Inspiring and Guiding Individuals and Groups
People with this competence are:
• Articulate and arouse enthusiasm for a shared vision and mission
• Step forward to lead as needed, regardless of position
• Guide the performance of others while holding them accountable
• Lead by example and be able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties
Self-Regulation
Self-regulation means managing impulse as well as distressing feelings. It depends on the working of the emotional centers in tandem with the brain’s executive centers in the prefrontal areas. These two primal skills – handling impulse and dealing with upsets – are at the core of five emotional competencies:
1. Self-control: Managing disruptive emotions and impulses effectively
2. Trustworthiness: Displaying honesty and integrity
3. Conscientiousness: Dependability and responsibility in fulfilling obligations
4. Adaptability: Flexibility in handling change and challenges
5. Innovation: Being open to novel ideas, approaches, and new information
Members of the brigade in professional commercial kitchen:
1. Master Chef-Executive Chef - Chef de Cuisine – The top chef (head cook commercial kitchen manager and sometimes in restaurant all operation manager or on cooperative level executive) . This person is responsible for running the show, supervising staff, training staff, creating new menus, testing new recipes, and maintaining communication with all other departments within the restaurant.
Executive Sous Chef (or Chef de Cuisine) – This is the right-hand man of the Chef de Cuisine. This person is also responsible for the management of the kitchen following the direction of the Chef de Cuisine, and is the eyes and ears of the Chef de Cuisine when he or she is not on site.
Sous Chef (or Chef de Partie) – This person is something of a “senior” chef. They are responsible for assisting the Chef de Cuisine and Executive Sous Chef in managing the kitchen, and are generally responsible for overseeing a particular station of the kitchen.
Cuisinier (or Cook/Line Cook) – This person is responsible for preparing specific components of a dish for a particular station, under the strict guidelines of the Sous Chefs and Chef de Cuisine.
Commis – line cook .This person, like the Cuisinier , also assists in the operation of a specific station, but works directly under the Cuisinier and Sous Chef.
Apprenti (or Apprentice) – This person is often a student completing an Externship through a culinary school program, and is responsible for basic prep work and cleaning.
Plonguer (Dishwasher) – This person is responsible for cleaning dishes and can sometimes be given basic food prep tasks.
Marmiton (Pot and Pan Washer) – This person is responsible for washing all the pots, pans and larger pieces of cooking equipment.
Listed below are the titles of more specific Cuisiniers (which are not listed in order of hierarchy). In smaller kitchens or restaurants, it is not uncommon to have several of these tasks completed by one person.
Saucier – Sauce maker
Rotisseur – Roast Cook
Grillardin – Grill Cook
Friturier – Fry Cook
Poissonnier – Fish Cook
Potager – Soup Cook
Legumier – Vegetable Cook
Garde Manger – Pantry Cook
Management strategic planning and restaurant trend in 2010
- Presentation at a Glance
- Consumer insights
- Increased ingredient cost
- Look at the menu
- Rising cost strategy
- How to capture customers interest
- Tracking trends
- Menu engineering
- Concepting and menu descriptions
- Pleasure principles
- Consumer Desires Overlap
- Most successful products meet these characteristics
- Healthy and Wellness trend
- Berries
- Calcium
- Plant sterols
- Gluten intolerance
- Nuts
- Omega 3’s
- Soy
- Blueberries
- Pomegranate
- Tea
- Natural
- High fiber
- Whole grain
- Fresh perception
- Customized for consumer
- Fortified
- Reduced “Bad” Ingredients: HFCS, calories, trans fat, sodium,
- Portion controlled
- Flax, nutritious
- Restaurant Trends
- Trend: Customization
- Fast casual dinning is in trend . No fool table service but food is higher quality and price is higher then in fast food .
- Pick a pair, choose a combo and make my way.
- Supper / Snack Combos – soup and sub or sub and dessert – separate (unbundled) beverage
- Trend: Decline in core diner dayparts (dinner and lunch).
