3 keys to running a successful restaurant business

Whether or not you own your own restaurant or manage one, there are several crucial elements to be considered to ensure your business is successful.  

1. Delight your customers

Have you ever heard the saying, “happy wife, happy life”? The same concept rings true for the patrons of a restaurant. A satisfied customer is the goal for any restaurant because it means that there is a higher chance that the customer will return and, more importantly, will probably recommend your place to others. Word-of-mouth marketing is an effective way to build up the popularity and success of your establishment.

Food safety is a top priority

On the flip side, with the power of social media and rapid speed at which news travels online, no one is safe. Just one little mistake, and your reputation can be doomed. That said, food safety is a key component of delighting your customers with a positive and delicious experience at your restaurant. Worst case scenario is your customer getting food poisoning in your restaurant, and people will know about it in no time.   So, how can you avoid the catastrophic consequences of poor food safety?

• Consistent food safety inspection processes. To save time and improve your customers’ experience, you can automate this manual process with digital solutions, like our SimplyCheck™ offering.
• Ensure top food quality by monitoring the temperature of food to comply with health standards.
• Remember – the customer is always right. Mistakes can and will happen due to the simple fact of human error. So, when an issue arises at your establishment, try to make things right with the patron and steer their experience over to the positive side if possible.

2. Keep employees happy

Now that we have talked about keeping your customers happy, we turn our attention to the core of your business: your employees. Unhappy employees are more likely to perform poorly, compromising your operations. Even worse is when dissatisfied employees quit unexpectedly, which can equate to lost time and money as you try to run your business with fewer resources. This creates a situation that can then impact your customers as mentioned in Tip # 1 through less than thorough safety inspection checks or even skipped processes altogether because of reduced staffing.  

3. Consistency, consistency…CONSISTENCY!

In any type of operation, each and every day there are opportunities for things to go good or bad, and this happens very quickly. With a fast-paced environment, the best way to handle different situations is taking a consistent approach to responding and resolving issues. Setting clear policies and procedures for your team to follow will minimize the opportunity for error and establish accountability with your colleagues. By setting the expectations for your team, you can build up consistency in your operations and set the bar for success. Now that we’ve described three ways to make your restaurant business successful, it’s time to take a look at your operations and see where you can make some improvements. To learn more about how automated solutions can help make your business more profitable and efficient, visit www.energybox.com/solutions.