How to Create a Unique Restaurant Concept

How to Create a Unique Restaurant Concept

by | Jul 15, 2016 | Business Toolkit, Management

A good concept is vital for marketing a new restaurant. Given that there are over a million restaurants in the United States alone, it may seem impossible to find a unique, appealing new niche. The fact is, with enough creativity and passion, you can come up with a restaurant concept that is fresh and exciting. Whether you are in the brainstorming stage of your new business, or you are in the process of re-branding your current restaurant, follow these tips to create a winning restaurant concept.

Be a visionary

The first step in creating a unique concept is thorough brainstorming. Use open-ended questions that allow you to ponder ideas without restrictions. Take note of all the crazy and random thoughts that come to mind. Let yourself have fun with it. Once you have a long list of ideas, you are ready to mix and match them.

Create a scrapbook of notes and images. When you see an appealing design or art concept, take a picture and save it on your phone. As you go through the day, ideas will pop into your head. Whenever this happens, jot it down on paper or in a note app on your phone. At the end of the day, gather everything together into a folder and use it to fuel your next brainstorming session.

When you see an appealing design or art concept, take a picture and save it on your phone.

As you consider ideas, they will spawn other, even more interesting ones. After enough brainstorming, you will be able to pick out some shining nuggets and discard most of the lackluster ideas. Once you have a few great ideas, you are ready to put more practical thinking to work in order to narrow them down based on how unique and inspiring they are, along with their viability from a business and marketing perspective.

Also, be patient. Great ideas don’t happen overnight. Do research. Study the market and examine the trends. Take long walks and let your imagination wander. If that eureka moment doesn’t happen, take a night or two to sleep on it and you will have a fresh perspective and new ideas the next day.

Draw inspiration from others

Isaac Newton, the inventor of calculus and physics, famously said: “If I’ve seen further (than others) it was only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This idea holds true for great restaurateurs as much as for scientists.

If I’ve seen further, it was only by standing on the shoulders of giants – Isaac Newton

The greatest ideas have been inspired by the genius of others. If your solitary brainstorming session doesn’t yield a true gem, why not look toward some of the most intriguing concepts that are out there and put your own personal twist on it? Also, a lot of the most successful restaurants took old ideas and just improved upon them.

Mix and match ideas

Think about all the most memorable experiences you’ve had in restaurants you’ve visited. One may have had delightfully eccentric menu items, and another may have had a fun and unique design concept. Maybe you had great service that felt genuine and down-to-earth while still exuding professionalism. Take all the best experiences you’ve had and combine them into one “dream team” concept for a winning restaurant.

Take all the best experiences you’ve had and combine them into one “dream team” concept for a winning restaurant.

On the other hand, you may have been to a place that was excellent, except for one blaring flaw. This means the market is in need of someone (you) to come along and do it right.kkl

Create a fantasy league of extraordinary chefs

When developing a great unique menu, imagine you could gather together all the world-renowned chefs you’ve admired over the years. Research and learn more about these icons.

You may be surprised at the ingenious ideas you come up with.

Think about what menu they might devise if they collaborated with each other, or what new fusion of world cuisines they might invent. You may be surprised at the ingenious ideas you come up with by doing an exercise like this, and it is bound to be fun as well.

Some important things to consider when making a final choice are: Would you be thrilled to dine at this restaurant? Is there a restaurant that you wish there were more of? Also, even if your concept is not completely new, if you are inspired by the idea it will have your individual flair that can’t be reproduced anywhere else. If you are passionate about your idea, the energy will be passed on to your staff and the customers will know they are in an exceptional restaurant.

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How to Hire Great Staff for the Summer Season

How to Hire Great Staff for the Summer Season

by | Jun 20, 2016 | Business Toolkit, Management

Summer is often a busy season for the restaurant industry, but it’s also a great time to add temporary workers like college students to your staff. However, you don’t want to hire just anybody. Your summer workers should be as talented and skilled as your full-time employees. With the right preparation, you can hire the best staff for summertime. 

