Best Practices
The Most Important Ingredient in Any Successful Restaurant
What makes a restaurant successful in the long-term? Many restaurants spend thousands of dollars annually trying to attract more first-time guests in hopes of turning them into repeat customers. Given that repeat customers make up as much as 80% of a restaurant's sales, impressing those new guests enough to make them want to return is absolutely essential for a successful restaurant.
Yet, despite all the cost and effort it takes to bring in more first-timers, all too often little attention is given to ensure that those new guests – as well as existing customers for that matter - receive a superior, high-quality experience EVERY TIME.
Unfortunately, many restaurants don’t deliver excellent experiences in the areas of food quality, service or cleanliness EVERY TIME. When a restaurant can’t execute and deliver the same high-level experiences consistently, the only thing effective marketing or promotions do is let more people know that
Consistency is what transforms average into excellence.they can’t count on receiving the same type of food, service and overall experience that will motivate them to come back again.
– Author Unknown
The only way to get credit in the marketplace and maintain a truly successful restaurant is to be able to deliver exceptional experiences over and over, every day, in the same manner.
In a restaurant, consistency is only achieved by having proven systems in place such as recipe manuals that are faithfully and accurately followed, clearly defined service steps and timing guidelines, and line checklists to ensure sufficient quantities, proper preparation and quality control.
So, before you spend another dollar on marketing or creative promotions to attract new guests, take some time to review the systems you need to ensure your new and returning guests will have experiences that exceed their expectations. With consistent systems, you can ensure customers have good reason to come back again and again.
Looking for tools to help you provide memorable, consistent guest experiences? Download our helpful Restaurant Checklists and check out our Menu Item Build Charts training course to get more repeat customers and build sustainable restaurant success.
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Restaurant Checklists
Restaurant checklists that help owners, managers, and teams execute consistently across startup, staffing, training, and daily operations.
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Training Video
Menu Item Build Charts - The Key to Accurate, Consistent Preparation
Time is always a factor in the kitchen, and guests want their orders without an unreasonable wait. But speed alone is not enough because your guests expect consistency as well. Any tool that can give the back of the house an edge is invaluable, and menu item build charts will give your kitchen an advantage ...
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System
Recipe Management
In order to serve great food you must first have great recipes and people that know how to follow them. The Recipe Manual is the cornerstone of every restaurant kitchen and provides a method for achieving consistency in every meal served. Use this system to document your recipes and as a guide your ...
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Service Steps Chart for Tableservice Restaurants
Great service begins by knowing the basic steps of service that guests expect. This customizable chart can be used in training your staff the basic service steps expected for all tableservice restaurant concepts.
