Your restaurant depends on multiple processes to run seamlessly. Undoubtedly, people visit you for your impeccable food and lovely ambiance and of course, we cannot forget your excellent customer service.

This is what everybody sees from the outside while for you, as a restaurant operator, it is only the cherry on top where the real work starts with the different tasks performed daily that put everything together and in place.

People see at the end is the fruit of your hard work in the kitchen, with your staff, in handling inventory management and analyzing your reports to make decisions tailored to your needs. It’s the effective operation management that enables you to implement the best technology solutions, optimize your profits, and hire and train your staff through the best practices.

How to reach effective operation management?

Create a system resulting in consistency

Start by defining and setting rules and regulations for your restaurant so everyone can follow them. Write guidelines, standard operating procedures, and checklists for your staff to follow. There are general rules like respecting the restaurant’s policies and there are specific rules for each task like the delivery procedures, preparing online orders, customer service, and so on.

That way, you facilitate accountability, organize your daily tasks, and enhance performance for each task.

It also creates consistency in the execution of different duties. You need consistency in your single outlet, especially for your multiple outlets, so your guests can enjoy the same experience throughout different locations.

These processes include information about:

• Your restaurant culture
• Training
• Responsibilities
• Technology use
• Safety

Incorporate technology

It’s simple!

Leverage technology so you have time to focus on growing and expanding your business. Automate your tasks like having software for inventory management, a digital menu, reservation management software, accounting software, and much more.

A robust POS software is what you need with a full set of features that manage all aspects of your operations and provide detailed reporting to analyze your financial situation and your growth opportunities.

Going contactless is an option you should also consider like acquiring a digital QR code menu and a self-ordering kiosk for processing orders.

Having your application or partnering with a third-party delivery company facilitates your online sales and helps you grow your network and run your operations smoothly.

Benefit from the reports & track your metrics

The POS software isn’t just a point of sale. It’s an integrated system that manages your overall operations and tasks. An important feature that you need to be using is the reporting.

It doesn’t take any effort from you. All you have to do is choose the report that you’re looking for, such as item performance in the menu or each category to pull out all the needed data regarding this particular item. You might choose to discontinue it or promote it or maybe change its place in the menu.

If an item is no longer profitable, check your reports for the costs, sale price, and portion size to determine why it is low performance.

Reporting sets a clear standpoint, especially from a financial perspective that affects your decisions and your strategy.

Tracking your figures enable you to enhance your operations for better performance.

Set clear goals aligned with your daily operations

Your day-to-day operations should always reflect your goals.

Based on the effectiveness of your operations, you can set realistic and achievable goals. It’s a trial-and-error sort of thing that enables you to test the execution of your operations in alignment with your goals.  

If your goal is to grow your customers, then you have to alter your operations to include additional marketing tasks or efforts to reach more people and attract more guests.

Same thing if you wanted to open a new outlet. You’ll have to check your financials and see the capital needed for it. Once identified, you need to enhance your operations to reduce waste and costs and increase your profits to save that capital and generate an additional monthly income.

Improve communication through a positive work culture

You cannot run your operations smoothly among different employees if you don’t have open communication between your staff and the management.

It should be part of your culture. Encourage transparent communications through training and hiring competent staff that respects the rules and understands the importance of teamwork, responsibility, and accountability.   

In case of any issue, proper communication enables prompt problem-solving and easier detection of errors preventing the disruption of services.

Good communication in the restaurant leads to higher productivity and improved sales. 

A Similar open communication with customers should also be followed to identify their complaints and work on solving them as soon as possible.

Running a restaurant is a unique experience if you simply manage your operations smoothly and effectively and above all if you leverage technology and stay up-to-date with the latest automated features.