How To Use a Restaurant Mobile App To Improve and Redefine The Future of Customer Engagement11/4/2021 The significant shift of consumers to restaurant mobile app is considered as one of the major events in the restaurant industry. Before the pandemic, it’s already gaining its popularity among restaurant owners. Mobile apps give consumers ease and convenience. Imagine food ordering that’s just a tap away while enjoying the comfort of their private places away from the crowd. While this type of restaurant solution is surely beneficial, other restaurateurs are still hesitant to try this out. Considering the workload it entails, they opt to deploy services from third-party food services providers such as Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo. And if you’re just starting, a third-party provider would sound enticing for you. However, you have to take into account that partnering with these providers may cost you more in the long run. With all the commissions and service charges you have to pay, it isn’t surprising that you’ll lose more money than you make. Additionally, if you’re going to build your restaurant mobile app, there’s a great chance of growing not just your online visibility but your revenue in general. Restaurants interested in having their app can drive their sales and revenue up to thirty percent. That’s a great number especially if you’re just trying to find your way to the new restaurant landscape. We understand that this could be a little bit intimidating, but we ask you to read along to help you understand why apps are considered as one of the best choices of restaurant key players. Restaurant Mobile App 101In essence, this is an app-type of your restaurant website in which consumers can access services such as online reservation, advanced booking for takeaway or curbside pick-up, and food delivery. Restaurant ordering apps are seen as effective because consumers are practically always on their phones. The accessibility it provides allows consumers, not to mention the benefits it brings to businesses, to use a platform without needing to interact with other individuals. And while third-party delivery apps also provide contactless transactions, just think about the forty-eight percent of consumers who prefer ordering directly to restaurants because they know it’ll be cheaper. Also, modern diners are seen to be more inclined to support local restaurants. It provides fast and accurate service to consumers and covers a wide variety of business needs. It boosts not just your revenue and online presence but also changes the way you engage with your customers. In particular, if you integrate real-time online chat support with it. Indeed, restaurant mobile apps will be around for a long time to come. Can you imagine life without Facebook? Without access to a more convenient way of communication? A bit hard, right? The purpose of mobile apps is to meet consumer needs and make it easier for businesses to serve customers. Restaurant Mobile App- Customer EngagementModern consumers prefer to use mobile apps to engage with their local restaurants. If your restaurant has a mobile app, then it’s ideal. If you’re still relying on phone orders, then it’s the best time to do an upgrade. The platform that mobile apps provide allows you to cultivate brand awareness and customer loyalty easily. However, the same goes for every other restaurant. How do you plan to stay on top of the competition using the features that you have? Here are some approaches you can use to make sure that you’re driving customer engagement using your restaurant mobile app. Mastering the Full Customer Experience Indeed, third-party food service providers are one of the industry’s heroes during the serious hit of the pandemic. It provided those establishments who can’t pivot their operations right away and helped them to somehow survive the impacts of the lockdowns and restrictions. However, while this system surely works, it’s the most ideal solution for everyone, especially for small and start-up food businesses. The average commission and service fee of these providers is amounting to thirty percent of the price of an order. Looking closely, it’s a huge amount and you could feel it hurting your thin, barely even there, profit margins. In the end, it appears to be counterproductive to any benefits your business gains from it in the first place. But revenue aside, you should also be concerned about how you have little to no control of the customer experience that it offers. Keep in mind that third-party foodservice providers control and manage everything, and unless you pay a little extra, you won’t be able to enjoy premium services from them. With control and managing everything, we meant everything. Every customer data is theirs and you do not influence it. You also have no authority on how they will address concerns, should there be one. While it is safe to assume that consumers are now smarter, it’ll still be hard for them to not associate your brand with the service that your third-party providers offer. This is why having your restaurant mobile app, where everything is under your management is better. Although it’s an additional workload, just think about the control you can have. You can now deliver the service you want to your customers, and you can work on your customer engagement better as you have all the data to help you out. Develop the Experience Based on Customer Needs Consumers now find restaurant apps more interesting compared to before. In the recent report of a marketing intelligence firm, there’s a 91% growth in download and usage of restaurant mobile apps compared to third-party delivery apps. And along with the growing patronage, comes the increasing customers’ expectations as well. It is known that mobile apps were used for faster and more convenient services, but consumers are starting to demand more. Since everyone’s offering almost the same features, your customers will be wanting to experience a more personalized and targeted service from your restaurant mobile app. This is where proximity engagement technology comes in. Unlike other types of marketing technology, this type of solution integrates every data a customer has with you. It consolidates their data to identify patterns and preferences for a more customized service. If the data is processed using this proximity engagement technology, you can then automate hyper-targeted messages to your app. Personalized service is a proven customer magnet. Once a consumer feels that they’re being valued by a business, loyalty will soon follow. TakeawayThe mentioned methods are only possible if you develop your restaurant mobile app. And if you’re thinking that this might be a huge investment risk, worry not as most of the industry’s app developers are cost-effective. Also, this is a solution where you’re building your services around your customers. And while everything’s still uncertain and consumer behavior may shift again, you will have a better grasp on how to respond since you already have an idea or two on where to meet them based on the data you have. If you need help with your restaurant’s mobile app, feel free to contact us or check our restaurant solution packages. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/how-restaurant-mobile-app-grows-customer-engagement/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/666946308847927296
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Finding your audience through niche marketing is a beneficial step for your restaurant. Regardless of your business concept, as long as you’re serving the audience best suited for your business, then you’re equipped for success. Your target market is one of the fundamentals of your restaurant. You’re not just simply limiting your audience, but you’re carefully targeting the customers that already have an interest or motive in supporting your business. Profitability is assured with this restaurant marketing method. You can create more effective marketing and sales campaigns when you are targeting a group of customers that share a common characteristic. Niche Marketing for RestaurantBeing aware of how many variations of restaurant marketing there are, it could be overwhelming and confusing for you which one to implement. Since each one boasts and claims that they can deliver results, it could be a bit challenging to choose from the options. But the thing is, you don’t have to choose just one. The great thing about modern marketing methods is that they are collaborative. You can easily integrate one type with another. And whether you’re a seasoned restaurateur or just new in the game, niche marketing should not sound so unfamiliar. It’s simply targeted marketing in a slightly bigger picture. What is niche marketing?Small segments of a larger market constitute niche markets. Essentially, you’re appealing to a specific audience when you target a niche. And it’ll be up to you how you will identify the right niche for you. The location, demographics, psychographics, or budget of the customer base can all contribute to determining a niche. You can pinpoint the consumers who are most likely to take an interest in your restaurant by taking these factors into account. Advantages of Niche Marketing for Restaurants To help you understand how this type of marketing can benefit your restaurant, here’s a list of its advantages.
Disadvantages of Niche Marketing for Restaurants Here are some of the drawbacks which would lead you to hesitate into investing in this type of marketing.
Keep in mind what your business needs are and see how implementing niche marketing could serve your restaurant’s purpose. Balance the advantages and disadvantages it could provide you and see if it’s worth the investment on your end. How to Determine a Niche Market for Your RestaurantNiche’s definition is influenced by many factors, as we discussed earlier. Taking into account your location, what type of cuisine you serve, and your existing customers, you should easily be able to figure out what niche to focus on. Choosing a niche involves considering the following factors: Business Model Depending on what kind of restaurant you have, different types of customers will come to your restaurant. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a quick-service, fast-casual, fine dining, or family-style type, there’s a specific audience for you to appeal to. Location Are there other restaurants in the area? Is the restaurant in a populated area? Are you near the city center? Or are you a casual restaurant pub within the business center? Location is key in determining the type of customers you can target. Competitors Pay attention to your local competitors when choosing a niche market. Think about how you can set your restaurant apart from them by studying their audience profiles. Take the time to consider what makes your business unique and who your ideal audience is for you. Current Customers Talk to your regulars and find out what they like about your restaurant. In this way, you can see which aspects of your business are enticing returning customers. Pay attention to who already frequents your restaurant to determine your niche. Best Practices in Restaurant Niche MarketingHere are some helpful practical tips to help you move further into this type of restaurant marketing. Identify your Niche Market Of course, before you start with this marketing method, you need to determine the specific audience that you’ll be catering to. A differentiation strategy should come in handy on this part as it allows you to identify what sets you apart from other restaurants right away. Here are some of the elements that you would need to effectively identify your niche:
In simpler terms, you just need to figure out your unique strengths and focus on them until you gain a larger portion of your niche market. Put your Best Foot Forward Now that you have an idea of your target market, it’s now time to be creative and act upon it right away. If your competitors find your niche and theirs similar, it could be challenging to stand out from the crowd. That’s why it’s important to take action right away. Once you found a niche market, start creating a marketing strategy that would speak to them directly. Be creative, proactive, and look for fresh ideas to attract your niche. Play with a Catchphrase I’m lovin’ it. Just hearing those words, even if we don’t mention the brand, you’re still aware of what establishment is using the said catchphrase. That’s how effective a catchphrase or slogan is for your restaurant. If you want your brand and restaurant to stand out when customers are dining out, an easy-to-remember catchphrase should do the trick. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/benefits-of-niche-marketing-in-restaurants/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/665674180816175104 Working on your restaurant holiday catering plan as early as now is a great way to prepare your business during the holidays. It is almost time for the holiday season. With this season comes tremendous growth opportunities for your restaurant. Additional services often bring additional revenue. By offering this type of service to your customers, you’re giving them more options on how they can support your restaurant. This is also considered a wise and strategic move for restaurants. Just think about it, during this season everyone’s cramming to finish their work to have a work-free holiday, no one has enough time to prepare meals for the festivities. The holiday season allows you to increase your sales. Whether it’s the office parties or the reunions of families, most of the time the cooking is handled by outside vendors, and restaurants benefit from that. There is potential for growth beyond your dining area. If you want to continue expanding your services, like food delivery and takeaways, catering could be a great step forward. Holiday Catering for RestaurantsHome-cooked meals are considered a staple for the holidays. Following almost two years with little to no dining out, consumers have developed a craving for their favorite dish at their local restaurant. Even during the holidays last year, twenty percent of modern diners claimed that they are willing to spend more on takeaway and delivery from their favorite local restaurant. The right time to take advantage of this demand is now when our indoor socializing activities are limited to the minimum. What is Restaurant Catering?Catering is an act of offering food services to a group of people at a designated time, place, and fee. For restaurants, this service can be categorized by location or by the type of event you are hosting. For location-based catering, you have on-premise and off-premise catering. For on-premise, the event will be done on your restaurant’s premises. It could be a function hall or just a small private room. On the other hand, you will be responsible for delivering food to the customers for off-premise catering. The location could be a different event hall, hotel, the customer’s home, or any location that doesn’t offer food service. For event-based catering, services can be categorized into the most common social events namely wedding, corporate, and concession catering. Aside from the menu, the type of food service will be the distinct difference for this category. For instance, wedding catering events typically deploy food service for sit-down dinner, buffet style, cocktail receptions, and family-style dinners. While luncheons, trade shows, conferences, conventions, and launch parties are the events under corporate catering. Meanwhile, concession catering events typically include concerts, major sports events, and seasonal exhibitions. Speed of service is essential for this type of catering event. What are the Essential Elements for Catering?Although a regular dining service and catering service share almost the same requirements like food, equipment, and staff, if you’re going to look closely they are still quite different. After all, it’s a different type of food service delivery. Here’s a quick list of restaurant catering elements you should be aware of when you are planning to carry out this kind of work. Tools and Equipment If you’ll be offering an on-premise catering service, this should not be much of a concern for you. You have easy access to your freezers and other important storage units, unlike for off-premise service where the storage of raw ingredients (and even the cooked meals) are crucial. In essence, you will use the same kitchen with the same set of tools and equipment when you’re going for on-premise service. Even though your restaurant is open for regular