Last year restaurant owners had it tough when the term “economic recession” entered the household vocabulary. Customers tightened their belts, and only a few restaurant brands—McDonald’s, Burger King, etc.—continued to earn good money. Casual dining establishments were hit the hardest. This year we’re seeing some good signs of recovery, but not enough to put casual [...]
Last night you caught one of your waiters take a sip of iced tea from the bar. It was a busy night. The tables were full, and you thought you’d let him off the hook just this once. You call it shrinkage. The waiter calls it “It’s just iced tea, and it was just a [...]
A steady flow of customers coming in and out the front door is no guarantee you’d still be in business five or ten years from now. Habits change, people change. Especially in this economic situation, you need some kind plan to make sure your customers have a reason to keep coming back in your restaurant. [...]
An amateur restaurant owner goes, “What’s so great about online marketing for restaurants?” I go, “It’s simple, it’s easy, and it will only cost you as much as you’re willing to spend on the promotions alone. The advertising itself is free, or almost free.” As online restaurant marketing goes, one of the most popular and [...]
Some restaurant owners like to rearrange their tables. Some make changes to their operations. Some fire and rehire servers and kitchen crew, in an effort to increase sales. But if you really want to boost your restaurant sales, you only need to take a look at the menu. Here are some tips to get your [...]
Everybody wants to start a nice business. Easy to manage, a steady flow of profit, gives a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Most people want their first business to be a restaurant. It’s possible, but before you sit down and begin imagining your menu, first you need to imagine your business [...]
The economy isn’t doing too well. It hasn’t been doing well for some years now. Everyone knows that. As a restaurant owner, what can you do to cut down on expenses and increase revenue? One way is to control your use of water. Foodservice establishments use a lot for water – for cooking, cleaning up, [...]
We live in a world where the big boys dominate the playing field. This is something I’m not going to lie to you about. Especially in the foodservice industry, where big chain restaurants—McDonald’s, Burger King, etc.—get all the customers and a huge chunk of the market. Small business owners are left to feed on the [...]
You’ve opened a great restaurant, says your friends and loyal customers. The menu is delicious, the service impeccable, and the ambiance is pitch perfect. But for some reason you still aren’t getting enough customers to fill your maximum seating capacity even during peak hours. Strange, isn’t it? If you can’t get new customers to walk [...]
2009 has come and gone. Some restaurant operators are still reeling from its effects, but most are already looking forward to a hopeful new year. It’s human nature to look on the good side. restaurant owners should be the same. But change doesn’t take place without action. If you want a brighter year for your [...]