- Ideas:
- Add more snack-like foods
- Trend: Niche Focused Menus
- Ideas:
- LTO’s that celebrate a style, region, or daypart
- Bistro Bakery LTO – baguette, croissant and Bahn Mi sandwiches
- Breakfast for Dinner LTO sandwiches
- Italian Bistro LTO – bun and flatbread sandwiches
- Calorie Controlled Flatbreads and Wraps
- Restaurant Trends
- Trend: Upgraded offers for kids
- Ideas:
- Make kid size Signature dishes
- Fruits – fresh whole fruit, or cut fruit or cocktail available as side or dessert options or vegetable sticks with dressing cup or pack
- Nutritional information posted for children’s menus citing accordance with acceptable standard of childhood nutrition, and awareness of childhood obesity concerns.
- Trend: Restaurants and environmental responsibility
- Ideas:
- Waste reduction theme posters in store, sustainable paper sourced products
- Segregated waste recycling waste containers
- Trend: Marketing lunch menu specials for workers
- Ideas:
- Offer “buy two get a percent off” deals.
- Offer daily weekday lunch special subs & combos
- Offer frequent diner cards to local work places
- Consumers Want Choice ;
-
-
- Customization of Menu Items
-
-
-
- Choice of Portion Sizes
-
-
-
- Miniaturization of Treats/Indulgence
-
-
-
- Choice of Sides
-
-
-
- New Beverage Options
-
-
-
- Bold New Flavours
-
-
-
- Ethnic - Authenticity a must
-
-
-
-
- Convenience: Dine in, dine at home, or dine on-the-go
- Upholder Cuisine: Demands food that travels well.
-
- “ Green” is “IN”
- Grass Fed
- Hormone Free
- Cage Free
- Ethical
- Fair Trade
- Clean Foods
- Carbon Footprint
- Energy Efficient
- Eco-Friendly
- Free Range
- Recyclable
- Sustainable
- Traceable
- Vegetarian/Vegan
- Locally Grown
- Natural
- Organic
- Humanely Raised
- Rainforest Alliance
- Whole Foods
- Food Trends
- Trend: Familiar with a Twist
- Ideas:
- Take signature ideas and offer LTO variations
- Trend: Moving to smaller portions
- Ideas:
- Half portion sandwiches, salads, entrees
- Differentiate by focusing on quality – unique sauces, premium proteins and exquisite breads.
- Food Trends
- Trend: Fruit & Savory (sweet & savory)
- Ideas:
- Savory proteins accented by sharp, sweet fruit flavors - traditional or exotic (mango was 1 st )
- Fruit salsas or sweet glazes can be small in quantity applied but still provide significant identifiable flavor and texture
- Trend: Shrimp has greatest seafood share on restaurant menus.
- Ideas:
- Add shrimp to your sandwiches, soups, salads
- Consumer Trends Overview
- Top Trends To Watch
- Healthy Foods
- Reduced Portions/Tapas
- Small plates menus
- Bite-sized desserts
- Bold Flavors (Mexican & Asian)
- Local Foods & Organic Products
- Consumer Trends
- Trend: Communal dishes
- Ideas:
- Combo platters, sharable
- Trend: Healthy, All-Natural, Better for You Items
- Ideas:
- Incorporate nutrient-rich ingredients. perceived as inherently good due to high levels of anti-oxidants
- Fruits include: blueberries, mango, cranberries, apples, kiwi, strawberry and oranges.
- Bread ingredients could be: oats, walnuts, flax seed, wheat grass, soy, chives, barley, buckwheat, other whole seeds.
- Condiment components include: olive oil, sesame, cinnamon, ginger, oregano, turmeric.
- Customization
- Offer sauce accompaniment
- Offer portion size alternatives
- Hot or cold serving option
- Kid or adult packaging choice
- Packaged for ‘the office’ or immediate consumption
- Increased Ingredient Cost
- Example:
- “ The Clorox Story”
- Early in the 20 th century hypochlorite became very scarce and cost increased due to supply and demand.
- Your Menu is the Lifeblood of your Business. Don’t Take it for Granted.