dining service, your kitchen can still cater to the needs of your catering service. But, it’s a different story for off-premise catering. You’ll be delivering the food to a different location, away from the comforts of your complete kitchen setup. In short words, you have to create a stand-alone kitchen where you can prepare the meals. Keep in mind that not every off-premise location offers their kitchen or has a kitchen space to use. Most of the time, you have to set up your kitchen and preparation area. From the stoves to the trays and storage equipment, everything is expected to be provided by you. Menu If you’re going to offer catering services in your restaurant, make sure that you’ll create different types of the menu for different types of service. Remember that every event and food service type has distinct menu requirements. To keep up, you should try out one of the most helpful restaurant catering tips; which is to create a flexible menu. Allow your customers to customize how they want their menu to be. Consider including the dishes that will meet the requirements of a catering service arrangement. Offer a wide variety of dishes but limit to what’s workable. Make sure that the price will still meet the break-even point so that you can generate income. Logistics Transportation plays an important role in off-premise catering. You have to ensure that the vehicle type you’ll deploy can transport all your equipment and tools without causing any problems. Bringing in your staff to the location should be discussed as well. How do you expect your employees to reach the location? Talk to them and come to an arrangement that will be beneficial for everyone. In this situation, it’s best to gather all your employees to a single meeting point before going to the event location. Through this system, you can be certain that every staff member is present before you reach the location. Staff Aside from waiters and cooks, catering service requires you to employ an account manager that’s responsible for overseeing the entire event. You can’t expect yourself, as the owner, to manage a restaurant and a catering event at the same time. It’ll be chaotic. Your account manager will serve as the restaurant manager for your catering service. They will be the contact person of your client should there be issues concerning the said service. Additionally, you also need to hire additional utilities for the transport of the kitchen tools and equipment. Drivers for your trucks, and even captain waiters for added management of your staff. Fees You have to be careful when adding a fee for your catering service. Clients are very particular when it comes to the total amount that they should pay. You have to be transparent to gain their trust. Before you close a catering deal, make sure to account for everything that needs to be accounted for. While we understand that you want to please your clients, this is still a business that you’re trying to run. Generating income should always be one of your goals. If the location is a bit out of town, it’s just reasonable to ask for an out-of-town fee. The longer driving hours plus the gas expense is not something that you can simply put off. Make sure your fees are as clear-cut as possible, so if a customer questions them, you can answer them truthfully. Tips on How to Prepare Your Restaurant Catering Service for HolidaysAdding a catering service to your restaurant has the potential to boost your income and improve your customer base. If you’re having doubts and thinking you can’t deal with the additional demands that this service brings, take a deep breath and relax. Consider how much your customers already love your restaurant. Take a look at how much they love your food and service. Why not capitalize a bit more on it knowing you already have an audience for it? Holiday OperationsEven if you’re not offering additional service, during the holidays your restaurant will still need operational adjustments to maximize the potential of this season. As for catering, here are the most common and helpful operational tips you can use. Implement a holiday operating strategy Catering service in a low and slow season is way too different compared to peak and holiday season. As everyone’s trying to celebrate and hop on the festive season, you should expect more inquiries and more competition. Also, there will be long working hours and shorter rest days. Your operations will collapse sooner if you keep using one strategy, as the demand and the exhaustion will just pile up. Thus the importance of developing a strategy that will help you deal with holiday issues. Start by working on your brand presence. Yes, you may already have one for your regular restaurant service, but you must also aim to establish your brand as a reliable catering service provider. Your marketing strategy should target the right set of audiences for your campaigns. Recruit part-time or seasonal employees It’s always wise to hire an additional set of hands to keep up with the endless demands during this season. The demand for labor during the holidays is always higher compared to the regular season. A strategy is not enough to keep your operations stable and functional. It should receive sufficient support from those who will carry out the strategy. It’s a simple application of the supply-demand formula on your operations. To meet the current level of demand, you will need a sufficient supply. This applies to your food items and service providers. Imagine the horror of operating a catering service while being understaffed? Overworking your team will not only affect their health, but the quality of your service will also degrade. This is where seasonal and part-time workers play their magic. They act as the additional foundation of your core team to keep their efficiency and productivity on point. Some of the industry experts even consider that it’s preferable to be overstaffed during this time of year than to be understaffed. In regular restaurant management, both are considered not a good practice, but the holiday season is an exception. Seasonal workers keep your operation running smoothly, delivering the quality of food and service that you want without a long commitment. It’s clear to them that they’ll just be employed during this season or a period while being paid on an hourly basis. Launch a new catering menu for the holiday season This is a special season of parties and celebrations, of course, your clients will be expecting something a little different and special from your end as well. For your catering menu items, make sure that the menu items will reflect the festive season. Incorporating seasonal items that are only available for a limited time is an effective way to add a specialty to your menu. For instance, instead of your usual desserts, consider including traditional holiday desserts such as Yorkshire Pudding. Aside from the menu items, change your menu itself into a more holiday-themed layout. There are plenty of ways you can add a holiday touch to your menu. Continue to seek unique ideas that will add additional holiday flavor to your menu. Make sure your equipment is up to par It may cost you a bit but investing in proper catering tools and equipment is a great way to start your service. The holiday demands won’t take a pause just because you don’t have enough hot plates or your stoves are not working properly. Imagine the business that will slip right out of your hands because you can’t cater to an event just because you fail to check if your equipment is still in its best condition. One of the catering tips for restaurants is to buy more sets of utensils and silverware, as these small things make a huge difference. Spend time working on your inventory management Just what is a restaurant that doesn’t have ingredients for its menu items? Running a food business, you should know that your inventory and stocks are your lifelines. Inadequate inventory leads to loss of income, additional labor costs, and customer distrust. Holiday season or not, effective inventory management is crucial for your restaurant. This process directly affects your operations as well as your revenue. Mismanagement of your inventory will leave you in a state of trouble and chaos. The holiday rush is detrimental to inventory levels. Everyone’s trying to stock up from raw ingredients to other valuable supplies such as linens and even restroom supplies. Before the holiday season begins, make sure that your inventory management team has prepared months in advance of this important time. Provide a restaurant catering program for your staff Communicate well with your staff what are the operational and managerial adjustments that will be implemented. During these holidays, your employees will be tested to the fullest extent of their humanity, which is why they must be well trained and prepared. Start with schedule management. Aside from your diner service, your catering service working hours will be longer as well. Make sure to create a schedule that will maximize the strengths of your team, at the same time, it will provide them enough rest days to recuperate. Consider redistributing shifts, hiring holiday help, or implementing double shifts. It is important to plan if you want to transition smoothly into your holiday schedule, and ensure your employees are encouraged to submit schedule requests as early as possible. During the holidays, employees may need time off unexpectedly; be sure to explain your expectations when it comes to employees shifting schedules. Create a process to prevent misunderstandings, and clearly outline the consequences of sudden call-offs. Holiday PromotionsLook for interesting ways to market your restaurant catering services. This season brings enormous opportunities to broaden your customer reach. Maximize the festive atmosphere by using targeted marketing campaigns to reach people who are most likely to be interested. Take advantage of CRM Through your CRM, you gain better insights into your customers. By doing this, you’ll know which ones are likely to host an office party, which ones might throw holiday parties, and which ones may host family-oriented celebrations. There is plenty of customer information available at your disposal. You just have to be smart on how you’ll strategically call out to them and motivate them in trying out your catering services. Organize a taste test event What’s the other way to completely entice your clients rather than a free taste testing event? Catering service providers are known to conduct this type of test, especially if they have a new menu to introduce. Since you’ll be introducing your holiday menu, consider hosting this type of event to attract prospects. Providing a preview not only gives them an idea about what their food will be like, but also helps in building trust and credibility for your catering brand. Make use of your newsletter Your newsletter is an extremely useful tool you can use to communicate with your customers. And during the holiday season, there are lots of things that your clients need to know. Will you be conducting an open-house event for your new function hall? Will you roll out new special deals and promotions exclusively during the holidays? What are your new holiday menu items? These are just some of the important details that your clients can’t miss. Announce your catering service using your newsletter. What’s good about email marketing campaigns is that your customers are already segmented. Target those who have the best potential of testing out your new services like corporate businesses, decision-makers in the family, and the like. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/restaurant-holiday-catering/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663824457669935104 Restaurants are expected to adhere to different sets of guidelines and inspections. One of which is the restaurant health inspection, which is the most critical requirement that you need to pass to keep your business operative. As a business that involves food handling and preparation, it’s just natural for you to make sure that every health and safety protocol is being implemented. Passing this type of inspection is your way of giving assurance to your customers that you value their health and safety. This process could be a bit intimidating on your part as an owner. But if you’re taking proper safety measures and ensuring that everyone on your staff is well trained for food safety, then this should be a piece of cake for you. To help ease your concerns regarding this procedure, we’ve compiled the most effective ways you can prepare for it. Read along to know more about what are the things you should do to ace your next inspection. Health Inspection in RestaurantsIn essence, it refers to inspecting your restaurant, your staff, and your food products for possible hazardous and unsafe materials. In most cases, the health officers or inspectors of the local health department take care of this. For takeaways, caterers, or other food businesses from home, inspections are conducted by environmental health officers or health inspectors to ensure that your operations carry out food safety regulations. It is conducted to make sure that your restaurant, takeaway, or other food business is observing food safety management. The assigned health inspectors must follow their Food Law Code practice to conduct this process properly. What to Expect Before a Health Inspection in Your Restaurant?Well, there’s no telling what the assigned health inspectors will do first during their inspection. Even if you’re an experienced restaurateur who has some knowledge regarding the process, or you’re just getting started, you can always benefit from further knowledge. Inspections of this kind are random and unannounced. It is important to stay calm and composed if a health inspector visits your restaurant. It’s best to provide them with the required paperwork, most likely they’ll ask for your food safety licenses as well as other permits. Inspections from licensed health inspectors are something you cannot and should not refuse. During the inspection, you might want to follow the inspectors to answer any questions they have and to make a note of anything they find. Tip: Always check their credentials and make sure they are legally authorized to carry out health and safety inspections at your location. What to do During a Health Inspection in Your Restaurant?Aside from allowing the inspection to take place and compliance with the requirements of your assigned health inspectors, here’s a list of what to do during a food health and safety inspection.
What to Expect After a Health Inspection in Your Restaurant?Here’s a list of what you should expect from your local health officer after they conduct restaurant food and health inspections.
How often are Food and Health Inspections in Restaurants?Health inspectors can conduct inspections anytime. Their frequency of visits will be determined by the level of factors in your restaurant that are potentially harmful to public health. Health inspections are typically conducted every six months, regardless of whether the local health authority receives a complaint. The first visit will vary based on what type of business you operate, then your next visit will depend on your first health inspection. A business is scored from A-E according to the Food Law Code of Practice to determine whether it poses a high or low risk to public health.
Moreover, health inspections are typically not announced. So your restaurant staff and your operations must follow best practices that comply with food safety regulations and laws. Ways to Prepare for a Health Inspection in Your RestaurantTo successfully pass the next health inspection in your restaurant, here are some of the following practices you should consider. Ensure you have a restaurant health inspection checklistTo begin with, you must provide a checklist to your restaurant staff to make sure that they are informed about the practices they should observe to comply with food safety regulations. Follow this guide for creating your checklist. The situation of the premises
Management of Food Safety
Management of Food Handling
Upkeep the Common Areas for InspectionInspections of food and health will be focused on three primary things, namely:
Management of Food Handling Health inspectors will evaluate your food safety practices under this category.
The situation of the premises Under this category, health inspectors will check the following.
Management of Food Safety Health inspectors will assess how the restaurant manages and documents its food safety practices.
