Restaurant Planning: Action Speaks Louder Than Resolutions
Reflection time is over. Now, it's action plan time. We survived the worst of it. The New Year's mess is all but a memory, lingering in the dumpster waiting for pick-up. And, with it, the remains of 2011 and all of the good and bad are hauled away.
From all economic indicators the economy is getting better and the outlook for 2012 is brighter. But since the restaurant business will come to a screeching halt for a few weeks while people recover physically and financially, this is the perfect time to develop an action plan so your business and life will be better next year at this time.
I began the practice of developing a year-long action plan years ago. Realizing my yearly resolutions were fantasies that lasted hours or a few days at best I decided to scrap that tradition. Instead of resolving to accomplish one thing or another, giving up this or that, or attempting to become a better person, I decided to write down 12 points that I needed to work on and tackle one of them monthly. The plan always focused on my restaurants. If they were doing better, I was doing better. And, I found that it worked.
I always discussed the finished plan with management and made sure that the month's topic was printed and posted in the kitchen, the office and other areas where the staff would notice and read it regularly.
At the end of the first year, I reviewed how we did before presenting the next year's plan. It worked. It became standard operating procedure for my business. I still use it today.
Here are the 12 points from that first action plan:
1). Separate business from pleasure. Operate the restaurant with flair, with a twinkle in your eye. Review the books with the eye of an accountant.
2). Treat the staff fairly, with understanding and compassion. Learn when you are getting bamboozled.
3). Categorize the staff into three groups: Long term, short term, and passing through. Work with each on that level.
4). Change the menu seasonally. Buy fresh, prepare with passion, serve quality at reasonable prices. Be creative. If it's on a competitor's menu, make sure yours is better. Develop daily specials.
5). People eat with their eyes. Presentation is as important as flavor. Create a presentation diagram.
6). Do not sacrifice profit for Kudos. It's great to hear wonderful compliments. It's better to be around to hear them.
7). Negotiate price with vendors. Keep costs in line. Take food and liquor inventory weekly until profits are pleasing.
8). Customer service is the gateway to a successful, profitable operation. Work on customer service daily.
9). The yearly make-over. Customer count will suffer when the restaurant looks tired. Take a week to spruce-up the atmosphere, even if it means closing while repainting and cleaning.
10). Develop a catering menu that entices your regular customers to use your catering services.
11). Mandatory pre-shift meetings with servers and chefs.
12). Server training regularly. Teaching the art of the up-sell will increase profits and tips. Explain how a server can get a raise.
It's that simple. On the first of every month I'd print out the goal I wanted to work on, write a brief on how to accomplish it and discuss it with the staff. Management would buy in, pick up the ball and focus on that month's point.
At the end of each year we would review the action plan and grade ourselves on how we did. We always did better than the year before. Plus, nothing motivates more than to have a goal when times are slow.