What to look for in a summer employee

Because they aren’t hiring summer employees for the long-term, many restaurants make the mistake of hiring the first few people who walk in with an application. However, to have a summertime staff that boosts your business, you want to look for certain characteristics during the interview, even if it means passing over the first few candidates until you find the right match.

Here are the top qualities you should be looking for in both front and back-of-house summertime restaurant employees:

  • Sociability
  • Ability to accommodate others
  • Frustration tolerance
  • Drive and energy
  • Integrity
  • Successful multi-tasking skills
  • Persuasiveness
  • Pride in work
  • Teamwork
  • Safety

How to measure a candidate’s skills

Knowing what to look for is one thing, but being able to determine how well a candidate meets the above requirements is another. Fortunately, technology is here to help. Sirvo, for example, allows employers to include a custom question in the job listing to be answered by candidates when applying, which gets the vetting process underway immediately.

In addition to using a tech service to test candidates, your interviews should be situational and specific to the job so you can gauge how well the candidate will work in your environment. Here are a few suggestions of questions to ask during the interview:

  • What would you do if you spilled beer all over a customer?
  • What would you do if one table complained about another table being too loud?

You can also do a menu quiz: ask the candidate to memorize the list, then have them take an online quiz. Accept 80 percent or higher as a passing grade.

Where to find candidates

Seeking candidates for summertime openings can be tricky. Here are some things you can do year-round to make sure you have a pool of quality candidates to choose from when it’s time to amp up your staff:

  • Recruit year-round: Post seasonal jobs on your social media pages, website and other networking sites, like Sirvo. Reach out to seasonal employees from last year or who worked during the holiday season to see if they are available again during the summer.
  • Contact previous candidates: If you were on the fence about a candidate and ended up not hiring them, this can be a good time to check in and bring them in for another interview. They may have gained more experience and/or skills that will be useful this year.
  • Start a referral program: Chances are, your current employees have friends, neighbors, and/or family members who would make great employees. Offer some incentive, like an extra $25 if a referred candidate gets hired and then an additional $50 if they stay on for longer than three months.
  • Seek out non-traditional sources: If you’re looking for more mature employees, look in non-traditional places such as senior centers or VAs for job seekers. These employees can be great additions to your workforce and might only want to work a few months out of the year.

Streamline your summertime training

If you’re frequently hiring seasonal employees, here are some things you should do to simplify the hiring and training process:

  • Set up an orientation: Have all your summertime employees go through a new-hire orientation at the same time. This saves a ton of time since you only need to go through all the required information once instead of individually with each new hire.
  • Stay on top of paperwork: Don’t let the summertime rush get in the way of filing the proper paperwork. Make sure every employee completes their I-9 and W-4 forms before they begin working. Make it part of your orientation to make sure it doesn’t get overlooked.
  • Review the rules for hiring minors: Many high school students work in restaurants over summer break, and the laws are different for them. Make sure to review the most current laws so you know how many hours they can work, when they can work until and any other relevant information.

One final thing to remember is that you generally can’t classify summertime workers as independent contract workers, even though they are only working temporarily. Review the federal guidelines so you understand who qualifies as a contract worker and who should be classified as an employee.

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Restaurant Best Practices for Alcohol Delivery and Receiving

Restaurant Best Practices for Alcohol Delivery and Receiving

by | Jun 13, 2016 | Business Toolkit, Management

Alcohol delivery and receiving are important for the industries in which a large portion of revenues comes from alcohol sales. Within these industries, such as restaurants, finding more affordable, faster and efficient services for alcohol can become one of the most important aspects of the  business. By using these four practices that successful restaurants have in common, your involvement can become one of the most improved parts of the day-to-day operations.

 

Faster Delivery Times

Through automatic ordering, businesses are able to have faster delivery times without having to remember to order their usual shipments. These deliveries would be automated from the alcohol warehouse directly to the company. This can then give way to an easier payment solution through an online method of direct deposit, or easy card pay without having to authorize payments every time a shipment is required by the company.