Learn about the updated Food Safety Health CodesYou should be aware of what guidelines you should adhere to. There might be sudden changes in the food safety health codes, and failing to implement them right away could pose serious damage. Ensure that you consult your local health authority about the updated list of the said codes. Especially now that there’s a major shift in the restaurant and health safety landscape, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your operation is properly complying with it. Provide comprehensive training about Food Safety and HandlingThere is no question that every staff involved in the process of food preparation and handling should have their Food Handler’s Permit. It certifies them that they received and completed food safety and training certification. Your staff will be the only one in contact with the food before it leaves your kitchen and reaches the dining area. If they’re not observing food safety handling practices, it could risk the health of your customers, and the status of your restaurant. Keep in mind that there are only a few who recovered from food poisoning or food contamination issues. As soon as your brand is associated with this issue, it will be difficult for you to get out of it. Conduct your health inspectionsA practical way of making sure that your staff and your system are at top of food safety management is by having your scheduled inspections. When you monitor your food handling practices and sanitation practices regularly, you can spot any loopholes right away. You can then take immediate action. Consider making a daily schedule for your staff for them to know which areas they should focus on. It also gives you an extra eye to help you maintain your current food safety management system. Get to know what are the most common health violationsMake sure to create a working system that prevents your restaurant staff from doing the following health code violations.
Keep an eye on your storage issuesIn restaurants, there are lots of storage issues you can encounter. There’s a lack of space, a lack of temperature checks, a lack of storage system, and many more. Make sure that you have a reliable storage system that will prevent you from facing such horrors. Expired and spoiled products should be disposed of properly immediately. To avoid this problem, make sure that the expiry dates are indicated on the label or storage area of the particular item. Cross-contamination is also a huge problem that can be sourced from poor storage systems. Every food item should have enough space to avoid being in contact with one another. If a raw ingredient comes into contact with a dry one, both will be contaminated already and should be discarded right away. Storage issues do not apply to food items only. Cleaning materials should be kept away from your ingredients. Cleaning chemical solutions can cause extreme harm if incorrectly used or consumed. Cleaning chemicals without markings or labels that are not legible can confuse, and mixing them up is not recommended. You may receive several warnings for unmarked and mislabeled bottles in restaurant food inspections. Keeping cleaning supplies or other containers separate from food processing is a simple way to avoid this. Be sure to clearly label them and store them in an isolated area. In such a case, you must keep a clean towel and a red cleaning bucket at each station. Health Code Violation Committed- What To ExpectIt is important to stay calm if the health code appears to have been violated. Within the given deadline period, strategically plan how you will implement a solution for your restaurant. You may also appeal the violation if you have reasons to disagree with it. Typically, if the violation is minor, like mislabelling of products, you’ll be given a specific period or timeframe to correct things. No financial penalty may be given. It’s just a matter of ensuring your team understands the importance of food safety management and following safe practices. Possible closure of your restaurant and a fine will be given if your restaurant business has major violations. You will have to permanently close your restaurant if you fail to adhere to food safety regulations. Cross-contamination and unsafe food sources are usually the most common major violations. You always need to keep in mind that no matter how minor or how major the violation is, it will be documented. Violations of any kind can damage the brand and image of your business. Health Inspection ScoresPart of the most useful restaurant health inspection tips is making sure to understand how the scoring system of health and food inspections works. As you will be required to declare each inspection on your customers after each inspection, knowing the scoring system will help you understand how it will affect your restaurant. Letter Grade Score System In this system, the letters A, B, or C are used to represent the level of compliance of your restaurant with food safety regulations. Most of the time, your inspectors calculate your score based on the number and severity of the violations you have committed. The letter grade is then converted from your number score after your points have been tallied. This system simplifies the scores in a way that makes them easier to understand for customers. From A being the highest and C being the lowest. Here’s a quick overview of this scoring system.
Number Grade Score System It’s a point-based score system that’s often based on a 100 scale, with 100 being the highest. It’s almost the same as the letter grade score system, except that this type uses numbers to indicate the score.
Restaurant Food and Health Inspection- FAQsWhat are the first things a health inspector checks?
What determines the failure in the management?
What happens after the health inspection?
Is it possible to request another inspection?
source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/tips-for-restaurant-health-inspection/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663760278390964224 Among the many dilemmas, you can encounter as a restaurant owner, coming up with a budget for your restaurant marketing plan always poses a challenge. You may have a lot of options, but in the end, selecting platforms that work for you can be difficult. In an ideal setup, you can simply promote your restaurant brand to any platform that you wish. But this is not the case in today’s restaurant landscape, you have to carefully strategize what type of marketing strategies you’ll deploy that will deliver the best results. Creating a marketing plan for your restaurant can be an exciting task for your team. It involves playing with colors, wit, designs, and the like. However, you also have to consider if you have an allocated budget that can support your initiatives. Overspending in marketing budget is a growing concern in the restaurant industry. It’s one of the most common mistakes of marketing experts that often leads to poor performance and result for a marketing campaign; regardless of what platform they used. Nevertheless, marketing remains to be one of the key elements for restaurant management. You can’t expect consumers just to shower down support for your business if they don’t have an idea that you exist. Getting the word out there is crucial for every restaurant. And if you’re worried that a small budget won’t allow you to achieve great results, we’re here to provide you some clarification. You can market your small business effectively despite a limited budget, no matter whether you’re starting or recovering from the effects of the pandemic. How To Market A Restaurant On A Budget?Unlike before where your only options are broadcast and print media, which will cost you a lot of your budget, today’s marketing environment has already changed. Digital marketers continuously develop cost-effective and intuitive marketing channels, so the budget shouldn’t be a concern. Additionally, the price of a marketing channel does not directly reflect its benefits. Several platforms don’t require huge investment, yet offer great value. Take for example social media marketing platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. These top social media marketing channels are considered as one of the most effective platforms available today. They both offer a straightforward interface that makes it easier for you and your marketing team to navigate through it. The best thing is most of its features are free. And if you want to access some of its advanced features, you have the option to make a one-time payment (if you just want to check its performance) or ask for a monthly or annual subscription. Still, it won’t cost you a lot compared to broadcast marketing. Digital marketing proposes various types of marketing strategies and channels for restaurants to use. Therefore, if you want to advertise your restaurant for an affordable price, you might consider looking at what’s going on online. Although there are downsides to digital and online marketing, like your ads can be placed on harmful and exploited websites, they can still be contained. Just make sure that you have the right digital marketing provider to guide you, or simply stick to the basics of digital marketing. Marketing Budget for RestaurantsYour marketing budget is an integral part of your restaurant budget plan. It’s basically what will support your every marketing initiative and campaign. But what is the perfect budget to allocate for your marketing? What percentage of your revenue should be placed on it? If you’re in the restaurant scene for quite some time, you must already have an idea or two about budgeting. Overspending and underspending are not something new for you, and you already know that flexibility and compromise are important in budgeting. If you’re a new player, then we understand if you’re going to be a bit rigid with your marketing budget. After all, you’ve carefully set that budget with consideration of every factor that might affect its performance. But how do you create the perfect formula budget? When should you start? What are the factors you need to consider? Those are just some of the questions that we’ll help you find the answers to. Marketing Budget for Restaurants- How To CreateThere’s been a significant increase in marketing costs due to the growing number of platforms and channels being forced on business owners. In contrast to well-established brands, those who are just starting to tend to struggle to prioritize their marketing budgets. Here’s a simple and easy guide that can help you create your marketing budget plan for your restaurant. Define your marketing goals and objectives Setting a direction for your initiatives and campaigns is important as it helps you to see the situation clearer. If you have clear and attainable marketing goals in mind, you have better control of your budget allocation. How so? If you have well-defined results that you want to achieve, there’s a greater chance of you sticking to the tools and strategies that will help you accomplish it. Because you get results, you will be able to recognize when to stop. Just for instance, if you continue to send out aimless email marketing campaigns to your customers. How will you know that it’s time to improve your current strategy or if it’s something that you should continue if you don’t have a basis for its success? You’ll end up wasting your budget without getting the desired results. Your goals and objectives serve as your guide to create a strategic plan that will make the most of your allocated marketing budget. Every restaurant has a different set of needs and goals that they target to meet. For a new restaurant, marketing for brand awareness should always be included in your objectives. You may also include wider customer reach and stronger visibility. Just remember to keep your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Rank your smart goals according to their priority. This practice allows you to create a more systematic approach to your budget planning. Choose your marketing channels It may be surprising for you, but you don’t need to be present on every marketing platform available. Consumers always go for quality over quantity. Using many marketing channels is an ineffective strategy because your budget will be spread thinly. One of the most effective restaurant marketing strategies is to only choose the platforms that will best serve the purpose and goals of your restaurant. Research about the different types of platforms and identify which appeals most to your target customer base. Traditional marketing channels are still doing their job in raising brand awareness. But your chosen channel will still depend on whether your audience will engage from it. If your target audience is the Millennials, it may be wise to focus more on digital marketing channels. To expand more on this idea, here are some of the most common marketing channels that you can utilize for your next marketing plan. While there is no limit as to how many channels you’ll use, it’s always a good idea to start with three or five; as your brand grows, you can add more channels. ● Social Media Marketing – Ever since it penetrated the e-commerce industry, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YoutTube were unstoppable. They have provided various online tools that are proven to be helpful with marketing. Now, you also don’t have to be active on every social media site there is. Check out the features that they’re offering, and if you think it’ll be useful for your strategy, then sign up. Additionally, your target audience must be on the same channel for them to receive your marketing efforts. Lastly, know how these social media channels work. If you’re trying to work on your video marketing, then YouTube and Instagram might be the perfect fit for you. Seek out the channels that will enable you to accomplish your goals more quickly and with less effort and expense.
