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Running a food and beverage company is more than a full-time job. It’s a lifestyle. Yet it’s easy to get overwhelmed when facing restaurant business challenges from all sides, including employee turnover, budget constraints, and fickle consumers. Tackle one issue at a time using your available resources and investing in solutions that make a difference.
Sure, it’s important to hire people with the right skills for the job. But it’s vital not to overlook soft skills that translate into satisfying customer experiences. Find the right people first, then build on their skills.
Solutions to hiring and turnover problems include:
Profit margins are notoriously slim for restaurants, and higher minimum wages are making it difficult to balance profit-and-loss statements. Either you need to be a math whiz, excel at spreadsheets, or integrate your technologies to get a clear view of your costs.
If the thought of more spreadsheets isn’t appealing, turn to your point of sale (POS) software, accounting, and scheduling platforms to develop insightful labor and sales reports.
Solve financial restaurant challenges by:
Staying relevant and profitable requires more than following the latest food and beverage trends. Restaurateurs who understand their target market, including evolving preferences for ordering, payment, and add-on services, increase profits.
Along with your restaurant POS system and loyalty reporting data, get input directly from consumers. Use online polls, fun quizzes, and feedback forms to test ideas or estimate perceived value.
Adjust your offerings by exploring:
It’s not easy to put on your marketing cap every single day. However, it’s not something you can ignore without consequences. Certain things, such as social media marketing, are greatly affected when you don’t post for days.
The best way to deal with this is to plan out an editorial calendar for social media and do a bunch of similar tasks at once, such as creating dozens of Facebook images. Then use software like Hootsuite or Buffer to automate your posting schedule.
You also have other things to do, such as talking to fans online, monitoring reviews, and planning upcoming promotions. Tackle your restaurant marketing challenges by:
Complete an audit of the software as a service (SaaS) fees you pay monthly. Look at your cost and return on investment (ROI) to make sure each solution is worth it. While you can’t drop many services without severe consequences to your customer experience, you can look for alternatives.
For example, consider bundled options through your POS providers. Toast offers integrated online ordering and loyalty programs. Providers such as Square and Clover include payment processing systems.
Unlock answers to your restaurant business challenges by optimizing your software use with:
Training is more than putting together an employee handbook and putting the new hire alongside a crew member for a few shifts. While real-life practice on the floor or kitchen is essential to your training program, it’s equally important to address specific restaurant industry challenges.
For starters, consider the demographics of your crew and preferred learning styles. The easiest way to reach a broad range of employees is to use software designed for training, such as ExpandShare or Wisetail.
However, smaller businesses may prefer to develop their own training assets. Get ideas from free Procter & Gamble materials. Plus, ask your vendors if they offer tailored programs for software. Then turn your existing training guides into short videos, slide shows, and mobile-accessible online quizzes.
Restaurant management is a tough job because it’s a balancing act between staff, business owners, and customers. They’re often the most visually prominent person in your restaurant. Yet managers must also oversee back-office duties such as inventory management, labor, and scheduling.
Invest in your managers by offering extra training while taking actions to improve operations such as:
Guest retention stems from more than great food and excellent restaurant customer service. Engaged customers talk about your brand, click on your emails, and use your text coupons.
According to a survey by the restaurant marketing agency MGH, “Of respondents who actively follow and engage with restaurants on social media, 74% say they are more likely to visit or order food from those establishments.”
Build relationships with your guests by:
Regardless of your restaurant’s size, the industry presents hurdles at every turn. Navigate your restaurant business challenges by incorporating the right technologies while building reliable systems and efficient workflows.
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