industry, but if you think you could manage a restaurant business without having the basic of it, you are meant to fail.

If you are not a great manager yourself and you just want to invest in a restaurant business, then it is the right time to find one.

R2 Have the financial risk covered

Managing a restaurant business is a road full of obstacles and surprises. It is great if you can count on positive cash flow and a good financial management.

You may be the inspiration, the drive, the talent of the business, but do you also know and understand the mechanics of the business ?

Cash flow is the essential thing you need to seriously consider, so better start by having a chat to your banker and accountant.

R3 The customer is ALWAYS right

Everybody in your restaurant should know and apply this golden rule. Even when they disagree with the customer, they need to handle politely the complaint and make sure the customers comes back.

If you customers love you, then success is on the way!

R4 Keep it sparkling clean !

Regular cleaning of your restaurant is another golden rule for both safety and image matters. There are cleaning jobs that must be done every shift, such as wiping down preparation surfaces from the kitchen with disinfectant and changing the sanitation water. Other jobs should be done daily, like taking out the trash or rotating the stock in the walk-in. And still, others can be accomplished monthly, such as cleaning the freezers. Finally, there are some cleaning jobs that can happen quarterly or even yearly, like cleaning the hood of the kitchen grill and oven.

Not doing these jobs on a timely basis can result in bacteria buildup and potential food safety and hygiene problems.

R5 Update your menu regularly !

If you care about profitability, you need to continuously monitor the cost of food, as it changes frequently and the cost of running your business will change as well.

Also menu should be adapted to the preferences of the customers and the trends in the food industry.

R6  Reconsider the cost of supplies!

You need to closely monitor the cost of daily essentials and carefully choose your suppliers. Look for all areas where you are spending money ( paper products, cleaning and janitorial products etc. ) and consider for each of these various solutions.

Thank you for reading ! We will go on publishing such articles that help you manage your restaurant easier.

Good luck!