Bad night? If you’re a restaurateur, you’re probably used to tossing and turning each night, wondering if you’ll ever be able to get any sleep in preparation for yet another long day ahead.
There are so many things to worry about, ponder, and turn over and over in your mind; the pressures associated with keeping a restaurant busy and profitable while maintaining a productive, happy workforce are significant.
Oh, and then there’s the diners… they need to be happy too, don’t they?
We’d love for you to get a decent night’s sleep. That’s why we’ve decided to list the top four things that keep restaurateurs and restaurant owners up at night, accompanied by actionable advice on how to overcome the thoughts that simply won’t go away.
Midnight thought 1: “I need to save money… our overheads are massive”
If the annual trip to the accountants results in you leaving their office in search of the nearest bar in which to drown your sorrows, it’s almost certain bloated overheads are to blame.
Saving money in the restaurant business isn’t easy, but it is possible.
How to fix it: It might be time to upgrade your POS, because if there’s one tool you have at your disposal that should be capable of spotting wasteful spending, it’s the till system. The right one will help you control spending on stock and spot wastefulness in every day tasks.
Midnight thought 2: “We forgot to do the stocktake… again!”
If there’s one day most people within the restaurant industry dread, it’s stocktake day. So much so, in fact, that it will often be rushed or forgotten entirely, which isn’t ideal when you consider the effect that could have on your overheads (see point 1).
How to fix it: Again, your POS system should come to the rescue here. Most modern till systems offer full stock control and enable you to vastly cut down on the man hours and head scratching required to ensure the next stocktake goes by without a hitch.
Midnight thought 3: “Why haven’t we had many decent reviews on TripAdvisor this month?”
Continually increasing customer satisfaction and reaping the rewards for it online is something the modern restaurateur strives for, and when things go quiet on sites such as TripAdvisor, you’d be forgiven for assuming that most diners are leaving dissatisfied.
How to fix it: Firstly, tell yourself that diners are, in fact, having a great time in your restaurant. They just need reminding of the benefits of leaving a review online. So – ask them to do so, and offer an incentive if they take to the digital airwaves (without suggesting they should leave a good review – not a good idea). The reviews should start to pick up and you’ll realise that the general opinion of your establishment is far better than you thought.
Midnight thought 4: “Sales are too low”
You wouldn’t be a decent business owner if you didn’t think the above regularly. Remember – sales can always improve, and if you’re constantly striving for bigger numbers, that’s no bad thing at all.
Granted, if sales are too low, you might want to think of ways to inject handsome boosts of revenue relatively quickly.
How to fix it: If you haven’t already, give a loyalty scheme a try. While such a project might feel a bit ‘chain pub’ for your independent restaurant, bear in mind that loyalty programs should increase the frequency of revisits and the amount diners spends during each one. Tempted now? Thought so!
Conclusion
Still worried? Don’t be – if you follow our tips above, you’ll be doing everything in your power to keep the restaurant running as profitably as possible with happy staff and even happier diners a constant fixture. You’ll get those nights back, too!
Leave A Comment