- Capture customers' interest
- Encourage repeat visits
- Review the menu now
-
- Profitability
-
- Operational constraints
-
- Labor capabilities
-
- Current trends
-
- Seasonal menu options
- It can help to work with an outside/objective source
- How do you create a menu that captures customers' interest?
-
- Demographics
-
- Regional Issues
-
- Psychographics
-
- What does your customer want
-
- Who is your competition
-
- What is the competition doing
-
- Understanding the Menu
- Menu Strategies And Practices
- The Menu is the #1 Merchandising Tool
- Rounding Theory
- Eye Gaze Patterns
- Shading, Boxing, Angled Specials, Top & Bottom of a List
- Price to the Consumer, Not to Formula
- Branding drives Image and Value
- Rounding Theory
- Under $5.00, guests only recognize price increments of 25¢
- Above $5.00, guests only recognize price increments of 50¢ and 95¢.
- Over $10.00, the incremental price point is $1.00.
- Common pricing strategy - a $2.54 food cost and a 33% cost percentage target should be priced at $7.62.
- Rounding Theory cont.
- Manager lowers pricing to $7.75 from $7.95
- In a year, most restaurants will serve in excess of 100,000 customers.
- An extra 20¢ on just half of those customers (in pure profit) would put an extra $10,000 to the bottom line.
- Restaurant only makes $50,000, so this is a 20% increase.
- Fact Based Selling!
- Eye Gaze Patterns
- Customers don’t read menus.
- Customers scan menus
- The eyes follow a predictable path
- Strategically place high-profit items
- Customer spends less than 45 seconds scanning the menu .
- Eye Gaze Patterns Mapped 3 4 7 2 1 5 6
- Shading, Boxing, Angled Specials, Top & Bottom Of Lists
- You can expect a minimum 20% increase
-
- At the top or bottom of a list.
-
- When you shade or box.
- Patrons only scan menus.
- Eye gaze motion will be drawn to variations in text, layout or format
- Combine shading, boxing and special with other forms of merchandising
- Price to the Consumer, Not to Formula
- Formula pricing is lazy.
- A formula price leaves Money on the table.
- Customers have limited knowledge of raw costs.
- Set price points based on the value perception of the guest and what the market will bear.
- Use coffee as your example …
- Fact Based Selling!
- Margin Dollars Increase by 30-50% ! $1.50 $1.05
- Where to get Trends
- NRA
- The Food Institute
- CIA
- Food Navigator
- Technomic
- Datamonitor
- Mintel
- Datassentials
- NPD
- Publications (Trade & Consumer)
- But…what are the real trends?
- How to filter out the “noise”
- Flavor Trends
- Flavor Trends 1. Oregano/ Heirloom Beans Capers Fresh Herbs Chocolate - Artisan Mango Blood Orange Acia 2. Vanilla/ Cardamom Coconut Exotic Mushrooms Tea Achiote Madagascar Vanilla Yuzu 3. Chile/ Cocoa Heirloom Salts Spicy Sofrito Spicy - Habañero Pomegranate 4 .Coriander/ Coconut Tamarind Pomegranate P-butter Ras-al-hanout Chocolate - Artisan, White Blood orange 5. Lemon Grass /Lychee Specialty Sugars Starfruit Vanilla Tandoori Lemon - Meyer Mocha 6. Red Curry/Masa Sea Salts Kiwi Combo flavors Tea Smoked Chipotle - non trad uses Tea 7 .Orange Peel/Wood Mint Sour Orange Coffee flavors Charmoula Basil - non traditional uses Spicy 8. Allspice/ Exotic Meat Yogurt Sweet/ Hot Cumac Pomegranate Bourbon 9. Poppy Seed/Rose Chai Smokey Kaffir lime Yuzu Tamarind. red quinoa.
- Sage/Rye Whiskey Lemon Grass Tamarind Acia Combo Flavors
- Macro Trends,
- Menu Engineering
- Your approach to menu analysis must have a plan
- “ What is your culinary Brand identity?”
