Effective restaurant managers know and believe how important several of the skills mentioned below are in today’s market. Those who strive to master all will be rewarded with profitability levels bound to beat any of the competition. Such skills can be learned, and needless to say some talented individuals possess them. But possessing skills naturally is essentially of no use if managers fail to use them in their daily work. As most of us know, employees, particularly entry-level employees, seem to be more interested in fulfilling a certain umber of hours than trying hard to make the restaurant profitable.
Successful owners try to hire ATTITUDE and train for skill. Admittedly, there are precious few with a suitable “hospitality attitude”, but looking high and low for such individuals can be most rewarding. It should the objective of all restaurant operators to look for individuals who promise to look after the interests of the establishment as if it was their own. Most experts agree that a communication skill is one of the most important in the industry, at least for front-of-the-house positions. Those who want to become proficient should register with organizations encouraging and/or providing platforms for public speaking.
Better speakers build confidence amongst their staff and enhance their leadership. Always plan your work, and then work you plan. “ Managing” time is a failed concept. Time is a dimension, not a commodity.
Always plan the following day before leaving work and then think how you can best achieve all tasks.
Training is a philosophy, not a department to content with. All managers must be aware that training in every restaurant is an ongoing activity that is never really completed. If you think training is expensive, think of ignorance being a more costly shortcoming.
Marketing is more important than managing. Most managers erroneously believe running a “tight” operation to be more important than effective marketing, yet the Foodservice Association of Canada studies show than 70 per cent restaurant guest – base originates from a seven km. radius of the property.
It is good marketing to join local business associations, church groups, create attractive “frequent diner programs”, talk with guests, and occasionally even “buy” them a dessert as an encouragement to return! People like to be called by their name; many prefer to be called by their first name, but not all, particularly Germans, and Scandinavians. They are more formal, but after a while they warm up.
As a manager learn the names of your patrons and address them gracefully by their name. Always treat your employees with respect, and encourager them whenever possible to further their education, even offer to pay for their educations if they earn B+ or A grades. Also encourage them to suggest ways to improve efficiency of sales. Those who seem to be interested can be implemented and evaluated.
If an employee’s suggestion works to your satisfaction, reward him/her appropriately by presenting a tangible gift. Intangible rewards, like money, beverage, and food are soon forgotten. It is better to be a leader than be a boss. Always “wear” a friendly face.
The restaurant business is a show business and requires people with artistic talents! Good managers look after their health.
Excessive amounts of coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, salt and sugar are known to lead to serious and chronic illnesses. The restaurant industry is stressful as it is, there is no need to add to that burden. In the service business, good is never good enough As an owner/manager you must look at perfect service as a moving target. When a comfortable level of service delivery is achieved, you must raise the standards to a higher level. Only then can you maintain an edge over the competition. All the above suggestions are likely to make you a more successful restaurant owner/operator. It is your choice to be a leader or follower!
HOW TO SELL MORE BEER Use colourful table tents for special beers you carry Teach hosts/hostesses always to mention the availability of special beers ad appetizers when seating guests Sell “locally brewed” fresh, tasty, and professionally handled beers. Let you guests know that you are proud to handle a perishable product with due care All servers and bartender must ask positive questions when taking the order, i.e Can I get you a Creemore, Muskoka Lake or Connor’s lager? All servers must be taught up-selling techniques to increase revenue for the same amount of work. Display your beer selection on the ‘back bar’ Offer non-alcoholic beer instead of tea or coffee A FEW WAYS TO SELLING MORE APPETIZERS Use table tents offering “signature appetizers”, wine by the glass, and desserts Hosts/hostesses must be trained to mention the availability of special appetizers and anything on special. Needless to say, everything you offer must be appetizing, colourful, tasty, and reasonably priced. Train servers to suggest an appetizer immediately after taking the order. Offer a sampler platter of your most popular appetizers to your bar guests “Box” your best dollar margin appetizer on your menu to draw more attention to it.
