While there will be problems with any business, in the restaurant industry, a problem can be a disaster if you allow it to be. Rather than regard a problematic situation as a problem, could you turn it around so it works to your advantage? You can look for solutions to common restaurant business problems that can turn them into opportunities.
One common opportunity in the food service business is downtime. After lunch and before dinner, or between breakfast and lunch, you will have at least an hour when nobody comes through the door. Not only is this bad for your bottom line, but potential diners passing by may think your restaurant is empty because it needs to improve. So, you’ll need to fill those tables as much as possible by inviting people to visit your restaurant between prime hours. For example, you could offer a happy hour with complimentary appetisers or a buffet of chips and dips. A mid-morning brunch special will attract shoppers and passers-by, and once the business community gets wind of it, your restaurant will be the perfect place for an early meeting. You can also have a special menu for those slow hours, perhaps half portions with corresponding prices or unavailable items at any other time.
The weather is another factor that can keep customers from dining out. Your job is to entice them out of their houses, into the heat, cold, or rain and through your doors! This is a fun opportunity to be creative and get your staff involved. Choose a name for your promotion and make it a contest with a small incentive if the employee’s idea is chosen. Many restaurants have promotions during the summer when temperatures are high, and no one wants to leave their air-conditioned homes or offices. They offer a percentage off for every degree over a specific temperature, special menus with discount prices or limited-time exotic drinks. You might offer complimentary iced tea during the hottest days of summer, a complimentary scoop of ice cream after a meal or provide free valet parking or other services to minimise exposure to the heat. In the winter, you can greet your guests with free hot chocolate or apple cider.
Another headache for restaurants is their seating arrangements. Taking advantage of every inch of floor space means that some tables are in less desirable spots, such as near the kitchen, the entrance or a bathroom. You can make these tables the most popular by offering complimentary appetisers, desserts or other perks to people sitting there. Unfortunately, restaurants that turn this problem into such opportunities for their customers usually fill those “undesirable” tables before others!
Another problem that often presents itself is selling out of a popular menu item before the day ends. Customers may walk out and not return if they find various menu items unavailable. Turn this into an opportunity by apologising to the diner and offering them a voucher that entitles them to get the item for no charge the next time they visit. Tell them about other items on the menu that they might enjoy instead. They may find a new favourite!
Before starting your restaurant business, give some thought to the kinds of problems that may arise in the day-to-day management of your establishment. Successful restaurant entrepreneurs find ways to turn these problems into profitable opportunities!