- Create and maintain a brand
- Organization of menu / menu layout
- Use a “Daily Menu” / daily specials
- Maintain quality and consistency
- Menu positioning
- Engineering Menu Profit
- Real Time Pricing
- Set menu item performance levels
-
- Don’t become emotionally attached
-
- -Steer customers to higher margin items
- Consumer Food Prices
- Concepting A “hamburger” doesn’t always sell itself
- Less descriptive
- A ground beef patty with melted cheese on a grilled bun with bacon, lettuce and tomato
- More descriptive
- A fire grilled angus ground beef patty topped with Wisconsin cheddar cheese, Apple wood crispy bacon, fresh lettuce and ripe tomato slices on a toasted Sour dough bun
- Menu Descriptions
- Include ingredients: spring onions, portabella mushrooms, etc.
- Add terms to make ingredients alive : caramelized, sautéed, basted, glazed, crispy, chunky, rich
- Describe colors/temperatures/sensations : chilled, cool, refreshing, soothing, blush, rosy, vibrant green
- Concepting Action Words
- Flavors (zesty, tangy, salty, etc…)
- Cooking Methods (roasted, fried, caramelization, etc…)
- Textures (soft, crispy, chewy, etc…)
- Shape & Size (chopped, julienne, minced, etc…)
- Cooking Action (drizzled, shaved, stuffed, etc…)
- Making Food Irresistible
- Great Food Gives Great Pleasure
- Food and beverage is one of three essential human needs for basic survival
- Yet, aside from love, nothing else evokes as much pleasure and passion as food!
- We Choose the Food That Gives Us The Most Pleasure!!!!!
- Why it Works Understanding Why Food Tastes So Good…or Doesn’t PLEASURE
- Genetics: Why We Respond to Food Pleasure Humans begin 5,000,000 BC Hunter-Gathers Agriculture begins 8,000 BC 0 AD Industrial Age 1900 AD
- Genetics: Why We Respond to Food Pleasure
- human history is as hunter gathers
- Natural selection results in our genes being predisposed as hunter gathers
- The brain and body have 5 million years of developing mechanisms that respond to pleasure stimulus: it’s how we survived this long!
- Food Pleasure Equation
- When you have a food choice the brain calculates how much pleasure will be generated during the eating and digestion of any food. EXPECTATIONS!
- Goal of the brain, gut and fat cell is to maximize the pleasure extracted from the environment in both food sensation and macronutrient content
- Pleasure Rule #1 Taste Hedonics
- Salt, Sugar, MSG, 5’ Nucleotides in solution yield most pleasure
- Glutamates = Umami (MSG is but one)
- Umami signals presence of protein
-
- Salt + Glutamates = powerful hedonics
- Emulsions –
-
- Salt-fat: butter, salad dressings, mayo
-
- Sugar-fat: chocolate, ice cream, cream
- Pleasure Rule #2 Foods High in Umami/Glutamates
- Many preferred food are naturally high in Glutamates:
- Soy Sauce
- Parmesan Cheese
- Tomato
- Potato
- Sardines
- Fish Sauces
- Pleasure Rule #3 Taste Hedonics
- Salivation Response
-
- We prefer foods that are moist or evoke saliva
-
- Saliva is critical for solute contact with taste buds (no taste, no pleasure)
-
- Saliva fosters food lubrication, enhances the eating experience
-
- Why is there salt on crackers?
-
- Add salt and fat (think potato chips) = perfect “salivation” food
- Pleasure Rule #4 Balance the BASICS™
-
- Balance
-
- Acid
-
- Sweet
-
- Intended flavor and texture
-
- Color
-
- Salt
-
- Pleasure Rule #5 Texture
- About Texture
- The brain has more difficulty “reading” a flavor when a food has more texture
- The brain reads temp first, then texture and finally flavor
- Foods like ice cream, foie gras and risotto are sensed as richer and more sensual
- Pleasure Rule #6 Sugar and Fat Pleasure
- Pleasure magnified when mixed with fat: Emulsion Pleasure Theory
- Brain Loves Emulsions with sugar/salt
Restaurant Server Tips.