HOW TO INCERASE WINE SALES ‘Servers must be trained to suggest wine at three different times Initial greeting When taking the order Just before serving dessert Compile a wine list long enough to be interesting for guests, but short enough for all servers to know all the wines in great detail Pair all suitable items with wines on your list. Cross-reference food wine and wine with food List you wines on the back of your food menu for ease of reading Let your servers know at least some of the wines on you list Conduct formal wine education classes including tastings to point out differences and food matches Ensure that every server has a proper corkscrew before each shift Conduct a briefing with all servers and indicate which brands they must suggest Offer monthly tangible incentives to the server outselling all others Contact your wine suppliers to support you with wine displays and display them prominently at the entrance of restaurant Ask your wine suppliers to donate t-shirts, portable radios, a wristwatch for your monthly contests. Send regular guests a birthday or anniversary card good for a bottle of wine, or dessert with a glass of appropriate wine List your wines from the most expensive to the least within each category Arrange your wine list by Old World and New World wine producing countries Arrange you wine list according to the texture and body of your offerings i.e full bodied to complement grilled steak or roast beef Train servers to suggest a bottle of wine when two people, each order a glass of wine, pointing out economies of scale. Point out to your servers that selling a bottle of wine is more “profitable” for them while creating less work Insist that the wine list is presented with the menu, if you have decided to have an extensive wine list Train your servers to recommend suitable wines with each dish Train servers to “assume the sale” by asking after the first bottle “Shall I bring another bottle of … NOW?”
Train your servers to become proficient in opening wine bottles, decanting and service. Arrange for role-playing exercises.
Always be on the floor during busy times to see how efficient servers are in selling and serving wine Institute policies to replace a bottle of wine if warranted (faulty wine like corked, vegetal smell, brettanomices, geranium, oxidized, maderized, excessive so2) HOW TO SELL MORE PREMIUM AND DE-LUXE LIQUORS IN COCKTAILS Train your servers to “up sell” when people order a regular cocktail using the following or similar questions: “ Would you like me to have your martini mixed with Tanqueray No. 10 or Bombay Sapphire gin?” Encourage servers to learn about liquors in general and premium or de-luxe brands in particular. Conduct educational sessions and tastings for your staff to learn more about liquor. Test servers’ liquor knowledge daily during pre-service briefings. It is more profitable to sell premium and de-luxe brands than well brands. They generate more revenue for the same effort, satisfy guests more and encourage higher tips Train servers to use the word “try” or “ May I suggest”
FEW WAYS TO SELL MORE EXTRAS and SIDE DISHES When a guest asks for French fried at the bar, have the bartender suggest a complementary snack like a broiled sausage, or breaded, deep-fried shrimp, or deep-fried cheese stick When a guest order a main course, complement him/her on the choice and suggest a side dish suitable i.e New York sirloin steak, suggest sautéed mushrooms or grilled onion Have servers offer guests “tasting samples” of side dishes Train your servers practice the “Sullivan node” (approval as they suggest dishes
SELLING MORE DESSERTS “EFFORTLESSLY” Train servers to “plant the seed” for dessert at least twice during service Roll on attractively arranged dessert trolleys to the table and suggest Place a platter containing a variety of desserts on the table before serving coffee/tea. Sample local business employees your selected desserts around 11.15 am Treat guests who waited for too long for dinner a dessert “on the house” to compensate Servers must always be trained to offer coffee/tea and a liqueur and/or cognac, especially for dinner
A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO SELL MORE AFTER DINNER DRINKS Train servers to suggest liqueurs or brandies before coffee Roll a trolley loaded with liqueurs and cognac to the table and knowledgeably suggest a variety Train servers about liqueurs and cognacs. They must know the difference between V. S. and X. O. and Hors d’age. Train servers in the preparation of flaming coffees, and to be flamboyant. Train your bartenders/servers to know all specialty drinks and coffee recipes by heart. Conduct educational sessions for your servers/bartenders on liqueurs, cognacs, eaux-de-vie, and preparation of flaming coffees.
Make sure your after dinner drinks are reasonably priced.
Professor B Says 