With the year nearly at an end, we wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone here at Welcome Systems!

Over the year we’ve brought you tips and hints which you can use as a restaurateur. From recruitment to tech, food trends and marketing, we’ve decided to round up some of our favourites in one handy place.

So put your feet up, munch a mince pie and enjoy!

1. Your staff

Whether it’s recruitment or creating brand advocates, staffing should always be your number one priority. Happy staff, will equal happy customers and create a warm and welcoming environment instead of leading to this.

Essentially, treating your staff as unique individuals will always give the best possible outcome because of one of our favourite tips below:

“Focus on strengths, not weaknesses. Every employee is an individual with different skill sets and preferences, so the key to keeping them satisfied and productive is their role is working out what drives them and what puts them in a funk.

“Talking to staff not just about their responsibilities, but about what they hope to achieve in the future and where they see their career progressing is useful in this respect.

“You should try to emphasize the strengths they have, rather than criticizing them for weaknesses, as this will make them more willing to become powerful brand advocates for your restaurant.”

2. Tech

We’re obviously huge advocates of cloud-based booking systems. And, in particular, those that are mobile-friendly, cost effective and flexible…ahem…

Today, tech can streamline so many restaurant processes and we all know that a seamless customer experience keeps diners and the people within your business happy. Without the right tech, an array of rather undesirable situations can arise.

Our favourite tip for 2019 though, is embracing modern payment options.

“Supporting contactless cards and services such as Apple Pay will enable you to deal with high volumes of low-value transactions during the lunchtime rush both swiftly and sensibly.

“You could also think about adopting apps that allow customers to settle their bill on their smartphone rather than having to wait for a member of staff to visit the table.”

3. The food

What would a restaurant be without the main event? Whether your specialty is fresh egg pasta slathered in homemade pesto or spicy tacos filled to the brim with smoky pork, pickles and sour cream, keeping things fresh is not only good for your customers, but also for your creativity.

From providing a vegan offering to keeping up with the trends, it’s important to review your menu regularly. So, we’re giving you a new tip to bring you into 2019!

Keep a handful of your favourite classics but rotate the rest of menu. Customers become loyal to certain dishes they love and taking them off the menu might result in them deciding not to return.

By keeping a handful of favourites but rotating the rest of the menu, you’ll give customers the option of sticking with their trusty favourite or trying something new! Perfect.

Wrapping up…

We know that this time of year is anything but a wind down for those in the restaurant biz, however we hope when you’re reading this, it’s with your feet up after a year of hard work!