Running a restaurant is a tricky business and there are likely to be some common problems that you’ll face that all restaurants struggle with at some point. There is high competition levels and a lot of fine details to perfect but by understanding what the issues are, you can prepare yourself to face these challenges head on and with success. 60% of businesses fail in the first year so make sure that you are not one of those statistics.
Having a unique selling point is crucial and helps to ensure your business succeeds and is known for something special in your local area. Having great food and top class customer service, whilst very important, are things that will be expected but you need to go one better than that and offer your customers a reason why they should eat at your establishment and not someone else’s. A unique selling point will mean that your customers remember you and offers an emotional link between your business and the customer.
Providing a menu is also an issue which needs careful consideration. Do you have a theme to adhere to? Are your meals priced well? Do you offer too many or too few items to choose from? Getting a great menu is a bit of a balancing act. Try to keep your menu in line with your unique selling point or you can go way off track and end up offering customers a confusing experience. Too much choice also means ordering a load of ingredients and having them available all the time. It might make good business sense to offer a smaller, well managed menu that fits well with your selling point. For a huge range of catering supplies and Combination Ovens, visit https://www.247cateringsupplies.co.uk/catering-appliances/ovens-and-ranges/combination-ovens.
Customer service can also be a sticking point for restaurants. This is what your customers are going to remember first and foremost about your establishment, regardless of how wonderful your food is. If your service is bad then customers will remember. To avoid any issues in this regard, make sure all your staff, from the bottom to the top, are well trained in your company ethos and dedicated to making the customer’s experience the best. Every contact must be welcoming, warm and approachable.Remember that customers can now post online reviews instantly and if some area of your customer service is lacking then it can soon have an impact on your business with many potential visitors checking reviews on TripAdvisor ahead of visits.
Failing to give enough attention to marketing is another common problem in the restaurant business. Concentrate on establishing a firm company ethos, logo, graphics and guidelines for example and apply these consistently throughout. Make sure your website is up to date, regularly added to with latest news and responsive enough to work on tablets and phones. Making use of social media is crucial in reaching a lot of people, offering discounts or loyalty schemes and spreading the word about new dishes. Writing a blog is another great way of keeping in touch with your customers and you can get many followers from like minded people in this way.
