Taking inventory is an unpopular task at most restaurants, but one that is critical to controlling food costs and improving profitability. Yet, when we speak with restaurant owners, many admit that they either do a poor job at it, or do it infrequently. In most cases, the underlying issue is a lack of structure around the inventory-taking process.
With that in mind, here are ten tips to help improve inventory accuracy at your restaurant:
Take inventory frequently. For some items it should be done daily, for others twice a week. At a minimum, it needs to be completed before placing weekly orders.
Take inventory after the restaurant has closed, or before it opens. You cannot take accurate inventory while goods are being sold. Whatever time you pick, stick with it. If you always take inventory on Tuesdays, but sometimes you do it at night and sometimes in the morning, there will be fluctuations in week to week results.
Take inventory before a new shipment arrives and then add the new stock to your counts. Do not attempt to take inventory while deliveries are being made. Items will end up being double-counted.
Clean out and organize your stock areas before taking inventory. Throw out items that have expired, move similar items to the same shelf and in general, tidy up.
Use Inventory Count Sheets. Have one for daily, one for weekly and one for monthly counts (or whatever periods you use) and standardize the items included and the unit (pounds, number of items, boxes etc) each item is tracked in. Changes in what items are tracked can cause large fluctuations in recorded inventory. Use a product like LiveInventory to create these sheets and track results over time.
When taking inventory, make part of the practice ensuring that items are being used on a First In, First Out (FIFO) basis. Older goods should be rotated to the front of shelves so they are used first. Additionally, try to keep the amount of items you have on hand as low as possible to reduce theft and spoilage.
Use two people to take inventory. They should count items separately and then compare results for anomalies. Pairing reduces errors and the temptation to manipulate results or pocket goods.
Use the same staff to take inventory. They will not only get faster at it, but they will tend to be more consistent.
If you use scales to weigh inventory and measure portions, calibrate them weekly.
Standardize what your unit cost is. The price of many items (like ground beef) changes week to week.
Use the latest price paid as the standard. It is the easiest to find and remember.
The most critical piece of the inventory puzzle is consistency. Using the same staff, taking inventory at the same time and counting the same items are some of the easiest ways to improve your accuracy.
Being a manager in a restaurant, or in any hospitality business, is a constant juggling act. From supervising staff to heading business operations, it can be a struggle to keep up. So that ‘s why January’s Hacks Series is all about management tips and tricks. To kick it off, we’re sharing our list of the best apps, online tools, and digital solutions to help streamline your management processes.
Number of reservations by party size and seating arrangement by table size
Cost: Free
The tool from the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) allows restaurant operators and managers to optimize their reservations and seating by inputting key parameters into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, then using the Solver add-in to view the outputs. The tool’s creator, Gary Thompson, explains that it does so by determining the “best mix of tables in a restaurant, while simultaneously determining which reservations should be accepted from forecasted demand.” The inputs include party size, table size and number, average dining time, and average revenue by party size as well as the degree to which to inflate the amount of time guests will be seated at a table, termed the ‘Round-Up’.
The full description and instructions document depicts the components of the tool and explains how to use the tool by presenting a practical example of table mix optimization for two nights. The tool is provided by CHR free of charge and can be downloaded here.
Maintain an online guestbook to track diner contact info, food preferences, allergies, and more
Available for iPad
Cost: Free trial; $99/month
It should be no surprise that Yelp, an industry leader, has developed a restaurant management tool. SeatMe is an advance management system for your front-of-house needs, allowing you to take online reservations, manage seating, keep track of available tables, and even text waiting patrons when their tables are ready.
Enable ordering on your restaurant website, from you Facebook page, or from within the ChowNow app
Available online or for iOS and Android
Cost: Free Basic Account; Pro Account from $8.99/month
Online ordering goes fancy with ChowNow, a handy app that gives foodies access to your menu via your own website, Facebook page, or the ChowNow mobile app. Allow diners to customize their orders, so your kitchen knows just what to make, and check out online – orders are beamed straight to your restaurant’s main tablet, where employees can check and complete the order, and finally notify patrons when their orders will be ready.
Hundreds of questions cover requirements from the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification Examination, the American Food Safety Institute (AFSI) Food Manager Certification (FMC) exam, and the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals (NRFSP) Certified Food Safety Professional examination
Choose study mode or test mode
Available online or for iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Palm
Cost: $3.99
The Food Safety Exam Prep app from Upward Mobility offers the most comprehensive food prep information, health requirements, and U.S. safety standards of any mobile app. The test module is perfect for keeping your kitchen current on safety standards, and will help anyone prepare for certification or re-certification.
Built-in extras include a barcode scanner, multiple currency support, database backup and restore, password protection, and auto-default values
Filter by item, category, company, location, supplier/client, payment and shipment
Available for Android
Cost: $5.99
For simple inventory tracking – and streamlined bookkeeping and tax reporting – Inventory Tracker delivers with an easy-to-use solution. The handy app makes it easy to track your restaurant inventory, sales, revenues and balance sheet – daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Create reports and transfer data to spreadsheet format.
Wine pairing, not to mention keeping track of an extensive wine cellar, is one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of the restaurant business, especially without a Sommelier. Enter Uncorkd, an iPad-based wine menu that also keeps track of your wine inventory. Customers can get a comprehensive view of your restaurant’s wine menu including a bottle’s origin, vintage and recommended pairings, while you can easily track inventory.
Publicly accessible business pages that display open jobs
Multi-admin business accounts
Re-usable job listings
Applicant tracking system
Messaging hub
Cost: Free for the moment
Sirvo helps businesses in the hospitality industry hire by connecting employers and job seekers on a platform that simplifies the hiring process, from posting jobs to reviewing applications. With Sirvo, you don’t have to worry about your job listings getting buried under more recent postings because your business page acts as your own hosted careers site. This makes advertising positions easier on you and finding jobs easier on professionals. Plus, you can invite admins to help manage your business page, search and message candidates, and organize applicants using the applicant tracking system.
WorkBright provides businesses that need to onboard new employees rapidly with paperless HR. By reducing the time it takes to collect and process new hire forms and automating the tedious workflows and data entry involved in onboarding new employees, WorkBright virtually eliminates the hiring costs associated with dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Plus, WorkBright ensures that your HR files are compliant, organized, and easily-accessible.
Digital access to staff schedule, from anywhere at anytime
Forecast labor costs with an as-you-schedule dollar tally
Available online from any computer or mobile device
Cost: Free trial; Accounts from $19/month
The purpose of ScheduleFly is to make restaurant staff scheduling easier by simplifying communications between you and your employees. The app turns any mobile device or computer into your communications central: post time schedules, your employees can request shift changes, and you can all coordinate on time off. Best of all, the app makes it easy to avoid costly overtime and forecast labor costs.
Manage your social presence across sites, from one platform
Log on once to schedule posts throughout the day, week or month
Available online or for iOS and Android
Cost: Free Basic Account; Pro Account from $8.99/month
Chances are, your restaurant has gone social and chances are, all that required networking is overwhelming. HootSuite steps in with a simple tool that makes it easy to manage all your social networks, scheduling posts and cross-publishing photos, status updates, and more to multiple social sites. Integrated social profiles include Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn, Google+ Pages, and others.
Magic resize to automatically create images for all social media platforms (instagram, twitter, google+, etc.)
Cost: Free Basic Account; Canva for Work $119.40/year, $12.95/month
Canva makes designing graphics for social media, presentations, posters, and more exceptionally easy. Included are tons of different layouts to get your design started that are available in pre-set dimensions (for social media) as well as in custom dimensions. Build your designs with Canva’s integrated images, icons and shapes, backgrounds, fonts, and photo filters, many of which are free. Plus, you can upload your own images!
To help businesses produce on-brand marketing materials, Canva recently introduced Canva for Work, which allows teams to collaborate, save brand colors, logos, and fonts, and build their own templates. Also included is automated resizing for various social media images sizes.
Fishbowl is not new and is an industry standard, but we wanted to include it anyway because it should definitely be in you business tool repertoire. With several analytics-based solutions available, Fishbowl focusses on helping restaurants optimize their marketing, strategy, and revenue management. From measuring dining behavior and defining target segments to analyzing and optimizing digital marketing efforts, Fishbowl will help maximize your marketing returns.
Integrating digital solutions and apps in your management practices will not only increase efficiency but also improve your processes and save your business money, so take a few minutes to check out your options! Coming up next are tips on business operations, so be sure to check back in.
Being a good bartender takes hard work, practice, and patience. Here are some tips that will help you develop these skills so you can take your craft to the next level.
Keep your eye on the prize
Yeah, it’s obvious, but bartending has been and will always be a hospitality position in which satisfying the customer is the top priority. And Brian Julsen, bar manager at Boulder’s Zolo Grill, couldn’t have said it better:
“What makes a good bartender; being a gracious host, hasn’t changed since the dawn of antiquity.”
Brian’s way of accomplishing this is by being courteous and making people feel special. To him, it’s simple; “make people feel like you valued your experience with them and they will value their experience with you more.”
Of course, this is easier said than done, especially when dealing with difficult guests. By simply reminding yourself that you are there to make guests happy, you will be more attentive and accommodating, which will yield way bigger tips in the end. Like it or not, it’s work, so make the best out of it.
Practice good organization and sanitation
Being organized behind your bar will save you a lot of time and stress. Knowing where everything is and keeping it in the same place will increase your speed and efficiency. Along the same lines, practicing good sanitation habits will impress your managers, make your guests feel comfortable and will help you develop into a top-notch bartender.
Here are some sanitation basics:
Wash your hands
Don’t touch your face or hair
Wash glasses and bar equipment throughout the shift
At the end of your shift, clean everything from bar top to bottles
Sure, this will require some extra time on your part, but it’s not something you can compromise on. Once you get yourself in the habit of being organized in your service and responsibilities, keeping it up will come naturally.
Be open to interaction
Many people go to bars for the company and it often ends up that the bartender fills that role. That’s why it’s important for a bartender to be a good listener. It’s not in the job description, but it’s a significant part of the daily grind. However, it’s not only for the guests’ benefit; getting to know your customers will make them more likely to tip generously and, even better, become regulars, which is one of Brian’s keys to success.
“Developing regulars is one thing that every bartender needs to do to survive, yet we rarely share what it takes to make the human connection.”
To connect with people, Brian uses ‘FORD‘: family, occupation, recreation, dreams. “One of those topics is destined to open the floodgates eventually and the stone wall becomes the rushing river because now they have someone to talk to that they feel genuinely cares about their problems,” Brian explains.
For Brian, kindness and camaraderie are what mark a successful bartender. It’s not just about the drinks you put in front of them, but the entire experience your guest has.
Know your product
Knowing what you are serving is a must because to really thrive as a bartender, you have to be able to use your knowledge to go above and beyond, and make a lasting impression. This means not only knowing everything you can about what you’re serving (spirits, beer, wine, etc.), but also making an effort to continue learning more about your craft.
Taking the time to learn just one new thing a week will guarantee your long-term success as a bartender.
Even if you don’t currently serve a particular type of liquor or don’t use a certain ingredient, that doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. The more anecdotes and details, the better. Not only will you be more comfortable behind the bar and better equipped to answer questions, but you’ll be able to re-write the rules, and who doesn’t love that!
Create your own cocktails and specials
Speaking of knowledge, the number of combinations and mixes for making cocktails is endless. So, take advantage and start putting that knowledge to work by making your own drinks to offer as specials.
This is not only a great move to impress your team and move up the ladder, but also a way to overcome the job’s monotony and stay excited about work. Not to mention, it’s your chance to add your personality and style to the menu. If you need some inspiration, get some ideas here.
Don’t let your emotions get the best of you
Being a bartender means dealing with people nonstop, some of whom can be real pricks that just get under your skin.
The perfect example is of a customer who leaves a bad tip. When you’ve given a guest your best and bent over backward to take care of their needs and they respond with a cheap, insulting tip, you see red. Who wouldn’t? But it’s not like you can just close your office door to get away. So, what can you do?
As hard at as it may seem at the time, you just have to shake it off. Bartending is a marathon, not a race.
There will be those bad tippers and rude guests, but at the same time there are the wonderful guests and big tippers. Keep your head and get’em next time.
Ask for help when you need it
You’re going to get overwhelmed. There is no way around it. But the common misconception here is that you have to handle it alone. It seems natural to not want to ask for help, especially when you are really good at your job, but we all get “in the weeds” sometimes.
When you do, asking for help will not only be easier on you but also get business back on track more quickly, for which good managers will applaud you.
Co-workers are there to be your teammates, so utilize them by asking them to complete specific and reasonable tasks. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but rather a display of responsibility and foresight.
Simple as these pro-tips may be, developing these skills and turning them into habits will get you noticed by your managers, raise your tip average and make your job more enjoyable.
Contrary to the popular belief, bartending is far more complex than taking orders and pouring drinks. From setting up your bar and maintaining inventory to making mixers and prepping garnishes, there is a lot going on behind the bar. Here are some easily implemented hacks that will help you up your efficiency while prepping without sacrificing finesse.
Chilling drinks on the fly
It may seem obvious, but making sure your drinks are cold is an elemental, and sometimes stressful, part of bar service. If you run out of cold beers, what are you going to do? Definitely not serve them warm or tell customers to wait 30 minutes until they get cold.
What if you someone orders a $100 bottle of Chardonnay and the only one you have is un-chilled in the liquor room?
Here are two great ways to get bottles cold in a hurry:
For bottled beer or soda, wrap the bottle in a damp paper towel and put it in the freezer. In 10-15 minutes, the beer will be cold enough to serve, saving you a great deal of time and grief. (NOTE: avoid putting wine in a freezer. While it may help cool the wine down, if you freeze it for too long you can easily ruin the wine’s structure and taste.)
For both beer and wine, put the bottle in a large bucket of ice and add salt. The salt helps to cool the ice faster and allows you to get the bottle to the customer faster.
Ice hacks
Ice, while overlooked by most, plays a significant role in the composition and presentation of a drink. As pro bartenders know, the type of ice cube you use can make or break a drink and prepping for this needs to be executed flawlessly.
One easy way to make your ice look clean and crisp is by boiling the water before you freeze it.
This removes the dissolved gas, making it clear and not cloudy. Clearer ice allows the colors of your cocktail to flourish. The best example of this is in an Old Fashioned, which uses one big ice cube, and the clearer the better.
Using crushed ice will also help take your cocktails to the next level. Many summer-time drinks thrive when served with crushed ice. Make your own as needed by taking a ziplock bag with your cubed ice and beating it with a rolling pin or strong muddler. Simple as it may seem, your patrons notice the details, especially when they enhance the drinking experience.
Making syrups
No bar is complete without mixers and syrups, but they don’t grow on trees. Bartenders spend countless hours prepping before their shift, making their syrups and mixers. Here are some simple tips for enhancing your mixers and making them last longer.
There is no bar without simple syrup and, as any bartender can tell you, it’s an easy recipe: combine equal parts sugar and water, and boil until the sugar is dissolved.
The real trick here is about making it last; by adding a splash of vodka, you can extend the life of your syrup.
Everyone knows about the bar staple, Rose’s grenadine, but you don’t have to use the brand-name stuff. Making your own grenadine syrup is an easy task. Whether you’ve run out of your Rose’s or want to use your own version, simply boil one part sugar in one part pomegranate juice to achieve the classic taste, then add your own twists to put a spin on it.
To change it up, and add some pizzazz to your drinks, use a jam-like mixture instead of syrup. Marmalade or raspberry jam are perfect examples that will sweeten up your drink and add a little viscosity; add a tablespoon to 2 oz of liquor and 3/4 oz of citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit juice).
Garnish like a boss
Garnishes should bring a cocktail’s ingredients together, not be used carelessly as decoration. From an olive in your martini to a bourbon cherry in your Manhattan, there is rhyme and reason for every garnish, so make it count!
Here are some garnish ideas that will bring the wow factor you’re looking for:
Adding edible flowers to ice can enhance your cocktail’s flavors with its fragrance while also creating an aesthetically pleasing accent. The key here is using the right flower and quantity without going overboard, so be sure to play around with the technique.
Sticking a rosemary sprig or an aromatic leaf, like mint, to the top of a cocktail can bring out the sweet and earthy tones in your drink that previously had gone unnoticed.
By placing the herbs on the top of the drink, you can take advantage of both its smell and taste, adding another layer of complexity to your cocktail.
To add a bit of flare to your cocktail (pun intended), burn the outside of an orange peel to give your drink some sharpness and unique character.
Chase the taste away
While most people will ask for a soda or juice to help eliminate the burn of a shot, offer a homemade pickleback as a chaser to change things up. The salty, acidic taste will instantly take away the taste of alcohol and add a distinctive note that will bring customers back.
Try making a traditional pickleback with cucumbers and something hotter, like pepperoncini or jalapeños, for those who want a bit of burn. If you need somewhere to start or some inspiration to get you going, check out this pickleback recipe.
We hope that these tips and hacks will help make your life behind the bar easier. By using a little bit of foresight, some creativity, and a few tricks, you can take your game to a new level and transform any old drink into an artistic cocktail creation.
Bartending is a balancing act, which requires the ability to juggle several responsibilities while under some serious pressure. So, that’s why December’s hacks series is all about tricks of the bartending trade and we’re kicking it off with some time management tips that will make your life so much easier!
Keep a cheat sheet behind the bar
While most bartenders should have the typical recipes down pat, there are those times that the mind skips a beat and you forget. There are also those particular customers who want their esoteric, rarely-seen cocktails that can take a bartender off their game.
For this reason, have a handy cheat sheet to help you instead of taking precious minutes to ask someone else or look it up on your phone.
Whiskey, on the fly
Bartenders are responsible for a plethora of knowledge, the most basic of which is knowing their liquors. Here is a quick guide to the variations of whiskey to help you quickly explain a particular type to a customer:
USA: “Spicy-oak firmness”. Tennessee whiskies tend to have a caramel taste. Canada: “Light, new, perfect for mixing” Ireland: “smooth, spicy, fruity” Scotland: “smokey, peaty” (if Islay). “Sweet and fruity” (If Speyside). “Spicy, salty” (if Cambletown). Japan:“quality, perfected” Japanese whiskeys are detailed and carefully crafted for structure.
Acknowledge customers ASAP
As many of us know, when you’re bartending, you can’t always get to everyone as soon as they want a drink. When that’s the case, simply acknowledging your customer can go a long way. It assures them that you’re aware of them and that you’ll be right there.
It may even clue them into the fact that they are not the only customer at the bar…crazy!
This little trick will buy you some extra time, relieving some of that pressure we’re all too familiar with. Plus, it will do wonders for your customer satisfaction. And your tips!
When in the weeds, breathe
Your bar is piling up with guests, you’re in the middle of making six different drinks, trying to handle a credit card payment and need a new bottle of well vodka. Welcome to “the weeds” my friend.
All of us who work, or have worked, in the industry has experienced it at least once. So, what to do in this situation: just breathe. It’s almost counter-intuitive but absolutely effective because the best thing you can do is slow yourself down.
Taking 2-5 minutes to step away, collect yourself and regain your thoughts will help immensely. Despite leaving your responsibilities for a couple minutes, you will benefit in the long run by returning to work with a clear head.
Don’t know the drink? This Hail Mary will save you
Say someone comes in and orders a drink you’re unfamiliar with. What do you do? For some, this can cause a major brain fart and send you into a tizzy trying to figure out the ingredients and how to properly mix the drink. A quick fix for this:
“I’m sorry, we actually don’t have all the ingredients to make that here.”
While this is a cop out, it’s a handy last resort that can save you from getting backed up and spinning out of control. When taking this route, be sure to be apologetic and have a go-to suggestion to tell the customer.
Most importantly, while working behind the bar, keep your cool, keep your pace and help yourself to manage your time with these sweet and easy tricks.