1. You represent the restaurant
Your communicational skills, personality, emotional inelegancy, welcoming physical appearance, practical functionality ( problem solver and restaurant ambassador ) combined with great Executive Chef my be the best warranty for your personal success and business good name/ profitability!
Below are some suggestion!
You might not own the restaurant or cook the food, but patrons will always view you as the restaurant, for better or for worse. If you're a server, it's quite likely that you've experienced being stiffed on your tip solely because a customer didn't like his meal. This is obviously unfair to you, since you have no control over the meal (communication is key ), but it's an unfortunate by-product of how customers correlate you to the restaurant.
Because there's nothing you can really do about this, your best option is to simply accept it and work with it. When a customer is happy, let them know that you appreciate their business and look forward to having them back. When they're unhappy, find out why, and what you can do to make it better.
You'll look like you're in charge when you use positive phrases such as the following:
• I can
• I will
• I have
• Sorry
• Please
• Thank you
On the other hand, you won't impress your customers as much with phrases like these:
• Hang on
• Let me check
• I don't know
Using positive, take-charge phrases will help you gain your customer's respect, which in turn improves your image in their eyes. It also helps with hard-to-please customers, who tend to make more demands when they view you as just the messenger.
2. Your opinion does matter
The one thing that we absolutely hate to hear from our server when we ask for recommendations is, "Everything is good."
This really translates to: "I'm too lazy to tell you," or "I haven't personally tried any of the dishes," or "I'm scared of recommending a meal that you won't like (and thus stiff me on a tip)." Remember, you are the restaurant's representative, and it doesn't look good if you don't know your own products.
We want to hear what you like. Most likely, your own passion and enthusiasm will rub off on us. Of course, you don't want to build up expectations unreasonably high is the best, but we do appreciate that you know your dishes. If you must play it safe, you can always point out dishes that are popular with other patrons.
However, don't take it personally if you recommend something that a customer doesn't enjoy. The number of customers that enjoy your recommendation will probably exceed the few customers that leave a bad tip because they didn't like their meal. You also stand a good chance of up-selling appetizers or desserts if your customers think you know your stuff.
Customers also like to hear that they made a good choice after placing their orders. Your affirmation (e.g., "Great choice, the veal is wonderful!") is like a compliment, which makes the customer feel like they did the right thing. If the customer enjoys the meal, you can simply reiterate that it was a good choice after all to leave a positive impression.
3. Attitude is everything
After reviewing hundreds of restaurants, the ones that stood out for service weren't necessarily those with staff that crumbed our table, folded our napkins or had an army of water boys. The restaurants with notable service were those with happy, smiling servers who showed real personality.
In fact, we had a server at one restaurant who had forgotten a drink, mixed up an entree order, and ran out of cloth napkins. But the server was an excellent example of superior service because of how professionally he dealt with the situation. In return, we rewarded the server with a generous tip and a solid review.
We know that being a server is a stressful job, especially on those chaotic Friday nights. Smiling while you're trying to juggle five tables of hungry diners is never easy. However, just remember that your demeanor should be pleasant and you should be smiling when you're on the floor. Your customers are there for a pleasant experience, and if they see you having a bad day (yes, they will notice), it will rub them the wrong way and lead to a downward spiral of a bad day and bad tips.
By smiling and thanking your customers, you'll find that you'll reap the rewards of this small token of appreciation many times over in the long run. Also, remember that a proper smile involves your whole face, not just your mouth. So practice that smile and use it often!
4. Learn your wines
http://www.matchingfoodandwine.com
Depending on your restaurant, you may or may not have a dedicated sommelier who can guide customers through that daunting 20-page wine list. Most likely, your wine list is far smaller, and you won't have a sommelier on hand. However, don't be scared, because knowing your wines and appropriate pairings is a fantastic opportunity for you to look knowledgeable, impress your customers, and boost your tips.
