Did you know that the foodservice industry in the United States made 789 billion dollars in 2021? That's almost a twenty percent increase from 2020.
Odds are that if you are part of running a restaurant, you want to ensure that your business is a part of that increase.
One of the best ways that you can save money- and therefore earn money- is to improve efficiency in your operations. And, if you want to know how, you've come to the right place.
Whether you're part of hospitality operations or restaurant operations, we can tell you what you need to know to boost efficiency. Read on to find out!
How Do I Improve Efficiency?
There are many different areas that you could look to when seeking to improve hospitality operations.
These areas can be separated into working with employees, good customer service, technology, and the daily upkeep that comes with a food and beverage service.
Train Your Employees
Training your employees properly is perhaps the most important step you could take to boost efficiency.
Your employee should be able to provide excellent customer service. They should be empathetic, patient, and able to respond to any concerns promptly and with clarity.
When working, they should be able to do the tasks given to them such as clearing plates or bringing and processing a check promptly, so that the customer is not left waiting.
However, more goes into training than customer service. You want your employees to be able to communicate with each other and with you.
This way, any questions or concerns they have can be quickly addressed, bringing confusion to a minimum. In addition, having a good workplace environment can help in decreasing employee turnover.
It's almost a feedback loop- the better you train and treat employees, the better they will be at their jobs and less likely to leave. Having a low turnover rate will help improve efficiency, which feeds back into employees being well trained.
Communicate With Your Customers
Customers are both what hospitality operations depend on and the biggest tool you have in your arsenal. As such, you want to maintain good relationships with them, whether the customer is a regular or a newcomer.
One way that you can do this is by being honest about the wait time so that the customer knows what to expect. Follow up by offering something that they can do during their wait time- whether it's complimentary bread or a TV in the waiting area.
More than that, though, communicate with your customers. If they are unsatisfied, acknowledge their complaints and respond to them immediately. Do what you can to fix the problem.
If the problem cannot be fixed, offering something small still makes them feel appreciated and makes the customer more likely to return to you.
After the customer is finished dining, consider asking them for feedback or suggestions. This gives you a chance to address their concerns immediately and can prevent you from getting a bad review online.
If a customer has suggestions for you, listen to them and take their suggestions seriously. Consider the pros and cons, and act on the suggestion if you decide it's worth it.
Being willing to change can be difficult, but if you are willing, it can be one of the biggest ways to improve efficiency.
Integrate New Technology
Using technology to improve restaurant efficiency is a great idea on many different counts.
For example, allowing your customers to make online reservations helps to decrease their wait time and keep your job running smoothly.
Having the information online also leads to you being able to be more accurate about the wait time the customer will experience.
You should also consider adding in a tablet ordering system. By using these it ensures that no errors are made, and the ordering speed is increased, which boosts efficiency overall.
In addition, many of these come built-in with the ability to do things like filling out surveys. Getting prompt customer feedback helps you to identify and fix issues noticed in performance, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction at the same time.
Maintain Cleanliness and Hygiene
Hygiene in restaurants is essential- not only for the health and safety of customers and staff alike but because of the perception of your restaurant it gives off.
The FSSAI has very firm expectations about cleanliness that every restaurant is required to follow.
If you have been chosen by a customer to get food and beverages from, they have prior expectations of cleanliness and hygiene that they expect to see. Failing to live up to these expectations could lead to potential disaster.
However, if you keep your standards high, you'll satisfy the customer. This leads to them returning more often and potentially bringing in other people, which means higher profit.
In addition, maintaining these standards makes your job easier for you. If you're careful to keep your place of operation clean at all times, then grime and filth build up less often, meaning you don't need to work as hard to maintain it.
Get a Demo Today
Now that you know some of the basics of how to improve efficiency, are you ready to learn more? If you are interested in improving restaurant efficiency to even higher levels, get a demo here!
In thirty short minutes, we can show you how to automate daily tasks, gain visibility in your service, and implement strategies and habits that seriously work.
With our help, your hospitality operations will reach the levels of efficiency you've only dreamed of!
