Starting a restaurant is an exciting venture. If you start out with a combination of good business sense and a love for food, you’ll quickly find your way to success.
There Are Services for Everything
A restaurant owner doesn’t just have one job. You’ll be cooking, cleaning, hiring, managing, and generally wearing any hat that your business needs.
Luckily, you don’t have to do all of that work by yourself. Need your towels laundered? Tired of managing payroll every week? There may be a contractor in your area who will take care of this far more efficiently than you ever could.
Hire service providers so that you can focus on the parts of your job that you love the most. This will let you keep the quality of your food high while still maintaining food safety standards. If you and the other cooks spend your time preparing food instead of cleaning grease or shuffling paperwork, you’ll be in a good mood and ready to give the customers your best.
Employees Matter
The people who work with you will make your restaurant come alive. Hire cautiously and treat your employees with a great deal of respect. These are the faces that your customers will see, the hands that will prepare your menu, and the voices that will bring personality to your establishment.
As a restaurant owner, you will be in charge of people’s schedules and working conditions. Take this responsibility seriously and you will find your employees incredibly loyal. Ultimately, the business is yours, so always be prepared to cover a shift personally if something goes wrong. This will give you the flexibility needed to take care of the employees you trust and let go of the ones who do not mesh with the crew.
If you will not always be present at your location, hire a good manager and pay them well. A well-treated crew will cook your food with the respect it deserves.
Bread Should be Fresh
Fresh ingredients make delicious food. Time your food orders so that your food is served in the best condition possible.
Bread delivery should ideally be done early in the morning. Fresh-baked Kaiser Buns make far better sandwiches than ones that have sat out overnight. You can store extra bread in the freezer, but don’t make a habit of ordering too much.
Refrigerated and frozen ingredients have a longer shelf life. Have your order delivered on a day when you can easily complete your prep work. Your staff should not need to put away a delivery on the busiest day of the week; either the food or the customers will go ignored.
Small Details Are Important
A restaurant delivers an experience to the customer. Every little detail comes together to create a pleasant environment and an enjoyable meal.
Try to step into the customer’s perspective and see your restaurant as an outsider would. Don’t be afraid to change things to achieve a smoother flow and a better final product. Use high-quality ingredients, pay attention to how things are done, and choose employees who care as much as you do.
That said, one of the most important details of a restaurant is the attitude of your employees. Don’t stress them – or yourself – more than is needed. A pleasant environment will produce delicious food.
Your presence as a restaurant owner is one of the greatest assets you have. If you care about your business venture and use available tools and resources to your advantage, you will quickly develop a lasting customer base.
Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her three-year-old husky, Snowball.