Surprisingly, our servers have often been reluctant to recommend any specific wine or even a type of wine, and instead showed us what is generally popular. We're not asking you to know your entire wine selection or educate us on the merits of the 50-year Sauvignon versus the 2008 Columbia Crest, but we would like you to know enough about your wine selection to make some specific recommendations. It will help you considerably in the long run.
However, one thing you should not do is immediately ask your customers if they are interested in any wines when they've just been seated. Instead, simply ask if they would like any drinks or if they have had a chance to look at the wine menu yet. The reason for this is simple: you should let them actually take a look at the wine list before you ask them to choose one.
The best part of learning your wines is that your education will go wherever you go. Although the wine list will change, you will always have the understanding of the various types of varieties.
5. be proactive with your tables
Each server knows that the people at some tables are amazingly easy to handle while other people at other tables can be impossibly difficult. While luck deals the cards, there are things that you can do to make things go as smoothly as possible when you do get a high maintenance group.
After entrees have been served to one of your tables, instead of asking whether they need anything in general, ask about specific items such as condiments, utensils or refills. By specifically calling out items, you'll avoid being called over a few minutes later for a bottle of ketchup or an extra spoon because the customer forgot it the first time around. Also, you'll appear as detail-oriented and genuinely caring of their comfort.
In addition, this goes without saying, but refilling drinks before they are empty is always a sign of good service and really shows that you are paying attention.
6. Practice good timing
Good timing serves a number of purposes: it reduces the number of trips to each table and makes you look more attentive. The most crucial element of timing takes place immediately after a party has been seated. This is when you'll be making introductions, mentioning specials, taking drink orders, and most importantly, making your first impression.
As a server, it's your responsibility to keep things going. Groups that take a long time to settle down and order are not good to either yourself or the restaurant. Once your patrons are seated, a good way to lead into food is to start with drinks.
Be mindful that you'll also want to give them time to look over the drink and wine menu if you have one. You don't want to ask, "Can I start you off with anything to drink?" Your patron may feel the need to browse the wine menu right at that moment, thereby forcing you to excuse yourself to come back later at a later time. However, a phrase like, "Your wine and cocktail menus are here, but would you like to start with any drinks now?" sends the message that they can take their time with the menu, and also addresses the frequent customers who always order the same drink.
After the drinks, outline the daily specials and then inform the table that you'll be back with drinks and to take orders. Customers appreciate hearing the specials early, because it gets our appetites rolling and also helps them decide what to order. If you mention the specials after you come back, then the customers are forced to decide on the spot if they prefer the special, often delaying the ordering process.
The last note about good timing is when to deliver the bill. This is usually self-evident as the people will be finished with eating and you'll have already asked them if they want dessert. Never, ever, deliver a bill before you have asked if they want dessert, and never while your patrons are still eating because it's an insult to rush your diners. Letting your customers know with a smile that they can pay at their convenience when they're ready is an important last touch before they sign the bill.
7. Understand your customers
Some customers simply want their server to be an unobtrusive background experience. Other diners prefer interaction and conversation. As any good salesperson knows, it's important to identify what type of customer you have and to modulate your own personality accordingly to build rapport.
An experienced salesperson, for example, will often match your energy level and rate of speech because it makes you feel more comfortable. Knowing how to interact with each group will improve your experience as well as theirs.
8. Learning to handle the negatives
Many front-line customer service jobs have the motto, "The job would be great if not for the customers." It's true that one bad apple can ruin an otherwise great day, so the key is to find ways of dealing with those bad apples so that you can continue doing your job and making your other customers happy.
First, if a customer is unhappy, find out if they have a legitimate complaint (food prepared wrong, lengthy delays, unruly neighbours), and if so, deal with it appropriately.
Sometimes a quick resolution will patch things over, but the customer may still be upset regardless. Anger is usually a by-product of feeling helpless, which means angry customers want to have some say over the situation. This can mean talking to the manager, making threats or leaving a bad tip.