It offers a lot of versatility, you can send an introductory email, follow-up email, and even birthday email to your customers. With the right email marketing service provider, you’re set for success. ● Chatbot Marketing – A relatively new type of digital marketing that offers a different set of personalization into your marketing campaigns. This channel is not just for marketing, but it can also help you with your sales and customer service. ● SMS Marketing – This channel is often overlooked as business owners fail to see its worth. Marketing through SMS holds one of the highest opening rates among the other marketing channels. It also offers an outstanding thirty-two percent conversion rate, which is a lot in digital marketing standards. ● SEO Optimized Websites- Online marketing is a vast area to test on. This type of channel aims to offer stronger local visibility for your brand. Just make sure to provide accurate and informative content about your restaurant to avoid confusion. Make sure to consider the reach and engagement that every marketing channel can provide you. You must also factor in the conversion rate, and what channel provides the best return on investment. Adopt a marketing budget model This is especially applicable for new restaurant owners who are starting from scratch. Creating something that you don’t have much information about is nearly impossible. If you’re not comfortable seeking help from an outsider, there are budget templates and models you can use as a guide. There’s the famous 70/20/10 model that allows you to allocate a certain percentage of your budget to meet the specific needs of your marketing plan. You may also want to try out the 50/30/20 model. Whatever you choose, make sure that it’s still aligned with your goals. Marketing Budget for Restaurants – How MuchBudgeting and strategies will depend on your restaurant’s specifics. It will depend on your business model, concept, and even the nature of your restaurant. If you’re an owner of a newly opened restaurant, then you’ll have a different restaurant startup budget compared to those who’ve been operating for some time. The same applies to those who are seeing a great decline in engagement and revenue. For new restaurants, the range of ten to twenty-five percent of your sales or capital is a good marketing budget. You’re just trying to build your brand and cultivate awareness from consumers, so, understandably, it’ll be a bit higher. You also have to consider the competition in your area. If it’s a bit more intense than expected then leaning into a higher budget should help you position your brand in an advantageous position. For restaurants that are already known and established, their budget should be focused on brand retention and loyalty. A small percentage of your sales ranging from five to ten percent should be enough. Consider your profit margin and competition at this stage. Make sure that it’s perfectly balanced with what you are spending on your marketing efforts. Make any adjustments you deem necessary. Lastly, for restaurants that are seeing a decline in engagement and revenue, they have to put in a bit more effort. Keep in mind that it’s always harder to convince customers to come back compared to if you’re trying to retain them. The feasible marketing budget for this situation is one to three percent higher than your previous budget. Because it’s showing that whatever you’re doing, it’s not enough and effective. Review the analytics of your previous plan and identify the improvements you can make. Tips on How To Market Your Restaurant on A BudgetBudgeting may seem like a daunting task at first, but after you learn the ropes it becomes much more enjoyable. Here are some of the easiest tips and tricks you can use to maximize the budget that you have. Hint: everything you need is in your hand. Update your Google My Business listingHow about we start with a platform that’s part of every consumer, of different generations, daily lives? Google is the go-to platform for everyone if they’re looking for something. It’s the best platform to raise awareness and gather online engagement. A GMB profile is a tool perceived by Google for business owners to claim their brand online. It’s a great way to introduce your brand to the online community. It’s a free tool that contains everything a customer needs to know about a restaurant. Also, if your restaurant claims its GMB listing, it adds legitimacy to your brand leading to stronger online visibility. Make sure to add accurate and updated information about your restaurant. Complete the listing process, and constantly monitor and update it every once in a while. Launch a YoutTube ChannelVideo marketing offers significant marketing results for restaurants. YouTube is the second largest search engine, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity of marketing to its 2.29 billion active users. You can use YouTube to facilitate relationships with your customers. Use your videos to connect with them. Talk to your staff first and decide on what type of video content you’re going to publish. For food-related businesses, cooking tutorials are the most popular. You can also ask your chef to provide quick cooking lessons and cooking hacks to make it more relatable for your audience. Showing behind-the-scenes types of videos are also an effective way to garner interest from the online community. Feel free to ask your customers via online poll or survey on what type of videos they are expecting from you, should you be placed in a creative block. Stay active on Social Media platformsEven if you’re just a start-up restaurant, you must already have an account on the top social media platforms namely Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Everyone’s on social media and if you want attention on your brand, this is the perfect budget-friendly channel for you. With the use of its advanced targeting tools, you’ll be able to send out your campaigns to a more specific audience according to your reference. Having an updated profile on social media makes it easier for your potential customers to develop trust in your brand. Keep your Restaurant Website optimized and updatedUse the influence of local SEO. It creates a huge difference since you’re specifically targeting your local area with your content and marketing campaigns. If your website is optimized, there’s a huge possibility that it’ll rank higher on search engines. Additionally, an updated website provides access to your customers for them to know your business better. Make sure that everything that a customer may need can be found on your web pages such as your contact information, menu, online reviews, and a bit of history. Consider starting a BlogIncreasing engagement and loyalty of customers is one of the benefits of blogging. This reflects the character of your brand, leading to a greater sense of customer connection. This is a type of content marketing that helps your company to promote itself without spending an excessive amount of money. To keep your customers and prospects interested, keep your ideas fresh and exciting. Engage in Email MarketingEmail marketing is known for its proven stability in delivering higher conversion rates. It is a good platform to spend your budget on since you’re given assurance that it will provide desirable results. Keeping your customers up-to-date about your restaurant business is important due to the initiatives and protocols restricting physical and outside contact. Send out email marketing campaigns about how you’re handling the new normal to entice your customers into coming back. Establish Your Local PresenceWith local SEO, you’re working on your local online presence, but the online community is not the only community you need to impress. Indoor hospitality is back, you should already start working on how you can have the support of your locals in your community. Consider joining local charity events, or try hosting a networking event. This type of organic reach to the community and consumers is not something you can get from your digital marketing platforms. Start building real connections with the people around you, you’ll be surprised how much difference it can make for your business. Developing a restaurant marketing strategy that guarantees a return on investment does not have a fixed budget. What you can do as a restaurateur is to ensure you are not wasting money on unnecessary marketing initiatives. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/low-budget-ideas-to-market-a-new-restaurant/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663733880296275968 Restaurant teams are composed of knowledgeable staff members who perform specific tasks. However, there is one position that should be able to handle and understand every aspect of your restaurant’s operations and management, and that is a restaurant manager. The job of a manager is to ensure that your entire restaurant is operating smoothly. It should be capable of overseeing and directing your entire team to operate and provide the best quality of service that they can deliver. Your managers are responsible for leading your team towards the established goal for your restaurant. They ensure that all departments are working in harmony together and everyone is aware of their responsibilities. They are accountable for the success of your business. They serve as your right hand in terms of managing both the operations and management of your restaurant, therefore, it’s natural to be particular when it comes to hiring one. Here are some tips to help you identify the right candidate for this position. Follow along as we’ll also be discussing what are the skills and qualities you should look for when you’re trying to fill this position. Managers for Restaurants- How To Find The Best One?There are a lot of factors to consider in filling the position of manager in a restaurant. It’s considered as one job with many hats. While it’s only a single title, its responsibilities branch out up to the very end of your management chain. To help you reach a deeper understanding of how this role plays in your business, we have enumerated below its primary responsibilities. Key Responsibilities of Managers in RestaurantsAlthough the said duties may vary depending on the setting of your restaurant, or the structure of your organization, these are the main obligations of your managers. You must ensure that the one you’ll choose should be excellent on the following. Supervising the overall progress of your team One of the perks of owning a restaurant is that you’re not required to be present at all times. With the help of your competent managers and advanced solutions, you can now monitor everything away from your physical store, and even on your phone. This is how integral this role is. Your managers serve as the battle commander of your restaurant’s warzone. They directly report to you everything that you need to know. Starting from staffing to kitchen concerns, they should be on top of everything about your restaurant. They should be a good leader, someone who knows how to keep a team motivated. And while they are at it, they should be able to do performance reviews on your team. With their expertise, their evaluation can be trusted. As a leader, they should be able to communicate well with your staff and inform them should there be an improvement that needs to be done. They must know how to facilitate effective cooperation among your staff to avoid conflict and frustrations. Resolving internal and external operational conflicts No matter how careful you are, or your team is, misunderstanding and conflict will always be present. Especially in a restaurant setting where things could easily heat up, it’s impossible to avoid conflicts. Your staff is composed of different competent individuals. Each has its way of doing things and working principles. Sooner or later, they will encounter another individual that has a different method and imbibes principles that are contrary to theirs. Whether that conflict is among your team or with a customer, one of the main tasks of managers is to handle conflicts and minimize negative impacts. You should hire a restaurant manager that knows how to apply damage control in every situation. Optimizing your operations A capable leader knows what are the methods and tools that can be utilized to optimize every operational procedure that your restaurant has. There’s indeed no shortcut to success, but with their experience and exposure, they’re equipped with ideas to simplify a process. But, don’t get us wrong, by simplifying the process we didn’t mean to indicate that the results would be compromised. The new method or tool that they will provide should yield the best results without using complicated and technical processes. Monitoring and evaluating customer satisfaction Yes, your managers are not just focused on your staff but they also maintain and manage the customer dining experience that they offer. They make sure that every guest is given the utmost customer service and that they’re delighted with your menu items and services. And the same goes for your online reputation. They are the ones responsible for upholding your credibility online. They are very thorough in monitoring every online review, feedback, and report that you receive from your website and other review sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor. Your managers provide the necessary response to this feedback and give your customers assurance that they’re being heard by the management. They help create unforgettable customer experiences that will resonate with the guests even after they leave your establishment. Looking out for new hires If there’s someone who knows your team well, it is your manager. They’re a vital element of your hiring process since they know the current composition of your team and what it needs to improve its productivity and effectiveness. They also monitor the training process of the new hires. Since your managers are the most familiar with your employees, they know which one can particularly benefit from the training of your new employees. Administration and management of inventories Inventory management is a crucial process for a restaurant. You may have a point person on your back-of-the-house team to manage your inventory, but when it comes to purchasing, it should be endorsed to the managers, or they should be notified at most. It’s not that you don’t trust your kitchen staff, but you can’t extract reports from different kitchen staff just to stay updated with your inventory. Your managers can generate a consolidated report that gives you a brief overview of the status of your inventory. Budgeting and financial management This is another role-specific task that can be done by your financial and accounting team. While the specifics of this department are being handled by them, your managers should be knowledgeable about this process as well. They know your business upside down, thus, allowing them to take part in setting sales forecasts for your team. They know the potential of your staff, and they most likely have an idea of how much your current operations are capable of making. Enforcing additional protocols In light of the new health and safety protocols enforced by local and national health authorities, it will be up to your managers to ensure that these guidelines are being adhered to. They are responsible for overseeing the implementation of these protocols. For instance, in the UK they set different guidelines for restaurants, pubs, bars, nightclubs, and other similar social food preparation businesses. These protocols are introduced to promote a healthier dining environment, for both your staff and guests. And since they have the right authority, they can also take certain actions should a guest fail to follow the said protocols. Skills to Consider When Hiring a Manager for Your RestaurantHere’s the list of the skills that you need to look out for when hiring a good restaurant manager. Now, keep in mind that this is an open list. If you find a skill that you find helpful for your management, then feel free to include it Industry Expertise You’ll be entrusting almost your entire management with this person. It’s a must that they have adequate experience, knowledge, and training in this industry. Running a restaurant is not an easy task, your managers should be equipped with the expertise to move forward. They should know how the process works for your daily operations. Maintains the highest standards of health and safety, and knows how to manage and improve the skills of your staff. Effective Business Judgement When you’re not around, your managers are the decision-makers for everything. If there’s a need for purchasing approval, they can facilitate the process. It’s one thing that they’re well-versed about your daily operations, but they should be business-minded as well. Aside from management, they should also take care of your revenue and look for ways to minimize your costs. They should be able to make effective business decisions with or without your presence. Exceptional communication skills This role is built around relationships and communication. You can’t consider yourself a leader if you don’t know how to communicate with your team. Also, managers will be in regular contact with staff, guests, and operators. You should hire someone who knows how to build a healthy working culture and environment for your staff. Someone who can deliver an excellent dining experience with your customers. And a person that your vendors and suppliers can trust. Knowledgeable about technology By now, you should already deploy different types of restaurant solutions and