Managing a restaurant is like running a well-oiled machine. Not only do you have to deal with project managers, team members, and everything to do with effective restaurant equipment, you also have to deal with food and everything that food safety and services bring to the table. No matter what type of project management skills you bring to the table, foodservice and managing a restaurant is harder than one might think.
One thing is the same; whether you’re in the restaurant business or a successful project manager on a construction project, project management tips are pretty much the same for all project managers. If you’re looking for tips on managing your new restaurant effectively, you can find a few below to help you start.
1. Always display a positive attitude.
Whether it’s with your staff or with your customers, displaying a positive attitude as a project manager in the restaurant business is of the utmost importance. Your positive attitude, or your lack of one, can bring the mood in the entire restaurant down, including the customers’ mood. No customer will want to come back and eat to establish that the project manager, wait staff, and even the chef are irritable and never have a smile on their face. Put a positive attitude in place, and a smile on your face, which will help your team members and your customers be in a better mood.
The best-laid project plan or even the best project management software is a great idea for any project manager in a restaurant to invest in. Still, no organization and restaurant equipment will help your restaurant if you and your team members are never happy. Think of your restaurant as a successful project, and put that smile on your face and the faces of your team members for great results.
2. Always be making improvements.
As a project manager, it’s important always to be making improvements. From hitting deadlines to meetings with your stakeholders, there’s always something to be done that can easily put thoughts of improvements on the back burner. For example, if your freezer is going out in the kitchen or the ice machine only works half the time, you may be intending to check into used restaurant equipment to replace them but never have the time. Not taking the time to replace the freezer, ice machine, prep tables, or any appliance that doesn’t work in your kitchen is a quick way to have no restaurant at all.
3. Always put customer satisfaction first.
Customer satisfaction is paramount in any business. However, it’s even more important when you run a restaurant. The way you deal with your customer complaints wants, and needs will define what reputation your restaurant ends up with and how successful it will actually be. Ensure that you train everyone from your wait staff to your kitchen staff in the way you want your customers to be treated because the customers are your bread and butter.
4. Never ignore word-of-mouth.
The most popular way people choose a restaurant to eat has been determined to be through word-of-mouth. The second most popular way is social media. Both are extremely important to your eateries’ success, but word-of-mouth should never be ignored. Word-of-mouth can go both ways; it can be positive or negative, so keep your ears perked up to hear which way the reviews are going on your restaurant.
These are just a few tips for running your new restaurant so that it’ll be the success you want it to be. Follow these tips, and soon you will fill your tables.