To diffuse a simmering customer, try asking, "What can I do right now to make you happy?" It's a great customer service line that puts the ball in the customer's court and forces them to vocalize their needs. More often than not, it will snap them out of their bad attitude when they realize that they have no more excuses to remain sour.
In the event that you snag a customer who is just irreparably negative, you should just tell yourself that some people in the world are simply not happy, no matter what you do. Try not to take it personally, because unfortunately they enjoy being miserable.
9. Smile!
We've mentioned it many times already, but we have to list it again as our last point. It's a fact: happiness is contagious. If you smile at someone, chances are they'll smile back. Science also shows that even if you're not happy, acting happy will actually make you feel better. We're not saying you should carry a smile the whole night (it may even be creepy), but a few strategic full-face smiles will go a long ways.
10. Safety !
Practice Server safety and HACCP food safety rolls at any time.
Restaurant business essential;
New restaurant starting process.
On the beginning we need business plan with clear vision for cuisine style and business concept.
Stabile financing, marketing research and strategic planning.
Recommended team:
- project manager
- chartered accountant
- real estate agent
- lawyer
-restaurant consultant
- executive chef for menu engineering ...
- marketing advertising
- designer/architect
- mechanical engineer
- equipment consultant
- general contractor
- human resource consultant
- operative manager
Restaurants trend , new menu and more creative approaches
Words of suggestion from Chef Consultant
Running a restaurant may appear glamorous, but the stark reality is that 50% of restaurants fail to make it to their second anniversary. "If you can get through the first couple of years you'll have a good understanding of how restaurants work.
Running a popular restaurant takes a lot more than being a good cook or chef, with everything from marketing skills to good financial sense essential ingredients for success. Getting the right location is important, as this can determine the business you'll attract. "People are more willing to travel to restaurants now (however for new restaurateurs this approach is high risk), but if you want passing trade you have to be in town."
If you do go for something out of the way, be sure you have adequate parking and arrangements with local taxi firms. Don't be afraid to go for premises that have been home to a failed restaurant, but make sure you do your homework thoroughly. "Question why the previous restaurant had failed. If it was a general decline in business then probably not a good idea, but if it was badly managed then it wouldn't be such a deterrent."
What's on the menu?
Again and again,Your menu is vital. This needs to suit your customer base. For example, if you want to attract office staff for lunches then put on an express menu that they can have within their lunch break.You could look at what other restaurants are offering or survey potential customers, perhaps offering a prize of a free meal on opening night."
One of the mistakes you musn't make is the menu. Don't have extensive menus for lunch and dinner, wastage will be high,
and holding stock which you don't need.
Paring a menu down to a much smaller selection makes it a lot more manageable as well as taking pressure off the kitchen staff. It can be changed on a regular basis and variety can be added with daily specials or menus created for special events such as Mother's Day or Valentine's Day.
Correctly pricing your menu is also important. This can be tricky "Pitch the price at the type of business you want to attract and be careful about putting the price up."
But there again for fine dining people will pay for the best and for the Chefs skills in preparing there meal.
To succeed you'll also need to have a good head for finance .I will recommend to have accountant consultation on monthly bases
Leasing equipment is worth considering when you start up. Just about everything from kitchen equipment through to tables, chairs and crockery can be hired, reducing the initial set up cost. One person who'll inevitably want their cut is the taxman. For starters he'll take a % slice for VAT then there could also be national insurance and income tax if you employ people.
The taxman comment
Payments will be expected on time or hefty penalties added; and it's not surprisingly that the taxman closes more restaurants than banks. To avoid this, make sure you set the taxman's cut aside, preferably in a high interest savings account
so you can earn interest on it.
As well as tax, there's also plenty of regulation that you'll need to consider. "You'll need to think about planning permission if you want to convert a building's use, registration as a food premises, licensing regulations if you're selling alcohol and contacting the performing rights society if you want any form of music,"!
There's also employment law to consider, with the working time directive particularly pertinent to the long unreasonable hours chefs (mainly) / restaurant staff work.
The best is to have a good and certified chartered accountant on your site on all time !