If the restaurant is new to the alcohol warehouse, ID verification, as well as verification of the business for selling alcohol is essential.

There can be downfalls. While every restaurant wants faster delivery times, alcohol may have minor setbacks that make it a longer process. If the restaurant is new to the alcohol warehouse, ID verification, as well as verification of the business for selling alcohol is essential. These are two very important documents that have to be thoroughly checked in order for the warehouse to distribute the alcohol to the company. However, after the initial check of these documents, then the transition and delivery and receiving process should go much smoother.

Minimal Hassle

Have minimal hassle when ordering and receiving the correct order that was placed with the company. With the latest in technology advancements, the alcohol delivery and receiving process can go much smoother, while also helping both companies have an easier time communicating with one another.

When a regular schedule is established, so can automatic shipments, payments and inventory tracking be established by both companies.

No longer will the need to call, place the order, authorize the order and payment, have delivery, sign for receiving, and putting away be necessary. This can all be done automatically, with minimal hassle through the use of a program that inputs the amounts of alcohol that you currently have left, and then determines when you may need more.

Easier Payment Solutions

Through the use of easier payment solutions, the correct amount that is charged for the alcohol shipments can easily be paid. This is a way to automatically pay for shipments that are being sent to your restaurant. However, having a schedule and relationship established should be done first prior to authorizing automatic payments for each of the shipments every month. Once this relationship is established, however, it can then become much more efficient not only for the restaurant ordering and paying for the alcohol, but also for the warehouse that is fulfilling the order.

Inventory Tracking

The ability to track the current inventory of the alcohol that is on hand can provide a much more efficient way for restaurant owners to know when they are getting low. This, then, prompts them to notify the appropriate companies for the next shipment. Which leads them to use the first point, allowing for faster delivery times through automatic shipments.

Having the inventory tracked through an app or other means can allow the restaurant to run more effectively without having to write the amounts down and keep track of shipments.

If restaurants used technology that was able to provide these four points, and connected with their alcohol shipment companies easier; they could all benefit. The process of ordering, delivery, and receiving alcohol would be more efficient, more effective and provide numerous benefits to those using the service. This can greatly benefit both the restaurant that is ordering the alcohol and the warehouses that are meeting the shipments for them.

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Electronic Ordering in the Restaurant Industry

Electronic Ordering in the Restaurant Industry

by | Jun 10, 2016 | Management

By now, everyone’s familiar with online ordering. Pizza Hut claims to have made the first sale over the Internet. Some fast-food businesses take almost half their orders that way. The next wave in restaurant technology is just getting started, though: Electronic ordering at the table.

In 2014, Applebee’s deployed ordering tablets at all its restaurants. The Presto tablet, produced by E la Carte, lets customers order and pay electronically. They can even play games on the device for a small surcharge. Chili’s has also automated ordering, using Ziosk tablets.

At Panera, people pre-order rather than sitting down first, but it’s also found tablet-based ordering useful to reduce lines. It chose an iPad-based system because many people are familiar with Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

Each company approaches the market a bit differently. E la Carte stresses efficiency and the opportunity for impulse orders, Buzztime promises a “mix of fun and functionality,” and Ziosk offers the ability to enroll customers in loyalty programs and let them buy branded merchandise.

With some devices, users can even take pictures of themselves and upload them to social media, giving the restaurant a little free publicity.

The point isn’t to put humans out of work. Speeding up the process electronically lets people order more quickly and lets the server concentrate on bringing food out and handling personal requests. Reducing the wait to order can mean more customer satisfaction and the ability to serve more people, increasing revenue and tips. It can also reduce customers’ anxiety about paying by credit card since no one takes their cards away to process them.

Customers will need time to familiarize themselves with the new style of ordering. Even if they constantly use their phones for purchases, this style of ordering at the table is something new for them, and not everyone is up on the latest tech.

Initially, deploying the devices will result in some confusion, and employees will have to assist customers. It may actually seem slower than in-person ordering for a while.

The software on the device needs to be as simple and straightforward as possible. It’s supposed to make the ordering experience easier, and a bad design could just scare people away. Customers need to be able to undo their mistakes and review their order before submitting it.

However, a mildly skeptical take from The Motley Fool points out some shortcomings in Applebee’s approach. Customers still need to order drinks in person. This is understandable for legal reasons, but since people usually order drinks first, it leaves a delay at the start of the process it’s supposed to speed up. The author also noted the lack of any way to leave feedback through the tablet. The latter point could easily be fixed, but it’s hard to see how restaurants could fully automate drink ordering. An “I am over 21” checkbox just won’t satisfy liquor licensing boards.

Data security is also an important issue. These tablets are Point of Sale devices, and retailers and restaurants often overlook how vulnerable they are. Wendy’s recently suffered a breach that affected PoS devices at 5% of its restaurants. The affected restaurants were franchises that used a different PoS device from the company-owned locations. Security is a particularly difficult issue for franchisees that don’t have the information technology resources of large chains. Franchisers can help the situation by making uniform technology available to franchisees and issuing recommended security procedures.

Keeping the devices behind a firewall and not directly visible to the Internet greatly reduces their vulnerability.

Accessibility is bound to become an issue. The tablets’ software should be flexible enough to let visually impaired users operate them, and servers will need to continue taking orders from anyone who just isn’t comfortable using a machine.

It’s inevitable that electronic ordering will continue to grow in restaurants. The businesses need to look at what their competitors are doing and decide when and how to make the transition. Employees will win if they brush up on their computer skills and plan on adjusting their people skills to the new situation.

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5 Challenges Faced By New Restaurants

5 Challenges Faced By New Restaurants

by | Jun 6, 2016 | Management

The restaurant industry continues to be a difficult place for entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities, but by understanding common challenges, future owners may be able to develop unique strategies to increase their chances of success.

Effective inventory management

Restaurant owners should keep a keen focus on managing expenses. One crucial component of keeping costs low is effectively managing inventory. Failing to do so may result in unforeseen expenditures and supply overages or shortages throughout peak business periods.

Those responsible for managing the inventory and menu pricing should fine tune the ordering process to limit waste and to continuously monitor fluctuating costs which impact gross profit on menu items.

Pro-tip: Ingredient costs fluctuate frequently, so check prices regularly.

Keeping up with market trends

Before a potential business owner decides to open a restaurant, he or she must become familiar with the market. In addition, conducting periodic research into current and projected future trends is critical to staying a step ahead of competitors. A comprehensive analysis of existing trends and the viability of similar restaurant ventures in the community is a good way to forecast potential revenue in each quarter.

Hiring staff

Successful restaurant owners know the importance of having the right employees; an organization must be sure to have a good team in place to make it in the hospitality industry. Placing greater emphasis on hiring and training staff can help meet this requisite and also reduce costs over time.

This starts with sourcing high-quality candidates by not just advertising open jobs but also having detailed job descriptions that include specific responsibilities and requirements. And, it ends by thoroughly reviewing each and every applicant so that when it comes time to hire, it can be done with confidence.

Pro-tip: Take advantage of the interview; by asking candidates questions that allow for assessment of their knowledge and skills, it can provide powerful insight into whether or not he or she will make a good addition to the team.

Minimizing turnover

It is important to keep in mind that once the proper employees are both hired and trained, keeping turnover to a minimum should be a top priority. Why? Because turnover is expensive; the cost to replace an employee is about 16-20% of their annual salary.

One key concern is maintaining a positive corporate culture that will keep employees engaged and wanting to come back. For workers to remain enthusiastic and motivated, they should be given a clear set of processes, manuals and procedures as well as specific goals and rewards for meeting those goals.

Staying on top of technology trends

Technology is constantly evolving in the restaurant industry and smart restaurant owners will jump on the bandwagon. From hiring to inventory to customer service, technology can help to maximize business outcomes.

Pro-tip: Utilize a software program that is compatible with your existing POS system to track customer trends and demographics. These can provide great insight about customer likes and dislikes!

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