Professional Louisiana restaurant management tricks and tips by Jon Purvis? It’s no secret that employee turnover is a problem for most restaurants. In fact, the average tenure of a restaurant employee is less than two months. Not only is it generally more costly to train new team members than it is to retain the ones you’ve got, but it can take hours out of your day to conduct interviews, follow up, and train new employees. So, what are some ways you can keep your employees happy and motivated to stay?
Jon Purvis restaurant success strategies : Offer a solution Once you’ve listened to the complaint, try to come up with a solution that will satisfy the customer, such as a refund, coupon for a future visit, or free food item. This will help turn a negative experience into a positive one. Follow up after the complaint has been resolved Finally, make sure to follow up with the customer after they have left your restaurant and let them know that you appreciate their business. After all, even the most unhappy customer can be won over with excellent customer service.?
Why do this? How can a long menu cause headaches? Well, for one, long menus are harder for your staff to master. This is especially true when attempting to successfully onboard new hires. On top of that, simplifying your menu can help to reduce waste, save costs on inventory, and lower time spent taking orders. A case study from Aaron Allen & Associates on burger chains in the US found that when McDonald’s increased their menu offerings back in 2017, the speed of their drive-thru service decreased by 13%. Not ideal—and that was before Covid! With the current rise of drive-thru sales, slower service can have a significant impact on your sales. So, don’t take the risk.
Keep your restaurant clean and presentable. This is important for both customers and employees. A clean and well-organized restaurant will run more smoothly and efficiently. Manage your finances carefully. Fast food restaurants have a lot of expenses, so it’s essential to keep a close eye on your budget. Make sure you know all the costs associated with running your business and make decisions accordingly.
Make sure your Yelp, TripAdvisor and Facebook pages are all up to date, then read through what your customers are saying about you. Word of mouth can be both positive or negative, so staying on top of it and checking reviews on a daily basis (and responding when appropriate) will help you have a good handle on how your brand is being perceived. Monitoring cash flow is a big part of a restaurant manager’s job. And one way to tangibly showcase that you’re doing your job well is by finding creative ways to help your company save money. For example, you can: Suggest switching your light bulbs to more energy-efficient ones — as long as it doesn’t sacrifice the dining room ambiance. Swap out your current faucets with low-flow faucets, particularly in customer bathrooms, to save money on water. Let your back-of-house staff know that they should only run the dishwasher when it’s completely full (if they’re running out of dishes before this happens, that’s a whole other issue to address).