Health and safety
http://www.toronto.ca/health/he/sfhg_index.htm
You'll need to heed health and safety and hygiene rules too. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of requirements in this area as well as surprise visits from environmental health inspectors. It certainly pays to follow these HACCP rules.
- health and safety law
- hazard identification and control
- investigation techniques
- prevention resources
Motivation
Unless you're operating on a very small scale or have a family keen to help out, you'll also need to employ staff to work alongside you. Happy, enthusiastic staff can make a huge difference to your business, especially in front of house. Even if you have the best chef in the world in the kitchen, if your waiting staff are miserable, customers won't want to come back. Spend ages recruiting the right staff and Don't take people on if they're not right, Rather serve 30 people well then 60 badly. Money in the till is short term; you need to deliver the food and service that will encourage customers to come back again and again."
Keeping good staff is an art too. "Involve your staff," "Tell them your plans and have brainstorming sessions. And make sure you pay them a decent amount of money. Also spend time training them on the menu and wine list. This will make them more confident when speaking to customers as well as improving the customer experience.
Promotion
Promoting your restaurant is essential too. "Word of mouth is the best way, You can pay for all the advertising you like,
but personal recommendations are much better.
Running special events, such as a theme night or a two for one promotion can help attract business.
Be careful if you offer cheaper meals as you could find yourself losing business when your meals are full price.!
Building a customer database by asking customers to leave their details is also worth considering.
This allows you to send them information about your restaurant.
And don't be afraid to ask for advice. There are plenty of experts that could help.
"Businesses that take professional advice are more likely to succeed and grow quickly,"
How to raise finance
While celebrity chefs can rely on backing from wealthy financiers, most prospective restaurateurs will have to visit the bank.
Raising money for a restaurant is no different to anything else. "You'll need to prove you'll be able to repay anything you borrow."
You'll also need to draw up a business plan. This will contain detailed projections of what you expect to take as well as a breakdown of all your expenditure. Researching and writing a business plan is essential to go into business. Simply put, a business plan is essential to success. Without a well thought-out plan, you will be doomed to failure.
In reality, most of the money will come from your pocket, from your family and/or friends, or from a business partners-investors, not from a bank. So the business plan is defining the following:
- What you want to accomplish.
- How you are going to get there.
- What it will cost
Borrowing money to buy a property does offer the lender the security of repossession. The amount you can borrow will depend on your business income projections.
With a leasehold property a bank will look for additional security. "The value of a lease is negligible so they would look to secure the loan against your home or get a guarantee from somewhere else.
Renting commercial real-estate for restaurant business;
Restaurant business is risky and wary expensive to start operation, their is no warranty for profitability !
My suggestion is that rental should not be more then 7-10% of your gross sales!
Rent is negotiated for a period of years when a lease is first signed. Many leases set forth a base rent which is a fixed amount, and a percentage rent which is calculated as a percentage of sales in excess of a specified breakeven sales volume. If the lease terms specify that rent is a fixed amount, the annual cost is indeed a fixed expense. If the lease terms specify a minimum base versus a percentage of gross sales, whichever is greater, rent becomes a variable cost after the breakpoint is reached. In other words, rent is a variable cost once percentage rent begins to exceed the minimum base rent.
-When a restaurant operator is considering rental space for the operation of a restaurant concept, the restaurateur must estimate the annual sales volume that will be necessary to cover occupancy costs and still return a profit to the operator to compensate for the operator’s investment in the business. The likelihood of reaching the potential sales goal should be realistic based on the pricing of the menu, demographics of the surrounding neighbourhood, and public acceptance of the restaurant concept. This is a business decision on the part of the restaurateur and each operator should have a target return on investment in mind before signing a lease and investing in a restaurant business
Final
Lastly but not least: It's essential to put the money back into the business, especially at the beginning.
Disclaimer;
Consultations service is meant solely as a form of advice and direction with the concept of self-help present throughout all discussions. We are not liable for errors and omissions or money loss. However, we encourages you to seek professional advice on legal, tax and accounting financial planning matters where necessary
