Secrets of Success for Restaurants (From Successful Owners)
When looking for advice on how to achieve success in the restaurant and hospitality industry, why look anywhere else than those who have already gone through the journey? Today, we have the very best stories and tips from successful restaurant owners!
Tip #1: Work in the Industry – First and foremost, the most common tip of all is to work in the industry and gain some experience so you know how it works. Sure, you’ve been a customer and you might have read a few books but this will never replace real-life experience. After getting a job in a restaurant, use it as an opportunity to research and pay attention to the roles of others as much as you can. Suddenly, you’ll have a great understanding of the many roles and how they all contribute to the jigsaw.
While on this note, we recommend choosing an eatery that fits the description of the one you want to start. If you want to open a restaurant, little can be learned working in cafe or bakery because they’re completely different. Once you get into this role, ask to be moved around so you gain experience in every role from cooking to serving. When restaurant owners don’t know how certain roles work, it can cause inefficiencies and you lose control of a section of your business.
Tip #2: Conduct Market Research – What niche do you wish to enter? Are there any similar eateries nearby? Are there suppliers nearby who can provide the products or ingredients you need? Can they deliver on a regular basis? Is there actually a need for your restaurant in the area? Do people have the money to regularly visit your restaurant? With simple questions like this, you get a better understanding of the market as well as how your business would fit into the market.
Tip #3: Talk to People – With this market research under your belt, you can go one step further and talk to the people who live in the community. It’s one thing finding out that people in the area have money, but will they go for your idea? Why not head out to a popular public place and hand out some samples or ask some questions? At this point, we should note a common mistake; only asking superficial questions. If you hand out free food or drink, of course people are going to have a positive reaction. Instead, find out why they like your food and what they like about it.
Tip #4: Never Waver – At this point, you should have a niche and one that has a chance to excel in the location you’ve chosen. Once you reach here, we urge you not to lose focus of your goal. At times, there will be question marks in your head and you might even feel like changing your niche but this is a bad idea. If all your market research pointed in a certain direction and everything suggests you can succeed, hold this belief and keep going.
In the months and years ahead, become an expert in your field and keep the core focus of your business as your unique selling point. If you’re the only Mexican restaurant in a 20-mile radius, make sure everybody knows this. If you start to journey too far away from your main business idea, this is where the disruption comes.
Tip #5: Consistency is Key – In the first few months, you might end up playing with your menu and testing some dishes while getting important feedback from customers. This being said, there needs to reach a point where you find the optimum recipe and leave it alone because customers return for their favorite dishes time and time again. With a certain percentage of your customers being regulars, a percentage of these will come weekly just for their favourite dish because people like habits and feeling comfortable. If you go changing the recipes every week, your repeat customers won’t enjoy this unpredictability.
Tip #6: No Hungry Customers – At times, you’ll have customers who aren’t happy and this shouldn’t get you down…as long as you do everything in your power to help them leave with a full belly and a smile on their face. If a customer isn’t satisfied and you’ve never received a complaint for this dish previously, it’s probably down to personal taste. If there are regular complaints regarding the dish, the issue is likely to be down to preparation or ingredients. Either way, you have to deal with the customer in front of you and help them to leave happy by offering a replacement.
If the waiter made a mistake or there was an error somewhere along the way, a free item may be the best solution whether it’s a coffee or a dessert for any children at the table. This way, they’ll appreciate your efforts in trying to fix the error and are likely to return. If the experience was awful and your establishment is to blame, comp the meal and extend an invitation to return in the future. If you listen to their concerns and pro-actively work on resolving any issues, unhappy customers will try your service again because, ultimately, we’re all humans and we like second chances.
Tip #7: Communicate with Suppliers – With all your suppliers, be willing to have conversations with them and be friendly. If they call asking if you want to place an order, politely say that you aren’t ready just yet but will call back another time. As long as you’re kind, loyal, and pay all debts on time, you’ll build a great relationship. Even with delivery drivers, you could offer them a coffee and they’ll be more willing to go the extra mile to help in the future.
Tip #8: Listen to Customers – With all restaurants, or anyone providing a service, the best way to encourage feedback is to create comment cards or promote your social media profiles. While the positive feedback can be used for motivation, what you’re really looking for is the gold and this comes in the shape of constructive criticism.
Since customers are the life-blood of your service and returning customers allow you to pay all bills each month, listen to their opinions because you may just be surprised at what they’ll provide. By making changes, even small ones like different napkins or chewable ice, you might have to pay out in the short term but you’ll benefit from the customers’ return. Since they now feel invested in the business, they’ll come back time after time.
On the flip side, we should say that you don’t need to give in to every single demand. If one single customer requests an addition to the menu, remember you hold the right to control your menu and customers buy into your brand because they believe in YOU and your decisions. If a handful of regular customers ask for soy milk, for example, then this is something you can explore.
Tip #9: Contracts and Invoices – Even with the best relationships with suppliers and wholesalers, nothing is confirmed until you have it in writing. Rather than relying on the relationship you have with certain people, make sure you have everything in writing and this counts for discounts, orders, contracts, etc.
Tip #10: Have an Out – Although this sounds rather negative, you need to have an out in this business just in case things go wrong or you reach retirement age. How will you deal with the closing process? How will you hand the business over to somebody else to take over? Do you plan on running the restaurant still in twenty years? Sure, you want to concentrate on the present day but a backup plan is always wise.
Summary – There we have it, ten superb tips from experts and those who have already seen success in the industry. If you follow these, you won’t go far wrong so let us know what stage your business is at and whether these tips are useful for you!