technologies into your operations and management. While you can’t expect everyone to be familiar with every software there is, it’s advantageous to have someone that can easily understand how things work. Dedicated to customers A restaurant manager’s job is to ensure that guests leave with a positive experience, and they should know how to do that. Taking care of your customers should always be their top priority. Tips in Hiring a Manager for Your RestaurantHere is a basic restaurant manager recruitment guide to help you find the right person for this position. Start by looking from your current staff This is one of the most missed opportunities for restaurant owners. They often are quick to look outside their organization to fill this role, when in reality, your current staff has most of the qualities and knowledge that they need to fit in this position. The inside promotion offers a lot of benefits for you. You’ll be saving a lot of resources for training and exposure since they’re already familiarized with your management and operations. It’s also a good way to boost the morale of your team since you’re providing them opportunities for career growth. Consider asking for referrals If there’s still no running candidate from this position within your team, ask them for referrals. The industry is a small world, they might know someone that has the qualities, skills, and experience you’re looking for. This is not limited to your staff as well. You can also ask other industry experts, those whom you trust of course. Since you’re in the same industry, they might know a staff or two which they can recommend as your new manager. This makes the sourcing and hiring process easier since you already know that they have the skills and experience. It’ll just come down if they will be meeting your specific business needs. Be innovative with your hiring process Utilize different job posting platforms to make sure that you’re talking to the right pool of candidates. Be specific with your requirements, and ensure that your job posting is clear and understandable. You may also want to consider using social media should these platforms be not sufficient for you. There are also industry-related forums and groups that you can check out to source out candidates. Just make sure that there’s still a hint of professionalism in your posting. Hire based on their character, not just their skills Skills can be taught and learned, but the character is not something you can control. No matter how skilled a candidate is, if they’re not blending well with your team, then it’s not going to work. Make sure that you’ll carefully examine the character of each candidate for the managerial position. It’s an integral part of your restaurant that will help you to build a better team and business system. If that person is not someone that has the ideal characteristics, it might be a problem for you. Make sure to ask context-specific questions During the hiring process, it’ll be beneficial for you if you can evaluate how that candidate will perform should a certain situation arise. Keep in mind that the way they handle these situations will most likely reflect on their actual performance. Through their answers, you can get a sense of whether they’re capable or not for the said role. You can gain better insights into their character, judgment, and qualities if you’ll be asking the right set of questions. Check for cultural compatibility It’s a must that a manager must fit right away to the management and the team. That even though they are new, they should click right away with the entire staff since they’ll be the ones leading and directing their performances. Your restaurant would already have an existing working culture. Your manager should be a good match with it to ensure smooth operations. To help you determine if they are a culture fit with your management, make sure to give your restaurant a proper introduction. Let them know about your vision and mission. Share with them about the core values of your team, about the working hours usually required from them, and the services expected from them. If they seem to not mind working a bit longer than others, or if they can be flexible enough to meet the needs of your management and your team; then you can consider them a strong candidate. Look beyond the surface As others may say, learn to read between the lines. Expect that everyone will be putting their best foot forward when it comes to interviews and the hiring process. How will you identify if they are being truthful in what they’re saying? By being observant. Don’t just listen to what they’re saying. Check out other cues such as their body language, these are the subtle hints that often give away more about the character of a candidate. You’ll be able to learn a bit more about them, through their eye contact to how firm their handshake is. Check out their experience It’s always easier for you to hire candidates with experience from the same type of restaurant as yours. If you can find someone who has great exposure and experience with the same working environment, then they must also possess the skills that you’re looking for. Just make sure to ask them how they’re handling the situations from their past team. It’s also helpful to know the reason why they choose to leave their former team. Having ideas about their past experiences allows you to understand and know them better. Perform a background check If we have failed to emphasize, this role is an integral part of your restaurant management. You’ll be giving them authority that could make or break your business. Just imagine how horrifying it would be if you hired someone who lied about their employment history? It’s not the most ideal situation and it’s possible to happen if you’re not being careful with your hiring process. If you’re eyeing a candidate, make sure to check with their past employers or references about their skills and verify important information such as training and certifications. People can be desperate when looking for a job. Don’t fall into this kind of trap. Be assertive with your hiring process to ensure that you’ll be hiring the perfect candidate. Hire with retention in mind The hiring and training process costs more than you think. It takes a lot of your resources, time, energy, and money. This is just one of the many reasons why employee retention should be your goal for your hiring process. Not only for this particular position but as a whole. You should look for candidates that can lead and manage your team and your restaurant for a long time. This promotes stability within your management and consistency in the quality of service that your team provides. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/tips-for-hiring-right-restaurant-manager/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663665904103653376 Despite being introduced with different types of digital marketing platforms, restaurant email marketing remains to be dominant. Unlike the belief that it’s getting rusty and not as effective as before, the numbers are claiming otherwise. Did you know that marketing experts still consider email to be the platform that delivers the highest ROI? It’s forty times more productive when used in customer acquisition and lead generation for a business. Also, aside from its intuitive interface, it continues to be cost-effective for business owners. It’s claimed that for every dollar spent on your email campaign, your business is earning forty times more. Consumers are also seen to be more inclined with this type of marketing platform. With a 19.77% average open rate, launching a promotion or marketing ads on email seems like a great idea especially if you’re raising brand awareness and generating leads. If you’re getting excited about launching your first email campaign yet not sure where and how to start, then this might be just the perfect article for you. Here, we’ll be talking a bit more about this marketing platform and how you can start your campaigns with it. Email Marketing for RestaurantsUpon its introduction, email has easily become a part of the daily lives of professionals. But unlike before, it’s now a popular medium of communication even among students, young professionals, and those who are ahead of life. Using it became second nature, and everyone seemed to be at ease with it. Although, compared to social media ads and promotional campaigns, it provides more legitimacy and professionalism to the campaigns launched through this channel. Being aware of how the industry and every local regulation are changing, it’s reassuring for you to have a stable and proven communication tool to use for you to be in touch with your customers. It can help you develop a trusting relationship with your customers. It’s a proven way for reengaging with your past customers, and it’s also an excellent resource for acquiring new customers. You can easily send them reminders and updates about your restaurant, and they’ll be lurking into your website or physical store in no time. Additionally, with all the different types of digital marketing platforms, email marketing is the least prioritized. Most of the marketing experts, especially the young ones, are more focused on newly developed platforms that they often disregard the benefits that email brings to the table. With that being said, there’s a lesser chance that this platform is saturated with various marketing initiatives. Making it easier for you and your campaigns to stand out above other campaigns. However, it’s natural for you to seek out other types of restaurant marketing as well. And it’s totally fine. The thing with this platform is that it requires minimal monitoring and maintenance, and it sort of runs its own game once you’ve programmed it. It’s also known to be budget-friendly, so incorporating it with other types of marketing platforms won’t do that much harm to your budget. Just keep in mind that a well-planned strategy is what always helps you win the game, the same goes for email as well. Benefits of Email Marketing for RestaurantsWith the help of email marketing, restaurants now have an established and reliable medium for communication. And whether they want to reconnect with a former client, generate a new subscriber list, or simply update users, email is still considered one of the best in this game. It improves customer retention Fifty-six percent, that’s how email marketing is more effective compared to other marketing strategies when customer retention is the goal. Consumers are more comfortable in using email as a medium for them to receive updates and promotions. Social media may be part of their daily lives as well, but they use it more for fun and to pass time. When you use email, they’re most likely to read to the end, compared to social media campaigns where there’s a great possibility of them just scrolling through it. It promotes personalization Establishing a connection between your customers and your brand should always be your priority. For restaurants, it should be a great honor for you if your customers relate to your brand in a more personal way. Through email marketing, you can easily launch customized campaigns that will help bridge the gap between your business and your customers. While you can target your audience on social media, email offers a level of personalization that few others can match. It facilitates communication We hate to be redundant, but communication is made easier by email platforms. Not everyone is comfortable talking through phones, and if you want to gather feedback from your customers, email should do the trick. Consider including your business email address on your GMB profile, website, and the like. Giving your customers a better and much more open platform where they can easily express their opinions about your restaurant shows how much you value their patronage. It gives you a greater degree of control Compared to other types of restaurant marketing, marketing through email allows you to be more in control. You have control of your audience, of your content, of your subject line, almost everything. The only thing you can’t control is whether a customer opens your email. While other platforms such as social media give you a bit of control, it’s still lacking compared to what email can offer you. Consider the targeting tools you use on Facebook, sure, they filter your audience, but still, there is no guarantee they will engage with your campaign. However, for email, you’re in total control of your mailing list. And the best thing about this is that these customers are most likely expecting promotional email campaigns from you since they voluntarily signed up for it. It can be integrated with other marketing strategies You’re aware that you need to be deploying different marketing strategies on multiple marketing platforms to get a broader customer base. Email is a flexible, low-cost channel that can be incorporated with other types of marketing such as SMS and social media marketing. Just make sure to set your marketing goals right to get more preferable results from your campaigns. Balance out the differences of each and see how the strength of each platform will play well with others, How to Start Email Marketing for RestaurantsWith four billion active users for the year 2020, active email users are projected to grow up to almost five billion by the time we reach 2025. With these numbers in mind, it’s just rational for you to work on your restaurant email marketing ideas. Start your email marketing campaigns by using this simple guide we made for you. Select an email marketing company that fits your requirementsIt’s always best to ask an expert for help and guidance if you’re trying to navigate your way into unfamiliar territory. Yes, you may be familiar with how email works, but there are factors behind the scenes that require more technical knowledge and skills. This is how email marketing service providers will be beneficial for your business. If you aim to facilitate automation with your email marketing, they have the features and platform that can make things easier for you. They provide you automation tools that save you time while producing excellent results at the same time. They also offer technical support that can answer every question and concern you have for your campaigns and the platform itself. However, it may be tough for you to choose from the abundant choices available in the market. So make sure to know what are your goals first, and check out the features and support they can offer for your business needs. Just a tip, almost every email marketing service provider offers the same set of features, tools, templates, and even platforms. The only thing that may differ is how flexible they will be in meeting your demands and supporting your campaigns along the way. Build your mailing listYou can’t start something if you don’t have an audience for it. In this case, you have to grow your email marketing list or subscriber list, or whatever you prefer to call it. Even though the majority of businesses already have a list, it’s good to update it from time to time. But, if you’re a start-up restaurant that’s starting from scratch, or you just want to rebuild your list, there is no reason to panic. There are a lot of ways to get those email addresses in the palm of your hand. You may opt to do a more traditional approach like setting up a registration table at your entrance where customers will be highly encouraged to leave their details. Or you can simply ask them to sign up with your newsletter to get exclusive discounts and updates. Then again, today’s restaurant landscape has shifted. You have to deploy wiser tactics to grow your list. Consider integrating your sign-up form with your wifi connection. The moment your customers connect on your wifi, they’ll be required to leave at least their email address. Be sure to be clear on how you’ll be using the information that you’ve gathered. Stay transparent with your customers to avoid conflicts, at the end of the day it’s still their personal information. Organize your list by using customer segmentationAlthough the customers on your list permitted you to send marketing and promotional emails on their accounts, you still have to aim for relevance. If you’re going to just mindlessly send campaigns to everyone on your list, your efforts will not yield the expected results. Segmenting your list is a practical and effective way to make sure that you’re getting the maximum results from your email campaigns. It is one of the most useful email marketing ideas for restaurants because it allows you to send tailored and customized campaigns. For segmentation, there’s no need to make it complicated. You can simply segment your customers according to gender, location, birth month, and the like. Any information that links your customers together can be used in your segmentation process. It’s like a targeting tool but it works more into specifics. By implementing this process, your customers will be receiving campaigns that are more relevant to them. It will allow you to create tailored and targeted deals that customers will find more appealing. Construct a welcome series emailUpon signing up to your email marketing list, your customers will be receiving a welcome email for you. If you’re going to continuously grow your mailing list, you should set up a welcome email that will make them feel that it’s worth it subscribing to your brand. On average, welcome series email has an open rate of fifty percent. In comparison to standard welcome newsletters, they are 86% more successful. Also, keep in mind that this is the first type of email content you’ll be sending your subscribers, you