When sales are down, restaurants get excited: they’ll try any trick to reverse the trend as quickly as possible, whether it’s cutting costs, making their staff more difficult, or having to cut corners to feed themselves. . low-income products.
But while some of these short-term strategies may temporarily increase your income, they won’t buy you business when times are tough, so plan ahead. One of the most effective ways to keep your Restaurant profitable in the long term is to try to improve your table turnover rate, as it allows you to focus on better business practices and generate more revenue. , without large investments.
The key to perfecting table swapping is to hide the process from your customers and let the magic happen behind the scenes. t. I don’t want to. They don’t like to have fun. Remember to follow the tips below and you’ll soon be earning more per table without losing your reputation as a great restaurateur!
Start by calculating your speed;
You’ll have to do the math first, but the good news is that you’ll learn how much money you can win at each table today. where to start
- Select the day you want to measure. We recommend that you start by analyzing your peak usage times, such as lunch or dinner, as these are the times when bottlenecks are most likely to occur and you risk losing leads.
- Count the number of parties you attended during this period. Pay attention to how long it takes your bus to clear the table, how long your customers wait for their bills, and how long it takes to place orders, as these factors will determine how well you do in this test.
- Now divide the number of parties you host by the number of tables in your restaurant. For example, if you have 10 tables and serve lunch 30 nights, you will turn over 3 tables per hour.
- Finally, look at how much money you made during that time and get an idea of what you can do by increasing your table turnover to 4 tables per hour (of course, there is a limit to how much you can go, depending on whether your restaurant offers quick service or fine dining).
If your income is low, you need to improve your desk. If your restaurant is in good shape, you can benefit from following these tips, but if you want to develop an already successful business model that can affect your brand, remember to avoid changes. .
Create the right atmosphere;
One of the easiest changes to make is to experiment with your playlist. Yes, that’s right, according to a Fairfield University study, something as simple (and powerful) as playing music makes customers chew their food faster! Of course, you don’t want your restaurant to get out of control, but choosing a loud sound can get your customers moving.
Whether you’re looking to open a new location or redecorate your restaurant, you can also choose a design that will help your business run more efficiently. A Cornell University professor found that customers spend more time sitting in a cubicle. So if you want to speed up your service, fill your restaurant with independent tables. But be careful: Kiosk users spend fewer minutes than their peers, so consider a mixed seating arrangement.
Reduce preparation time;
This may seem obvious, and you may be wondering: Have I not done everything possible to reduce my prep time? If your chefs have too many vegetables and the menu is 15 pages long, the answer is no.
Book as soon as possible;
Pay attention to special bestsellers. You don’t want to do a lot of cooking if you’re in a hurry, but you might run out of some key ingredients that might bother you. You can price each food item based on your recipes and demand, or you can use inventory management software to estimate exactly how much of each ingredient you need at any given time.
Plan your menu effectively;
Again, focus on the popularity of each menu item. While customers often have multiple flavors to choose from, they are less likely to take the time to prepare ahead of time, overwhelming their customers with orders and encouraging them to overspend. IT IS. it will have a positive impact on your income.
So find a bestseller and run with it. Your chefs will thank you when the waiter returns with the drinks, and your customers will know what they want!
Fast service;
You want your guests to be seated quickly and served on time, but you don’t need staff working overtime to meet all needs.
Organize your staff effectively;
Not only do you need to have the right number of people at any given time, but you also need to train your employees so that they know where they are at all times and know your action plan down to the smallest detail. Detail. Learn them:
- Pay particular attention to major holidays. The floor manager should always try to order an extra server and an extra waiter to help with large parties and the kitchen should understand what orders come in for large parties.
- Leave your check strategically: If you see the party ending with their dessert, don’t hesitate to bring the check. If there’s a bar on site and you think your guests might want to stay a little longer, invite someone to the bar and if you’re in a hurry to get seated, give someone a slightly loose offer . different celebrate
- As soon as your guests get up, send your passengers to clean the table and gradually clean up during the meal, always asking if each meal is finished.
- Always prepare glasses, napkins, plates and cutlery in advance! Prepare napkins and cutlery in advance so you can set the new tables faster.
Speed up payments;
No matter how fast you deliver it to the customer, it is always difficult to resolve the request in time. This is one of the main points of table rotation. If you have a quick service restaurant with limited seating, your group needs 5 more minutes to pay the bill. At the end of your selling day.
As usual, technology comes to the rescue when needed: one of the best ways to increase table turnover in crowded Sushi Restaurants and bars is the right store. Now the server can access any order in the system at any time, distribute large group invoices with one touch and print tickets from any restaurant.
In addition, the POS can help you receive orders: the server sends the order directly to the kitchen with a few clicks, saving valuable time between different stations.
All in all, we can guarantee that trying to increase your sales is a valuable experience: if you consider your brand awareness and the needs of your business, you will get a lot without big investments and big risks!
