It’s not controversial to say that owning a restaurant is a very expensive proposition. There is an enormous amount of expense and a very thin profit margin — often as little as 5 percent — so managing every cost down to the penny is critical for success. This is especially true for restaurants just starting
Keep Your Eyes Open: Customer Scams and Theft in Restaurants
Yesterday, we discussed the ways employees could potentially steal from the restaurants where they work. Unfortunately, staff members are not the only ones walking into your restaurant looking to take advantage of you. When it comes to both diners and vendors, standing up to scams and theft needs to be done with extreme care. After
How to Catch a Thief in Your Restaurant
Theft among employees is a topic no restaurant owner wants to think about. You want to take pride in the staff you’ve hired. The idea that they could be hurting the business behind your back to benefit themselves is an unpleasant one. And for every dishonest person out there in the job market, there are
Spinning Plates: How M Restaurant in Philadelphia Does It All
Restaurant owners have a lot on their plates – from keeping operations running smoothly and motivating a hard-working team, to balancing finances with short and long term improvement plans. Imagine then adding these to the list: running a hotel and photography business, maintaining a historic building and patio garden, growing your own organic produce from
Don’t Let Your Take-out Take You Out: Tips for Restaurants
Whether you’ve been doing it for years or are just looking at new revenue streams today, savvy restaurateurs know there are few things that drive more sales — and with such relatively little effort — as a take-out menu. The demand is irrefutable. According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), 34 percent of consumers say
What to Do When The Power Goes Out in Your Restaurant
When you run a restaurant, you have to be ready for just about anything. And sadly, “just about anything” includes power outages. Having the power go out, especially during service, can throw a huge monkey wrench into what should have been a smooth-running shift. Besides leaving your guests and staff literally in the dark, a
Keep Calm and … What Restaurants Should Do in a PR Crisis
Whether it’s accusations of foodborne illness, a fight in your establishment, or protestors staging demonstrations outside your business, how you handle public relations (PR) when the mousse hits the fan is important. There’s a lot at stake if you don’t handle PR correctly during a crisis. Certainly, short-term sales at your restaurant can be impacted,
The Next Generation: Managing a Restaurant Manager Right
Successful owners have to wear many hats when it comes to creating a sustainable business, and restaurant owners often feel compelled to wear their manager and owner hats at the same time while managing a restaurant. And with good reason, for the most part. Restaurants have tight profit margins — with less room for frills
7 Ways to Enhance Your Restaurant Exterior
Your restaurant’s bathrooms are remodeled. Your seating looks great. The lighting sets the perfect ambiance. You’ve got a beautiful color of paint on the walls. You’ve covered everything, right? Well … maybe everything on the inside. Despite the old adage, you can judge a book by its cover and guests can definitely judge your restaurant
9 Things That Should Be on Every Restaurant Manager’s Computer
The worst feeling in the world is getting a great opportunity to network or market your restaurant… and not being able to find any of the information you need to seal the deal. Running a business is stressful enough without making a mad dash around your office every time you need to find a specific