may want to build a good first impression. You may begin with a friendly salutation or an expression of gratitude. Afterward, provide them an overview of what to expect with the subscription that they made. Close it with a little reward like a free slice of cake or a reasonable discount for their next visit. Make sure that you’ll capture your subscribers’ interest the moment that they see your welcome email. Work out your subject line. Balance the elements such as design, typography, color, placement, and timing. Compile reusable email templatesWe understand that not everyone’s gifted with artistic talent, thus it may not be easy for you to create email templates on your own. But this is one of the advantages that your email marketing service provider offers, they also provide templates that you can use. There are also tools, such as Canva, that you can use to create templates for your future email campaigns. It’s a must that these templates should look good and function well with every device, especially with smartphones. A tip, in creating or choosing templates, make sure that it’s well-aligned with your branding. The designs and other elements should not cloud or overshadow its content. Keep it simple and clean to make it enticing and easy to understand. Make sure that your brand will be visible. Strategically place your logo and incorporate the colors that are in line with your theme. Consider putting links to your website or online ordering system webpage to make it resourceful for your customers. With reusable templates, you’re enforcing consistency with your email marketing campaigns. It’s also a great way to instill brand retention for your subscribers. Compose effective campaigns to influence customersYou have to make sure that your content and other email marketing campaigns will be persuasive enough for your subscribers. Provide relevant and exciting content to keep them interested in supporting you. For your promotional and marketing updates, make sure that it’s enticing enough to lead your subscribers into buying or availing of that promo. If you’re not that confident with your writing ability, consider checking with your staff or hiring someone that will focus on this area. But, if you’re open to learning more, you just need to practice your writing skills. Check out how other brands construct their marketing campaigns and learn what you think will work on your audience. Plan your content ahead of timeA content calendar should be useful for you. The restaurant caters to different types of customers with different types of needs and demands. If you have a calendar, it’ll be easier for you to formulate content that will meet the dynamic needs of your customers. There is also a small chance of you missing out on important and relevant dates such as the holidays, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and the like. Planning gives you ample time to create adjustments should there be sudden changes in the calendar. Implement email marketing automationIf you’re going to apply automation to your email marketing campaigns, you’ll be saving a lot of time and energy. Automated emails are the ones that are sent automatically to your customers that are programmed to respond to triggers. It uses triggers such as birthdays, calendar events, welcome offers, and the like. Once your system receives any of the triggers, it will then send a personalized email at the best possible time. Without this feature, it’s nearly impossible for you to monitor every birthday of your customers, or every time someone joins your subscription program. This feature enables you to build and manage a secured relationship with your customers. Ensure that all features have been tested before launchingMistakes are inevitable. But with careful planning, you can avoid obvious and simple mistakes such as incorrect spelling or grammatical errors. The absence of a link when you mentioned that there would be one would cause confusion and frustration amongst your subscribers. You should conduct dry runs on your email marketing first. Before you send your campaigns, preview, and test every feature. Make sure that all links are included and good, all images are displayed, and all promo codes will be running. Identify the optimal time to send your campaignsResearch what’s the best time to send out your campaigns. Your subscribers will not be monitoring their emails all day. There’s an optimal time when most of your subscribers will be opening their email. It may differ for every group or customer segment. But generally, marketing experts see Tuesdays and Thursdays be the best days to boost the open rates of your email campaigns. For the exact time, you may want to send it out sometime around 8 am to capture those who are checking their emails first thing in the morning. For a later time, consider sending out campaigns around lunchtime to 1 pm. After sending out your first set of email campaigns, you have to monitor and track its results. Analyze the numbers and look out for room for improvement that you may find. Practice reviewing the results to make sure that you’ll prove an improved campaign every time. If you’re going to look at it, there are lots of email marketing strategies for restaurants that you can use. Just make sure to prioritize the needs of your business first, before jumping into the trends. Keep in mind that even though you have the same business model, concept, and theme, your restaurant is still different in many ways. Always choose the platform and tools that will improve the quality of the service you provide. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/restaurant-email-marketing-things-to-do/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663662140252618752 A Restaurant’s Google Maps Listing is one of the vital elements for online success. It’s considered an indispensable marketing tool that serves as your key for better online ranking with the world’s top search engine. You should not be a stranger to the terms Google Maps and Google My Business. If you’re navigating into the digital era, these are the technologies that will lead your business to thrive online. And it’s not just about simple brand awareness. It also enhances a lot of essential factors about your restaurant such as customer reviews, ads and promotions, customer engagement, and the like. Understandably, you want your restaurant’s name to be popping out on the top search page every time a customer searches for a restaurant in your local area. If so, then Google Maps optimization should be your focus. Here, we will be sharing useful and essential tips to maximize the use of Google Maps listing for your restaurant. It’s now time to use this tool not just for location purposes, but to improve your online marketing as well. Google Maps for RestaurantsYou may want to consider the sudden boom of Google’s “near me” searches to push your listing. This is if the dependency of consumers on Google is not enough reason to optimize your Google Maps listing. One of the most popular “near me” searches is “restaurants near me”. Allocating 6.2 million organic online searches per month. This type of search is an online query carried out by a customer looking for a particular establishment or business near their current area. This also means that location-based searches are getting popular with consumers. With the recent opening of hospitality, you should understand how consumers are trying to be more conscious about their health and safety. Even though they’re eager to socialize, it’s still convenient for them to have everything they need within their reach. This applies to restaurants as well. Thus, the birth of the “near me” searches. Now, why is this important for a restaurant? Aside from the online competition getting hotter each day, Google Maps allows you to put your brand on the map, literally and figuratively. By completing your Google My Business profile, your customers will be able to pull up your details using the Maps as well. It’s a great way to market your brand using your location to attract more local markets within your doors. How does it work for restaurants?When a customer searches for “x type of restaurants near me” they’ll be presented an interactive Google Map of their area that is marked with clickable pointers to the restaurants that match the search. They are not shown the traditional organic rating. So regardless of your current SEO rating, if you listed your business profile on GMB under a particular area, it will appear on the Google Map that will be shown on top of the search page. This is also applicable to searches done through mobile devices. Essentially, it’s wise to shift your focus from traditional ranking positions to trying to rank to Google Maps, basically your local SEO. How to make it work for restaurants?To enjoy the advantages of Google Maps for restaurants, here are the factors that you need to consider and work out for. Claim your GMB Profile listing Google My Business and Google Maps are complementary tools. If you want to maximize the functions of one, you have to make sure that you have the other one. Claim your business listing with GMB if you want to make use of the features of Google Maps. Here’s a quick guide on how to claim your GMB profile.
Complete your GMB Profile listing The process does not end in creating a GMB profile. You also have to complete your listing to optimize it and give it a better ranking among the other business profiles. Keep in mind that Google prioritizes listings that are truthful and informative to users. To score better with Google ranking, make sure that your profile is complete. Every field should be filled with updated and accurate information including the link to your restaurant’s website, a link for your mobile ordering app, a link to your online menu, and a link to your reservation and other online ordering platforms. You should also upload high-quality photos of your restaurant and menu items into your profile. Include a short bio or “about me” for users to get to know more about your restaurant without needing to leave the Google page. Lastly, if you have specific keywords that you want your restaurant to be associated with, better include them on your listing. Relevant keywords will lead more targeted customers into you once you’ve done this. Publish consistent and relevant citations about your restaurant Google further confirms your claims about your location and other information on your GMB profile. Its algorithm is programmed to search for other online occurrences of its name, phone number, and address. Creating these citations is best done on top directory websites such as Yelp, Foursquare, Trip Advisor, and Zomatto. Your listing with the following makes it easier for Google algorithm to confirm the information that you’ve provided them. Just make sure that you’ll be providing these listings accurate and updated information as well. Ensure that all information coming from you is consistent with every platform listing. Inconsistency with data is a huge no for the Google algorithm. Increase your Google Map click-through rate Click-through rate is the term used to refer to how frequently your profile listing is compared to other restaurant’s profiles. Working on increasing your click-through rate signals Google that consumers are seeing your profile more reliable. As a result, your profile will be given more prominence if Google interprets your profile to be a better fit for the search. It also increases the quality of traffic that your listing will be receiving. This is how the click-through rate helps your listing. To increase your click-through rating, you must ensure that you will input every relevant link about your restaurant. Make it easier for users to access the information that they need. It is also ideal to gather as many Google restaurant reviews as possible. Better positive reviews, the more attractive your listing will be for consumers. How does it work for multiple restaurant locations?If you operate multiple restaurant chains, Google makes it possible for you to add a GMB profile for each location. Consequently, they are competing for map space in each area. But you must ensure that these listings have different names. It’s best to include the location at the end of the restaurant name to avoid confusion among consumers and Google’s algorithm. In addition to this, you should not include the same webpage to every GMB listing of your branches. To make things work out, you have to create a different location webpage for each of your locations. It acts as the landing page for users to be more inclined to making business with your restaurant, therefore you must include all helpful links to that webpage. Benefits of Google Maps for RestaurantsGoogle is the top sat-nav application in the UK. And as of 2020, this Google product has been used over a billion times. This just shows that consumers are trying out location-based searches more than ever. This Google tool not just allows local consumers to access useful information about your restaurant. But it also helps out with consumers coming from a different area to locate you easier. With the clicks coming through your profile, your online visibility is now stronger. Your GMB profile will be appearing in more searches as it’s given more prominence, again due to the increase of click-through rate. It helps consumers to choose your restaurant if you’re offering them the service that they’re looking for. For instance, if they’re looking for a restaurant offering curbside pick-up service, and you included that particular service on your profile, then you should be part of their options. Tips to Optimize Your Google Maps Listing for Your RestaurantHere are the most practical ways to improve and boost the performance of your GMB profile and Google Maps listings. Keep in mind that creating and completing a listing is just the first part of the job, this is a continuous process that needs to be updated every once in a while. Do not be concerned about this being too much work for you. Google and its different tools are programmed to help business owners, like you, to incorporate technology and automation in its simplest yet useful form. This tool is straightforward and intuitive, allowing you to create a profile easily. You can also make adjustments without a hassle since its interface is easy to use. There are also lots of community forums should you hit a conundrum. Collect reviews to demonstrate your trustworthiness Online credibility is an essential part of success for any restaurant business. Online reviews, especially the positive ones, strengthen your legitimacy on the internet. Not just with the consumers, but with algorithms as well. Google Maps is displaying restaurant reviews, even though a customer does not particularly ask for them. Google then categorizes the reviews by topic for customers to conveniently access these reviews according to certain keywords. Keep in mind that customers are always actively looking for online reviews. Even though they are not concerned about it, they’ll be subconsciously looking at how other customers see a brand or a business, especially if it’s their first time trying it out. But don’t let the idea of online reviews discourage you. You should treat it as a learning tool that can help you improve your current operations and management. If you received a rather negative review, make sure to acknowledge and investigate. If you find that your system is at fault, apologize and look for ways on how you will improve to prevent receiving the same review. After working it out, make sure to make up to that customer by offering a better service and dining experience. There might be a great chance for them to update the said review. Listening to your consumers makes them feel appreciated, thus they are more motivated to support you and your restaurant. Keep your GMB profile listing updated Again, as we’ve mentioned earlier, creating and completing your profile is just the tip of the iceberg. You have to constantly update the information about your listing especially if there are significant changes such as on your address, contact information, and operating hours. Consumers are more likely to view an active listing. Moreover, it conveys to others that your company is reliable and trustworthy. Since posts are only visible for a week, it is a good rule of thumb to post at least once each week. Include updated photos of your menu items and establishment. If you have a new takeaway nook for your customers, let them see it through your listing. Consider encouraging your customers to upload their photos as well. This will increase your credibility with your potential customers. Keep in mind that your customers are our best brand ambassadors and they can market your restaurant brand effectively with their fellow consumers. Your online menu should be updated as well. Make sure that your top menu items are included on your listing, plus some high-quality photos of the said menu items. Adding menu descriptions should be helpful with your listing as well. Utilize the right keywords Keywords remain an essential part of your online business journey. The right and appropriate set of local keywords will bring you quality traffic. With the proper keyword formula, you’ll be able to lead users into your profile as soon as they enter significant keywords for your restaurant. A great tip for identifying the keywords for your restaurant brand is to search your restaurant on Google. From then, consider scrolling down and look into the “related searches” section. You can get an idea or two on what are the keywords being associated by users with your brand. Incorporate these keywords into your listings, bio, descriptions, and the like. Strategically place it to avoid keyword spamming, which will negatively impact your ranking. Provide your users with a sense of satisfaction when they discover your listing. Integrate Google Maps into your restaurant’s website Embedding Google Maps into your “contact us” or “locate us” sections of your website will help you increase your ranking on this platform. Remember that every click on your link sends a signal to Google that you’re a reliable brand, leading to a more optimized listing. Additionally, it’s a way to provide added resources for your customers to help them locate you faster. And this process will only take a minute or two of your time. If you’re unsure about this, talk to your website personnel and ask them to do it for you. But if you’re considering doing it on your own, the process is simple. To begin with, you just have to look up your business on Google Maps. This should be easy since you already have a GMB profile. Next is you select the “share” option, then choose the “embed a map” tab for your website. You just need to copy the link provided and link it to your website. Again, if you’re not that familiar with your website properties, it is best to ask an expert for help and guidance. A broken link is not something interesting for customers. If you provide them a broken link on your website or even on your listing, it’ll hurt your brand entirely. They’ll lose confidence in your brand which leads them to skip your GMB profile. Select the right business category Often ignored, categories play a huge role in your GMB profile ranking. And if it affects your GMB listing, it should affect your Google Maps listing as well. Choosing the right category for your business is a must to gather the right quality of traffic for your profile and website. As a tip, Google suggests that if you’re going to select a category, make sure that it will describe your business as a whole. For your primary category, it’s ideal to be specific as much as you can. If you’re a cafe-restaurant, then choose that as your category. If you’re a bar or a bistro, then state it on your profile. Broader categories will do more harm than benefit your ranking. The secondary category should be used for the extra services that you’re offering. Although, you have to be careful when choosing a secondary category as it may defeat the purpose of categories. To conclude, you must limit your categories to at least three. The more you add, the more it leads to confusion with users and Google’s algorithm. Choose only those that explain your business fully and effectively. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/optimize-restaurants-google-maps-listing/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663575332929126400 One of the most complicated tasks in restaurant management is restaurant employee scheduling. There are several dynamic factors that you have to consider to ensure that you’ll create an effective one. Knowing the demands of a restaurant job, it’s understandable that your staff will have several various demands and preferences when it comes to their working schedule. Aside from that, you also need to determine the needs of your organization before publishing one. Additionally, you have to factor in the labor costs and legal issues applicable to your location and nature of business. These are just the basic functions that you need to comply with while striving for maximum productivity from your staff. We have some helpful and practical tips to help you manage your employee schedule better if you are having trouble managing it. Take what seems sensible and implement what seems to work for your business. After all, restaurant management is a complex trial and error process. Employee Schedule Management for RestaurantsOne of the main reasons why employees choose to leave a company is because they feel that they’re not being productive despite the long working hours. Another one is that they don’t feel valued and appreciated considering the output that they’re delivering. Creating a schedule that makes sense for your employee is another way to show them that you care for them. Your employees are a great asset to your business, especially in the foodservice industry. Additionally, since the industry is experiencing a staffing crisis, you must take every measure available to increase employee retention. Having an efficient employee schedule can help you accomplish this goal. With these factors in mind, it should trigger you to create a sensible and workable schedule that will benefit not just your restaurant, but your employees as well. After all, it is just as important to take care of them as it is to take care of your business. AI and automation aren’t going to reduce your need for physical labor, so don’t think that way. The customer service and experience that your employees offer are what make a huge difference between you and the other restaurants. So, to maximize the potential of every staff you have, giving them ample time for rest is essential. It is also important that you communicate a well-planned and structured schedule to help reduce exposure to routine instability, which often leads to distress at work. Benefits of Employee Schedule Management to RestaurantsImproving your team’s overall performance and productivity is one of the main goals of employee scheduling. Regardless of the size of your organization, it helps provide stability within the operational procedures of your business. Here are the most common benefits you can examine once you implement this restaurant administration task on your management team. Understanding these benefits can help you achieve success as a leader in your restaurant. It allows you to manage issues on attendance efficiently. If you have published an employee schedule, it’ll be easier for you to monitor the attendance of your staff. Keep in mind that absenteeism and no-show is a huge concern of this industry, and can easily kill the bottom line of any business. Once you identify the main players for this concern, you can simply talk to them about how you can make things work as a team. Reach out to them and ask them what causes their tardiness, absents, or no-shows. It’ll be quicker for you to provide a solution once you know the cause. It facilitates effective and seamless operations. Being aware of what they’re supposed to do, how long they’re supposed to work, and where they should create a harmonious workflow for everyone. It increases not just their effectiveness, but also improves their efficiency on their tasks and duties. All their tasks and responsibilities are listed down and the time that they’re required to fulfill is also well laid out. Restaurant staff scheduling allows your team to be more effective during their shift because everything’s clear to them. It promotes fairness among the employees. Forecasting a standardized employee schedule to your entire team establishes their trust with your management and its policies. It ensures that they will be treated fairly concerning their leaves. Leave allocation should be done properly and fairly to protect employees’ rights. It’s just a matter of how you’ll let them apply it, either by seniority or first-come basis. Make sure to talk to your staff first before you decide on it. It improves employee loyalty and satisfaction. Having a system that looks after their needs and provides them a bit of freedom to lead a healthier lifestyle is what makes the employees stay. If your restaurant work system gives them that, then it will be simpler for your employees to love your business. It provides streamlined shift management. Restaurants are not new with shifting policies. And although some of the areas are yet to allow restaurants or food establishments to operate 24/7, schedules help reduce internal conflict when it comes to shifting. For restaurants, customer’s consuming behavior leads to patterns that allow you to identify which part of the day is the busiest. A schedule will help your staff know which shift needs their presence. By doing this, you will demonstrate to your team and management that they were provided with the schedule not only regarding their preferences. But also regarding the demands of your restaurant business. It enhances customer service quality. A well-rested staff performs better and can stay on top of every customer’s needs. If you provide your staff a balanced employee schedule, the chances of them being overworked will be greatly reduced. This allows them to provide better customer service to your guests. A clear mind allows them to function better in a benefit not just of your guests, but of your entire team as well. It makes it possible for you to systematically manage your labor costs. Since you now have a better idea of how many staff are needed in a particular shift, you can now schedule them effectively. This allows you to allocate just the right number of staff for every shift, leading you to manage your labor costs more efficiently. For instance, in a shift that’s not particularly busy, you only require a total of six staff. One manager, one cashier, two kitchen staff, and two from the FOH team. If you’re not aware of this, you’ll blindly deploy a staff of the same number of your busier shift. As a consequence, your excess staff will either not perform well, or your employees will fight over tasks since the supply is greater than the demand. Furthermore, deployed employees must be paid for their work despite doing little on their shift. This is how an effective restaurant staff schedule impacts labor costs. Tips in Creating an Employee Schedule for RestaurantsFor a start, consider the points listed below. Now, we want you to remember that what’s listed below may or may not work for your system. Take a good look first at your management, and put what you can into practice. Plan your schedule based on the skills of your team.Each member of your team has their weaknesses and strengths. Identify those first and strategically put together a team or a shift that will work well with each other’s skills. You must know how to balance them well to create a strong and competent team in every shift. Start by establishing a clear definition of their roles and job specifications. If you place three skilled line cooks on a single shift, other shifts may suffer due to the lack of support coming from the kitchen team. Regardless of the size of your business, it’s a must that there’s a clear division of duties among your staff. It allows them to stay focused on their tasks and this promotes a sense of responsibility because they will quickly be accounted for should they fail to fulfill their duties. Consider using your historical data to make it easier for your end. Look for the shift patterns and identify which skills you need most on a particular shift. Use the information you will find then apply it to your next schedule. And if there are new hires that need more exposure lack the experience yet, you may want to pair them with your tenured staff who can train them while they are working. It’s a useful experience for them as they’re learning while they’re being useful. Develop a schedule for months ahead.Imagine the horror if you need to create a schedule every day, regularly? That’s an unproductive way of managing your employees. It’s not helpful for both your management and your team. The implementation of unpredictable employee schedules causes further uncertainty, which also adversely affects staff management. Additionally, it will impact your employees’ lifestyles as they won’t be able to plan since they won’t know if they need to show up for work or not. Additionally, most likely, you have an idea regarding your staffing requirements, unless you’re a start-up business. This understanding helps you to create plans ahead of time to foster stability within your business. Take into account the standard notice period of seven days first. Working in a restaurant, it’s understandable that there are last-minute shift changes. Customers’ eating habits can change suddenly, causing erratic shift shifts. Lastly, this type of system provides your employees more control of their schedule. Just like your customers, the more in control they feel, the more satisfied they will be with your management. And contented employees are productive and efficient. Implement local employment rules and regulations.Different labor and employment laws protect the rights of your employees. Depending on your national and local authority, you have to incorporate these laws into your schedule to avoid legal employment conflicts and concerns. Working hours also vary depending on the type of employment that you offer to your staff. Seasonal and part-time workers have a different arrangements compared to full-time employees. You also have to consider the night working hours and permitted overtime. In the UK, the maximum weekly working hours is forty-eight hours a week. While there are exceptions to this rule, as an employer, you’re asked to enforce and stick to this rule as much as possible. Learn what are the regulations that you need to implement with your employment schedule. This will also show your employees that you’re creating a fair and clean working environment for them. Utilize the appropriate tools.The presence of technology continues to ease us of the complexities of daily and repetitive tasks in our businesses. For restaurants, you don’t have the luxury of time to constantly monitor every shift and employee. Thus the use of a tool that will help you with this task. A restaurant staff scheduling software allows you to systematically create an effective and more accurate schedule for your employees. It gives you data that will help you to see the appropriate numbers of staff to deploy, and on what shift they are needed. It can also assist you to address the tardiness and absenteeism of your team. Its clock-in feature enables you to see their attendance in real-time. You’ll be able to act right away should it reach a concerning level. Establish open and active communication with your staff.It’s always best to know what’s going on in the mind of your team. It allows you to understand them more, and you’ll be able to create a schedule with their best interests in mind. Involving your staff in this process enhances the quality of your relationship with each other. It boosts their morale leading them to be more effective with their job and creating a better working culture and environment for all. Before you create a schedule, ask them about their availability and their preferred shift. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re required to comply with it fully, but you may be able to do a bit of compromise and balance with others. This leaves an impression that you see your team not just as a business tool, but a valuable part of your business. You may start by giving them an employee handbook to guide them with their duties and responsibilities. If you’re a start-up restaurant with fewer members of staff, a whiteboard where you can leave notes should be enough. A group chat or text may also do the trick. But if you have a bigger team, or have more shifts, it’s ideal to use a communication work channel for announcements and other concerns. Engage your staff in the process.Communicating to your staff is different in engaging them in the process. Make sure that they can provide inputs and suggestions with their schedule. When you’ve collected every suggestion, apply some adjustments to make sure you’re putting together a strong team for the shift. One of the most effective restaurant management tips and tricks is that you allow your employees to request changes or modifications to their schedules. Now, this is something that’s easily abused so make sure you’ll set clear rules for this. Being open to your staff cultivates confidence towards you and your management. It enables them to be more open with you, allowing you to know them more, their skills, and availability which are the main elements you need to build an employee schedule. Keep your schedule flexible, updated, and accessible.Almost 85 percent of employees claim that having a bit of wiggle room to their schedule is one of the main reasons that keep them interested in their job. If you provide your employee a bit of flexibility with their schedule, they’ll highly appreciate this gesture. Also, it’s a must that your schedule is updated to avoid conflicts and confusion with your team. It also gives them a bit of time to notify you should they need to change or schedule leave for that week. Allowing you to create a secondary schedule to sustain that shift. Lastly, providing your team access to their schedule keeps them updated with it. If you want to enforce automation within your operations, a scheduling app should be helpful. The schedule will be posted in advance so your employee will be informed if there are any changes on the schedule. Types of Work and Employee SchedulesHere are some of the most common and effective types of employee schedules you can use for your restaurant. Standard working schedule Often referred to as the 9-to-5 schedule, this is the most common type where an employee is expected to render a service of eight hours. This schedule is considered the easiest way to fit a 24-hour schedule per day. Fixed working schedule Shares almost the same features as standard, but can be applied to a different working time including weekends. As long as it completes the eight to nine-hour rule, then it’s good to be published. For example, Thursdays to Mondays 11 am to 7 pm. Full-time working schedule This is the type of schedule that the days worked doesn’t matter much, instead, it focuses on the total amount of hours rendered. As long as it completes the required working hours, basic is forty to forty-eight hours a week, it’s considered effective. Part-time working schedule In this arrangement, workers are expected to work fewer hours compared to full-time employees. Under this contract, your employees are not required to work the full eight hours for their shift. This is a great schedule to deploy during peak seasons. Shifting schedule For most of the restaurants, since it is expected to operate more than ten hours a day, this type of schedule seems to be the most workable. In this setup, the whole operating hours are divided into shifts to avoid burnout and overworked employees. Seasonal working schedule This type of schedule is only in effect during a specific period. For instance, the holiday season (October to December) is considered one of the busiest seasons for a restaurant. This is where they need an extra pair of hands to meet the demands of customers. As you go through the list, you become more aware of the different ways you can take care of your team members. You’ve understood that it’s better to be proactive than to be reactive with this process. In this industry where efficiency and productivity are highly valued, fairness and balance are also important factors. In a world that is full of uncertainty, having a sense of certainty will make your team more effective and loyal. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/seven-tips-for-managing-employee-scheduling/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663548887619059712 How to retain restaurant employees? That’s probably one of the most asked questions by restaurant owners, knowing the employment custom in the foodservice industry. It’s always part of the dilemma along with the hiring process, staff engagement, and staff turnover. Restaurant staff is known to be notorious job-hoppers. As soon as they don’t feel valued, or the workload is too much for the pay, they leave the organization right away and start moving forward without even looking back. That’s how firm they are when it comes to their overall welfare. Gone are the days where business owners work for their staff until they drop. Restaurant staff is now smarter and wiser, and they already know their worth and how important they should be in a company. Imagine trying to run a business without a single employee? Sounds impossible, right? This is how much authority your staff and employees hold against you. And this should not be the case. You’re supposed to be a team that’s working towards your shared goals. As a business owner, the relationship between you and your team is important. It’s something that you should work for and establish even before you decide to operate officially. Herein lies the importance of restaurant working culture. Today, learn what are the practical things you can do to create and establish a nurturing culture for your employees. A culture that’s built for them, not for the business, and the one that will make it hard for them to leave the team. Restaurant CultureFirst, let’s talk about culture. How can you identify that a system is already a culture? From a business perspective, what’s the importance of culture? Is it necessary, or is it just something that’s needed to satisfy society? Culture is debatable and subjective. To put it simply, it is what your employees feel when they’re surrounded by your team, whether they’re working or not. It’s the representation of your business values, principles, goals, and characters. We mentioned subjective and debatable as it will depend on how a single employee will feel. There may be instances that it may differ from one staff to another. And as the owner to unify this belief. Hence, you must create a culture that is more stable for them to rely on. What is the significance of restaurant culture?If this is a question that you’re still trying to find an answer to, then you’re probably losing the market by now. Having a culture allows your team to operate in their optimal condition. It is one of their motivation drivers, despite the workload and the demands of the customers. And if you notice that there are some changes to the working culture that you’ve established, fret not as this is a good thing for your team and your entire restaurant. It just means that your entire business is adapting to the dynamic needs of the market. But, don’t lose sight of your brand and identity in the process. What we mean by adapting is that you’re showing your customers that you listen and understand their needs. Proving that you want to maintain the relationship you’re trying to build with them. How to create a supportive restaurant culture?If you’re considering revamping your culture, or just want to try out something new, here’s a short guide you can use to create a sustainable and effective culture. A system that will nurture and motivate them to perform better and improve their productivity. Identify the values that define your business Help your team to understand how you stand for things. Not just by listing them down, but by showing them how you want things to be done. It should start with you, you should be the role model of the culture and values you want them to imbibe. Not everyone will understand you right away. This is why having a restaurant employee handbook should be handy for you and your staff. State there what are the specific values you expect to resonate with your business and operations. After that, develop processes and policies aligned to these values. Make sure that your operational procedures will enforce the business values that you want. This is how you slowly create a culture within your team. It’s ideal that you also incorporate these core values into your mission and vision statement. This can serve as a daily reminder for your team on what your restaurant is about. As a result, they may act consistently at work and whenever interacting with others. Apply what you’ve learned in the past As a new restaurant owner, you think that this may not be applicable for you, but it is still. When we say we learned from the past, that doesn’t necessarily mean past business or past employees. It can be a lesson learned when you were just in college or business school. You’re always around different people. Be observant and take note of the opportunities where you can learn. It can be a simple project and you’re assigned as a leader. What are the steps you did to motivate your group? There are many doors you can open. And if you’re already in this industry for a fair share of time, then this should be a bit easier for you. You know that you can’t apply the same method you did for a different problem. You know what are the things that worked for you, and what are those you need to let go of. Take note of the principles that worked for your restaurant and your team. Then creatively apply it to your current management system. It’s a lot easier for you as you’re skipping the trial and error process. You know that this works, thus, there’s a great chance it will again. Consult your customers about possible improvements There are instances where you would meet a creative dead-end. If you’re running out of ideas on what type of culture you should build, then ask your customers. Their role is to serve as an outside pair of eyes. Often, they can see something that you or your team are unaware of. Also, it is their demands that need to be met. If you’re in doubt if your culture will work with them, then ask them directly what they would think about your proposed working culture. Often, they can be a source of a fresh perspective about a new dining experience. How To Maintain Restaurant Culture and Retain EmployeesCorbin & King joins a list of hospitality companies struggling with restaurant labor shortages and recruitment difficulties. They’re recently forced to temporarily close Soutine, a restaurant in London due to a serious shortage of staff. Did you know that the hospitality industry is having it twice as tough in filling job vacancies compared to other industries? Employees in this field have difficulty getting satisfaction from their jobs due to the ever-changing needs of customers plus their typically fast-paced environment. Before the pandemic, there’s already a running employment issue in the foodservice industry. Competency aside, restaurant owners are also finding it hard to make a staff stay longer with them. You should know that you should always aim for retention, rather than going for someone new. The entire hiring and onboarding process cost much more compared to if you’re going to offer your staff across and refresher training. Due to the forced closing of the restaurants and other food establishments during the pandemic, some of the restaurants need to furlough some of their staff. And since it took time for other areas to recover, some of those staff also looked for a more secure job. With the development of our fight against Covid-19, restaurants are now open to serve the customers. Customers are excited to go and dine outside, however, there are not enough servers to serve them all. What are the reasons for employee departures?While others can deal with a demanding and fast-paced environment, others remain skeptical about it, especially if their benefits and wages are just enough. Modern employees now know that other opportunities could give them better incentives. And this can be achieved without the need of working themselves out, physically and mentally. Imagine being required to move at a rapid pace while wearing a facemask? The current market situation will make it harder for you to court employees. Benefits and health incentives aside, childcare support and career development also play an important role in restaurant labor shortage issues. Thirty-five percent of the workforce is composed of parents, and their lack of support affects their decision whether or not to join a brand. As for career development, most of the restaurant staff are leaving their team because they see no growth and opportunity for them. One of the most common mistakes you can make is to dismiss training and connection with your staff. Lastly, even though exposure and experience are important, employees are now prioritizing their physical and mental health. They know that they can’t focus on their job while thinking of the risk of contracting the virus during their work. What is the best way to retain employees and maintain the company culture?Everyone should understand that not all strategies are effective for every restaurant. Under the restaurant industry, there are plenty of playing factors that you should consider before you try out a plan. Check the status of your restaurant and take note of what are the main sources on why you’re having to deal with restaurant labor shortages. Here are some of the solutions you can use to prevent you from facing this type of concern. Lead by demonstrating It was mentioned above that it should start with you. Your actions and management must resonate with the core values that you’ve stated. You should believe in those values and how they will lead your business into success. A huge part of management and culture is leading by showing them that it’s possible. You can’t simply say to them that it’s doable and expect them to believe you right away. There’s a greater chance that they’ll be staying with you because you lead them to be better. And as for restaurant employee retention, your staff will find it easier to believe in something if you believe in it as well. Because they’re holding on to something they believe in, leaving will be more difficult. Make your hiring process innovative and edgy Ensure that your hiring process is attractive, especially to first-time job seekers. Keep in mind that young professionals already have different sets of goals and priorities. Align those with your recruitment program to gather enough interest from this group. Consider launching a referral program to keep your current team excited with your hiring process. This doesn’t just keep your staff’s spirits high, but it also assures, in a way, that you’ll be hiring qualified employees for your team. Be creative and innovative. Most of the modern job seekers are looking through online platforms. Advertise your job posting well and enlist your employee benefits, perks, and onboarding benefits to keep them hooked. Adopt a value-based approach in hiring Anyone can learn a skill with proper training. Hiring someone based on their skills, there’s a great chance that he won’t work well with the culture you’ve established. Why? Because they already have their way on how to do things. Values are not something you can force on someone. If their values are not aligned with yours and the core value of your restaurant, then there’ll always be this gap between your business and your team. In your hiring process, make sure to ask them different things that will help you assess their values at work. Learn how important it is for them to have a healthy working culture, and what are the things they do to contribute to its goodness. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to create a connection with them. This is a great part of many restaurant employee retention strategies as it helps you prevent future internal conflicts. Provide flexible benefits Understand that your team is composed of different individuals. Take a good look and observe what are the benefits you can offer that will best serve their needs and concerns. Through this, you’re showing them that you give them value as part of your team. Talk to your staff and ask them what are the benefits or incentives that you can offer to them. Are there parents on your team? Then create flexible working hours for them. What about working students? Make it possible for them to pick a shift that won’t interfere with their studies. There are plenty of ways that you can show support to your staff. Allowing them to enjoy such benefits motivates them to continue supporting your restaurant. While culture is important, benefits and salary will always count. Create opportunities for professional growth Remember that the restaurant industry suffered a great loss during the pandemic. This even revealed how unstable the industry and system are. Thus creating fear and doubts among the employees, leaving them thinking if sticking into the industry is the right thing to do. Most of the restaurant staff were forced to leave the industry because no more opportunities are waiting for them. Especially now that it’s undergoing labor shortages, employees are trying to find their luck with other industries such as logistics and the like. But you see, as a restaurant owner you have the authority to turn the tables. You can establish opportunities to enhance their skills and promote them professionally. Build a culture that gives them space for improvement and growth. Concentrate on retention. The competition in this industry remains intense, your competitors will be launching different hiring and training benefits to attract employees. Study the benefits and training programs that they’re offering and make improvements based on what you learned. Prioritize the health of your staff And we’re not just talking about physical health, you also have to consider the mental wellness of your staff. This pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health. The uncertainty triggers most of the employees’ anxiety as they don’t feel safe anymore. Although this wasn’t that much an issue before, the sudden rise of indoor diners will make it extra difficult for your restaurant staff to cope. The fear of contracting the virus while on duty will surely affect their performance, and their mental state in the long run. To show that you’re taking this seriously, be proactive. Communicate with your staff and ask them what kind of support they need. It’s wise to ask them what are possible issues that might hinder retention because you’re enabled to prepare and create a plan to prevent it. For physical health, make sure that you’ll be scheduling them fairly. Even though it’s understandable for them to work long hours and during weekends or holidays, make sure that you’ll consider equality and fairness to your appointed working hours. You can also consider mandating face masks and vaccines for the safety of your team. But you must ensure that you can provide adequate support for this initiative and that they’re at ease with this arrangement. Establish an open communication Make them feel that they can talk to you just about almost anything. Your staff should not see you as a tyrant leader who just wants to increase the flow of the revenue, rather they should see you as a leader who listens and cares for them. Be open to your team. Involve them in the management and other administrative processes, you might be surprised at how much they know about every corner of your restaurant. Your employees are more likely to adopt your organization’s culture if they feel like they are part of it. Your staff is the building block of your business. They are an essential element of your business. If there are not enough staff, then your operation will suffer immensely. The issue of a restaurant labor shortage is a subject of a global concern that needs attention. source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/maintain-restaurant-and-retain-employees/ Via https://etakeawaymaxuk.tumblr.com/post/663480964689870848 |
About Me
This is Pauline Davis of 29 years old from Manchester,UK. Grow your business by getting your own website and online orders and take away system from us. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |