Restaurant Doctor UK-How To Run A Successful Restaurant

The way which we run our successful restaurants, pubs and hotels is by following set of guidelines we have named the 5C's©, these are:

Control.

Basically this is your role, it covers everything from managing your employees, ordering and rotating stock, financial management, advertising and promoting. It means that you must be in the driving seat! This site contains information related to the above points and it is free to access. Also visit our resource centre for useful books, guides and other items.

Cost Effective.

As with any business you have to keep a close eye on what you are spending. However this doesn't mean that you buy dirt cheap ingredients just to save a few pounds as this will backfire on you. Neither does it mean that you hike up your prices to make more, because this just doesn't work, your customers won't accept this. What cost effective really means is that you prioritise and control your spending in order to increase your profit margins. Below are a few pointers for you to consider to help you operate a cost effective restaurant, pub or hotel:

Do you have more staff on duty than you actually need?
Do you pay more for your products and services than you need to?
Have a look around for better deals, wholesalers need business too!
Are you paying for services that you don't need?
Do you have a lot of wastage?
Are you using your gas/electricity efficiently?
Do you buy in items that you could actually make yourself for less?

This list is by no means definitive, you should investigate all your outgoings and see if it is possible to reduce them, only not at the expense of your customers.

Cleanliness.

This should speak for itself really, not only is it the law for you operate a clean and safe business, it is basically expected from you. Would you eat food that had been stored incorrectly in a dirty fridge? Prepared with dirty utensils? By a dirty chef in a dirty kitchen? I DOUBT IT!!! Neither would any customer you would want in your restaurant, pub or hotel! Just remember:

CLEAN AS YOU GO.
CLEAN AS YOU GO.
CLEAN AS YOU GO.

Customer Care.

This has to be one of the most important areas for you to get right when operating a catering or hospitality business, because your customers are your survival. If they are happy, then you will be happy. Customer care is a huge topic to cover, in fact we could design an entire website dedicated to this subject alone! Which is why we have decided to highlight the most important points about customer care in our opinion.

What is customer care?

The statement we feel best describes customer care is pretty much self explanatory, it is 'caring for customers'! Or how a business directs and creates its products or services towards the needs of the customer. Try to remember that if your customers feel looked after and appreciated then they will in turn look after and appreciate you. The following 3 points will highlight what you should consider to make your restaurant, hotel or pub 'customer friendly' and in turn generate a strong customer base, who recommend you to their friends and family:

1. Put yourself in the customer's position.

This may sound silly to some people but it is the best thing you can do to ensure your customers are satisfied. By appreciating what your restaurant is like from the customers' point of view you can introduce any changes necessary to make their experience more positive. Try the following:

Sit down and have a meal instead of serving it or cooking it. Or if you like you can have an honest, unbiased friend or colleague do it for you. You need somebody who will be honest and give feedback on the following.

1. Is the service the right speed? Very fast or rushed service can be as annoying to your customers as very slow service.

2. How do your staff act while they are on duty? Are they friendly? Do they smile? Do they say please and thank you? Do they stand around chatting instead of attending to the needs of the customers?

3. Is your restaurant, hotel or pub clean? Is it tidy? Is it in a good state of repair?

4. Does the menu have what you want on it? Is it easy to read? Is it expensive?

The main point here is that if you aren't happy with your surroundings then chances are your customers won't be either.

2. Are your products/services good enough?

Customers won't come to your restaurant just because you serve sirloin steak or veggie lasagne, and they won't have a drink in your bar just because you serve crisps! In most cases your potential customers can get what you sell in most other places, so they need extras if they are to choose you over your competitors. You need to stand out from the crowd and be the best. You need to put the customers' needs first and try to exceed their expectations, in order to impress them and for them to choose your business. The following list shows some examples of what you could do to stand out from your competitors:

Do you have air conditioning?
Do you have a Braille version of your menu?
Are your disabled facilities excellent?
Do you have good promotions running?
Do you have a gimmik? Will your staff sing happy birthday and will you provide a cake for the party?
Do your staff have clean, smart uniforms?

This list could go on forever, what you need to realise is what can you do to make the experience your customer has the best?

Creativity.

This section is about making you stand out from all the other competitors in the area to make sure that you offer customers a better experience than anywhere else. Being creative is all about trying new things, new dishes, new cocktails or a different service style that isn't available elsewhere in the area. The following ideas should give you some insight into how you can become more creative:

Introduce new, exciting dishes on your menu.
Improve your vegetarian, vegan , children's options.
Introduce an added extra for your customers, such as while they are waiting for their starters give them a basket of fresh bread with a selection of home-made pickles or chutney to enjoy.
Offer your customers a taste of a new wine while they are waiting for their main course.

It is also very important for your success that you keep an eye on what your competitors are doing to improve customer experiences. Competition isn't just the restaurant next door it is every business who is trying to get the customers to spend the money they would spend at yours! Pay attention to the following areas and how your competitors are managing them:

What are your competitors serving?
How much are they charging?
Which of your competitors are busiest? Why?
How much do they pay their staff and how do they treat them?
Where and how do they advertise?
Who goes there?
What offers, promotions and extras do they have available?

By researching the market you are in you will gain a better understanding of how you can compete effectively, and by researching your target market you can identify who will want to come to your restaurant, pub or hotel.