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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Between the Lines - Operational Challenges That Can Make or Break Your Restaurant | 4Q Consulting, LLC

                     Between the Lines - Operational Challenges                                              That Can Make or Break Your Restaurant

Today’s restaurants face many challenges: intense competition; rising cost of goods and real estate; and the slow U.S. economy - just to name a few. Restaurants average profit rates of 3-5% of sales* - thin margins by any measure. However, poor management can make those margins evaporate faster than a sauté pan of boiling water. It is no wonder that 60% of all restaurants fail within the first three years**.

As a restaurant owner, you oversee all areas of your business. These can be separated into three basics: Finance, Sales and Marketing, and Operations. Yet with only so many hours in a day, many owners neglect the breadth of their responsibilities, and only watch their revenue. Sales and marketing is important in getting customers into your restaurant, and we covered this at length in Attracting Customers. However, it is what happens within your operation, between top-line sales and bottom-line profits, which makes or breaks your business.

Here are the 4 biggest challenges that can make or break your restaurant:

Poor Financial Controls – Owners often watch their sales daily, while not watching their costs and expenses as diligently. Common sense points out that if your profit margin is zero it will always be zero, regardless of sales level, unless you change something. Restaurants should measure costs in relation to sales on a weekly basis, as discussed in both Why a Weekly Food and Beverage Inventory is Crucial to your Small Business and Does your Restaurant Compile a Weekly P&L Statement. Reviewing weekly statements allows you to spot problems and make operational adjustments much sooner than waiting until the full P&L at month’s end: improper product ordering and handling, waste, cash management and employee theft can be significant drains on your business, every day.

As revealed in How Much of your Profits are Being Eaten by Employee Theft, many employees steal because they can get away with it, and few restaurants have the right controls in place to prevent it. Further, Measure by Measure and 4 Simple Ways Your Restaurant Employees Can Help You Be More Profitable showed how not controlling spoilage, waste and improper portioning can decimate your small margins.

Poor Staff Training – As we stated in our Blog: A Well Trained Staff is Your Secret Weapon, “People run your business and your business is only as good as your people. An effective training program is an owner’s key tool to ensure consistency in product and customer service, which is a basic tenet of running a restaurant.” This is true for all staff, at all levels.

With a properly trained staff you have less waste in your restaurant. A short list of why this is includes: Training mangers on proper inventory and ordering avoids excess product; stewards on proper product storage and handling avoids spoilage; cooks and bartenders on proper recipe execution and production levels maintains portion controls; and servers on proper use of the POS system minimizes incorrect orders, misfires and voids.

Poor Quality Control – Quality Control is all about consistency. In our experience, consistency is best achieved by adhering to standard operating procedures that are codified in writing. As outlined in 4 Reasons Why Your Restaurant Needs an Employee Handbook, recipe books, job-specific handbooks, and training manuals standardize tasks and clearly communicate to employees your expectations and the standard to which they will be held. These procedures should cover, in detail, every process in your establishment, from purchasing guidelines to how to deal with an unhappy customer. As boring and unsexy as it sounds, excellence comes from consistency, which can only come from diligence and attention to detail. If customers know what to expect every time they walk in your door, they will keep coming back.

Poor Leadership – Whether it is you, as the owner, or an outside hire running your restaurant, there is a big difference between being a manager and being a leader. As discussed at length in Follow the Leader, “In order to lead rather than just manage, which is vital in today’s diverse, fast-paced world, one must be able to be more than a day-to-day task master. While a manager deals with the technical dimension in an organization or the job content, a leader marshals resources, human and otherwise, for the best possible results.” Leaders communicate vision, build relationships and trust, train, coach and mentor, and encourage change and risk-taking.

Often, managers who come up through the ranks are not properly trained as managers and make common mistakes. In the Top 4 Mistakes Managers Make in Managing People, we discuss how “Managers are the front line representation of your business and must effectively work with a diverse group of people. They must live and breathe your company core values and practices.”

Restaurant success depends on many things, but it can all boil down to one question: Where does the money go? Having a handle on your operations is a key to answering this question. Have processes and procedures to reduce economic drains, train your staff to follow them, hold them accountable and have trustworthy leaders in your organization. Additionally, you must be vigilant that your standards are upheld, and make changes as needed. It doesn’t hurt to get an outside, objective opinion from time to time as a gut check whether it is a consultant or mystery shopper

Don’t know where to begin? 4Q Consulting can develop customized business and operational guidelines to help you start and run your business. Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2013-2014. Footnotes: * 2005 Cornell Hotel and Administration Quarterly, http://cqx.sagepub.com/content/by/year ** NRA’s Restaurant Industry Operations Report 2013

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The Family Owned Restaurant

Family businesses are the bedrock of the U.S. economy.  “Family owned businesses contribute 57% of the U.S. GDP, employ 63% of the U.S. workforce (FEUSA, 2011), and are responsible for 78% of all new U.S. job creation. (Astrachan & Shanker, 2003).”1 Business schools have entire courses dedicated to examining the dynamics of family businesses.   According to Rocki-Lee DeWitt, Professor of Management at the University of Vermont’s School of Business Administration:

“When family and business are ingredients in a restaurant business, be ready for some tasty treats and momentous flops.  The family must ask themselves ‘What would this business look like, and how would it run, if my family wasn't involved in the business?’”

  Psychologically, families tend to be driven by a deep concern for both the well-being of individual family members and the family legacy.  When a family works together, normal family goals may come into conflict with the economic goals of the business. 

  With proper planning, many of these challenges and conflicts can be avoided.  Here are four “must-haves” if you are considering owning or currently running a family-owned restaurant:

Have a Written Partnership Agreement – Many families assume they do not need to formalize their partnerships with family members.  By the time they realize they need an agreement, due to a dispute, it is often too late.  You must have a written agreement that should include: the division on ownership; an outline of the amount of, and stipulations for, taking salaries; and how to handle any profits or losses.  Additionally, and possibly most importantly, family partnerships must have defined job roles – who is going to do what?  Just as a corporation would have specific written job descriptions and job roles for executives, so should a family-run restaurant.  Do not assume how the responsibilities and work load will be divided up. If you are formally registering your company as an LLC, a Corporation or a Partnership, some of these factors will impact how you structure your business.

Have Written Standardized Procedures and Strict Internal Controls – The challenge of any family owned business is how not to run it as the family unit.  Standard operating procedures (SOP’s) should be followed by all employees, whether or not they are family members.  Having written manuals outlining SOP’s for all procedures in the restaurant, ensures that all employees are held to the same standard. For example, the owners or family members should not be doing their personal grocery shopping intertwined with the restaurant’s food ordering.

Furthermore, if a family member has always been great with money, you still need internal cash controls in place.  Ensure that your policies and procedures are just as stringent as they would be if an outsider was doing the work, and have your cash and internal controls reviewed by your CPA.

  Have a Higher Level of Professionalism – Just as family members must be held to standardized procedures, at minimum, in their duties, they must be held to a level of professionalism to keep personal matters out of the business.  Family members typically have insight into each other's personality and thought process that non-related business partners wouldn't have, making crossing the professional line into personal terrain tempting.  While lashing out at a co-worker would not be acceptable in most corporate positions, it's easier to lose your cool when there's a personal relationship involved.  I hear from many of my clients in family-owned restaurants “you say things to your relatives that you wouldn't say to anyone else, or you would land in court".  Leave your emotions at the door and remember your family members are your co-workers when you're at the office.

Have a Succession Plan – A comprehensive written succession plan is crucial for all businesses, especially family-owned restaurants, to avoid disputes and misunderstandings.  First and foremost, have a plan should one of the partners or family executives decide to leave the business: how will their role be covered and how will ownership be re-allocated?  Consider including estate planning in your partnership agreement for an older partner to protect the family and restaurant from estate taxes and probate costs.  Further, don’t assume younger generations will want to come into the business or that they will know how to run it when they do; start grooming your successor several years before you plan to retire.  Lastly, if no family member wants to run the business and you don't want to bring in an outsider, start to put together a detailed plan, sooner rather than later, to sell or merge.

Whether a restaurant is family-owned and operated, it is still a business and must be set up properly with clear, well-defined goals and objectives and be operated with the same standardized procedures as any other business.

Don’t know where to begin?  4Q Consulting can develop customized business and operational guidelines to help you start and run your business.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

Footnote:

1.                  University of Vermont School of Business Administration, Family Business Facts http://www.uvm.edu/business/vfbi/?Page=facts.html

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.

Noelle E. Ifshin, President, 4Q Consulting, LLC       

244 5th Avenue, Suite 1430, NY, NY 10001  

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Seasonal Restaurants - Preparing for the Off Season | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Seasonal Restaurants - Preparing for the Off Season 

Part One - Operations

Whether you own a seasonal clam shack on the shores of New England or are the General Manager of a ski resort in Colorado, you have experienced the challenges of a seasonal business.  Many seasonal businesses only have a three to four month “busy” season, when there is more than enough business to be profitable; it is what happens in the “off” season that often determines whether or not these businesses make it until their next busy season. It is crucial to have a plan in place to handle off-season challenges, ensuring that customers have their favorite local restaurant to come back to.  It may not be possible to be profitable in the slower months, but with the correct operating procedures, you can survive the off-season’s inevitable downturn in revenue.   Here are four operating procedures to focus on: Manage Your Cash Flow - The single most important step for survival of your seasonal business is rigorously managing your cash.  This takes discipline.  Calculate what your cash flow needs will be based on both your fixed and estimated variable expenses.  Know what your break even point is, as sometimes a viable cash management strategy is to close the business for the slowest portion of the off season. During the busy season, set aside a certain percentage of revenue to create a reserve that will help carry you through the off-season, so as not to go deeply into debt, if at all. Get to know your banker, and establish a line of credit to tap into, as it is important to stay current with your bills. Adjust Your Offerings – Changing your menu can impact both food and labor costs. Consider replacing some menu items with less expensive, seasonal and local ingredients. Cooking with what is locally in season is always less costly than using out-of-season imported items.  Also, reducing the overall number of items on your menu and increasing product cross-utilization allows you to carry a smaller inventory (see Manage Your Cash Flow, above), thus reducing the amount of possible waste.  Furthermore, less labor-intensive preparations allows you to work with less staff.  An example that combines these concepts:  In the winter months, a menu built around stews, casseroles and braises allows you to use less expensive cuts of meat, seasonal root vegetables and less labor.   Hire, Train and Schedule Wisely – Having a core staff from the local population can be crucial to your success; you will easily be able to supplement your staff for the busy season, and will not find yourself short-staffed when your seasonal hires leave. It is important to cross train your staff, as it will allow you to schedule fewer people during slow times, cutting down your labor costs – a server who can mix drinks saves also scheduling a bartender for a slow lunch shift.  In these ways, you will always have well-trained people available who can handle a wide array of jobs in a thinly staffed environment. However, staff and schedule judiciously, as under-staffing can lead to burn out, more waste due to error from stress and distraction, and a negative guest experience. Attract the Locals – In seasonal communities, the local population becomes the core of your customer base in the off-season.  Cater to them and actively attract them to your restaurant. A good way to increase off-season sales is to offer locals discounts: deeply-discounted wedding receptions, special weekday prix fixe menus and/ or corporate meetings and events. An appropriately engineered menu will allow you to do this without severely eroding your profit margin. It is important to curry favor with the locals, because their great experiences at your restaurant will turn them into your best marketing tool, as we wrote in our blog Attracting Customers.   They are likely to recommend you to other locals in the off-season, as well as the in-season visitors who may not know about you. Maintaining a seasonal business has unique challenges beyond those faced by other restaurants and food service operations. By properly planning ahead to ride out the slower season which you know is coming, you will be able to make it through to the next busy season in good financial shape. Don’t know where to begin?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines to help you grow your business.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com. All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013. 

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Attracting Customers | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Attracting Customers

We have often been asked, “What is the best way to attract customers to my restaurant”? That is a difficult question to answer, because there is no single best way. Spending money on advertising, mailing flyers and promoting dining specials can be a good start and may get people in your door – once, especially if you’re the new place in town. However, the real trick is getting customers to come back – that is the key to a successful restaurant. In our opinion, it is the customer experience at your establishment that drives repeat business, which will attract new business, as you will read below. Even if your publicity and marketing program is nothing more than an easel on the sidewalk in front if your sandwich shop, there are broader concepts that you can apply to bring people to your door again and again. Here are 4 basic things all restaurants should be doing to attract customers: Be The Best, Consistently – Seems easy enough: Strive to offer the best food and the best service. However, you should also be the best boss to your staff; hire only the best employees (with the right attitude) and enable them to be awesome through excellent training, to give the best customer service; have the highest possible sanitation standards; buy only the freshest ingredients; get involved and give back to your community.  Be mindful of being consistent in all these things so that customers have the same good experience time and time again. This will pay off, as you will read below. Manage Your Reputation – These days reputation management needs to take place both on-line and off.  On-line reputation management is a frequent topic of debate, with review sites like Yelp and Tripadvisor providing near-real time feedback from unhappy customers. Complaining about or simply ignoring poor on-line reviews will not make them go away, they are a reality of doing business today; they require timely, professional responses that address problems, quell issues and regain customers. Using customer reviews as a training tool can actually help to improve your operating procedures; see our Blog on how to use: Customer Feedback in your Pre-Service Meetings. However, restaurant owners must also manage their reputation off-line, meaning in person at their restaurant. Additionally, training your managers and front-line staff to resolve customer issues effectively will go a long way in guarding your good reputation. See our blog: Bad Experiences Can Make Loyal Customers. Social Media – Traditional advertising is static and communicates in one direction. Social media is dynamic and can be to be a powerful sales tool. It allows you to engage customers directly like never before, encouraging a dialogue with you, as well as between customers and their friends, to discuss your restaurant. The key to enhancing your restaurant sales through sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest is to use them actively - daily postings of food photos, promotions, upcoming events, specials, video instruction of how to make your recipes -  all work to drive engagement, which in-turn drives traffic to your restaurant. The most important thing that a good social media program gives you is feedback from your customers, which we noted above can help improve your operations. Everyone is a Sales Person – Traditional marketing tells us it is easier and cheaper to have repeat customers than to attract new customers. However, that adage doesn't remind us that happy customers are the easiest and cheapest way to get new customers.  You may remember the commercial: “I told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on.” If every customer you serve has an excellent experience, from the food, to the service, to the cleanliness, to how a problem is handled, they might sing your praises to others, both on-line and off. You start to create “Raving Fans”, who will tell two friends off-line; on a social media website, that could be 2000 “friends” – they have become your salespeople. Similarly, as we discussed in our Blog: Employees are Your First Customers, happy employees, who believe in your brand, are proud of where they work, and will give the effort needed to achieve the level of service you require.  Also, away from work, they will speak positively of your restaurant and become brand ambassadors out in the world. A satisfied customer is the most valuable form of advertising and marketing. You can’t buy it, you can only earn it through good customer experiences, fortified by staying top of their mind. By focusing on what happens during customers’ interactions with your restaurant, in all forms, you will have a much more successful and sustainable business – And people will come to your door. Don’t know where to begin?  4Q Consulting can develop customized Sales and Marketing plans, and operational guidelines to help you grow your business. Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com. All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013. 

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Restaurant Consulting, LLC | Location, Location, Location... | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Location, Location, Location...

Everyone has heard the expression: “Location, Location, Location”. A restaurant's site selection is as crucial to its success as great food and service. However, many restaurants that open in “great locations”, fail because they don’t adjust their business model to the particularities of that location.  

Choosing a location involves more than picking a place and signing a lease. Your location selection will influence many parts of your business plans and operations. 

It is highly recommended to work with a licensed real estate broker who knows your local market. They will best be able to guide you to appropriate properties, and to negotiate the best possible deal on your behalf; be patient as this process takes time.  If you already have a certain location in mind, you shouldn't become too attached until you know it meets your needs.

Before you create a business plan, write a menu, or dash off to the bank to apply for a loan, here are 4 essential elements of a location to consider:

Population Base/ Demographics – There need to be enough people who live or work in, or pass through, the area on a regular basis to keep your restaurant busy.  The population base and the different types of traffic will dictate some of your operating procedures.  For example, if you are in a thriving downtown commercial area, you might only open for breakfast and lunch but close for dinner, as there is not enough foot traffic to stay open. Your location, and its demographics, may influence your menu design, as well.

To analyze the population base of a particular area fully, you can commission a site study. A reputable local real estate broker or the local chamber of commerce can also provide some of this basic information. 

Financial Realities – Rent is usually your largest fixed expense, and you will probably have significant capital investment to prepare the space to be operational, therefore your business plan must account for covering and recuperating these expenses.  In building your business plan, you will have to budget several scenarios to determine how many guests you will have to serve, at a specific check average to be profitable at a given rent; you will also need to determine if the plan is sustainable over time, to meet your financial obligations.

Accessibility – There is a reason that major restaurant chains are often located near main intersections or highway and freeway exits. Most successful restaurants, whether in urban or suburban areas, are easy to find.  Your restaurant should be street-facing and not tucked away in a building or set back. 

How your customers get to you is also a consideration. A parking lot, easy public or street parking, and nearby public transit all improve accessibility; alternately you might offer valet service. The bottom line is that your customers need to be able to find you, and should be able to get to you - make it easy for them!

Operational Needs – A space that does not immediately accommodate your operational needs is not a bad space, it may in fact be a very good space; it just changes your financial calculations. A few examples of items that can affect the capital investment or the targeted cash flow of your business:  Many office buildings do not allow cooking in the attached retail spaces, as they do not want smells permeating the building; if they do allow it, you may have to build out proper ventilation.  Ensure the space is ADA compliant, and meets local public safety codes; if it is not, you will have to alter the space to adhere to regulations. The zoning of a location is vital; some municipalities may limit sidewalk or outside seating, or may not issue liquor licenses if you are located near a school or house of worship. 

Do your due diligence. By understanding each of these elements, and how they may affect your business plan, you can better choose the right location for your new restaurant.

4Q can provide restaurant site selection consulting services and works with New York’s best commercial real estate brokers to find a location that meets your every need. 

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper business plan in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized business plans, and operational guidelines to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013. 

Noelle E. Ifshin, President, 4Q Consulting, LLC        244 5th Avenue, Suite 1430, NY, NY 10001   

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Risks and Responsibility of Owning and/or Operating a Restaurant Series: Accident Prevention | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Risks and Responsibility of Owning and/or Operating a Restaurant Series:  Accident Prevention

When you decide to own or operate a restaurant there are inherent risks and responsibilities that you are undertaking.  It is important that you take every measure to minimize these to protect yourself and your employees from possible injury, harm, litigation and financial loss.

As a restaurant owner, it is your responsibility to keep both your guests and employees safe, while they are in your establishment.  Restaurants are full of hazards and can be dangerous places, if safety is not top of mind.  Injuries from accidents in your restaurant of either a guest or employee create a no-win situation for everyone involved.  The injured party experiences pain, suffering and incapacitation while the company suffers from the loss of the injured person's contributions, possible litigation and financial loss.

Here are four basic steps to help prevent accidents in your restaurant:

Cleanliness & Maintenance – Slips, trips and falls are the most common types of accidents in restaurants and these are most often caused by wet, greasy or unclean floors; uneven, improperly secured and/or frayed flooring or carpeting can also be the culprits.  Spills and wet floors should be cleaned up as soon as they occur, and trip hazards should be fixed as soon as they become apparent. Additionally, handrails should be properly secured, outside walkways should be well lit and all stairways should be kept clear.  Another common cause of injury is poorly maintained or broken equipment: This could be as small as chipped glasses in the dining room or as large as frayed electrical wires on the Robot Coupe. Ensure that all equipment is routinely inspected, serviced or replaced for the safety of your employees and guests. 

Safety Tools for the Job – Proper clothing on your employees can be one of the most valuable safety tools in your restaurant.  Starting from the bottom up, all employees should wear sturdy leather, anti-slip shoes specifically designed for hospitality workers.  Moving upwards, legs, arms and heads should be covered in kitchens to prevent cuts and burns; in the dining rooms, uniforms should fit properly to avoid trips on pant legs and sleeves getting caught on service items or in machinery.  Additional types of supplies for safety include, but are not limited to: “caution when wet” signs, knife guards and gloves, proper eye protection, and guards on slicers.

Safety Protocols – Written guidelines for safety procedures must be developed, communicated to all employees and adhered to.  These procedures should become part of the routine, with managers and supervisors integrating them into their daily activities: training, pre-service uniform line ups, and regular facilities inspections. Job-specific protocols should be included in position-specific written manuals, and general safety protocols should distributed to all employees in writing.  Never assume that your employees know even the most basic safety protocols, and always put them in writing.

Train, Train and Train Again – Safety training should be a major focus when on-boarding new employees, however training should not stop there. Accidents often happen when employees become complacent; incorporate safety procedures into employees’ daily job responsibilities and reinforce these protocols with refresher training.  Pre-service staff meetings are a convenient time to discuss safety issues and keep them top-of-mind. It is also helpful to have reminders of safety protocols throughout the work areas: For example, in the delivery receiving area posters reminding proper lifting technique, or signs near large kitchen equipment reminding proper use of safety guards.

The points above are employee training issues at their core.  Properly educating your staff in all manner of restaurant safety is crucial in preventing accidental injury of employees and guests and protecting your business from potential litigation.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  

Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.    

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.  

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Risks and Responsibility of Owning and/or Operating a Restaurant: Responsibly Selling Alcohol | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Risks and Responsibility of Owning and/or Operating a Restaurant:  Responsibly Selling Alcohol

When you decide to own or operate a restaurant there are inherent risks and responsibilities that you are undertaking.  It is important that you take every measure to minimize these to protect yourself and your employees from possible injury, harm, litigation and financial loss.

One of the first decisions you make in planning a restaurant is if you want to apply for a liquor license. The sale of liquor is controlled differently in each state in the US, and often at the local level, under laws referred to as “Dram Shop” law. The process of obtaining a liquor license, and the types of licenses available, differ as well. Your local and state law may influence your decision on the type of liquor service you will have in your restaurant – beer and wine only, full bar, bottle service, or “bring your own”.  It is imperative that you know the laws regarding your legal responsibility in each of these situations.

Your bartenders, and anyone else on your staff that handles and serves alcohol, must be properly trained in how to limit your liability. In some states even, individual servers need to obtain permits to be able to serve alcohol.  

Here are four basic ways to ensure the responsible sale of alcohol:

Check Identification – The first step in serving alcohol responsibly is to eliminate underage drinking; to do so, you must verify age by checking Identification.  It is essential to train your staff on how to check, and what are acceptable forms of ID.

Do Not Over Serve – It is never a good idea to continue to serve inebriated patrons.  It is your right to refuse service to guests who are drunk, whether they arrive drunk or become so at your restaurant.  It seems simple enough to figure out when someone has had one too many, however, some people can hold their liquor very well. If your staff is not properly trained, they may not realize the patron is drunk until it is too late.

Offer Options – Cutting a customer off is never any easy task.  When having to say “no” to alcohol, offering other options such as food and non-alcoholic beverages softens the blow.  This allows the customer to still be served in your restaurant.  Be aware that food and coffee will not sober someone up; the only proven method is time, and keeping the customer in your restaurant allows time to pass. 

Ensure Safe Transit – Do not allow the guest to leave your restaurant drunk if they are driving.  Either be certain another member of their party is able to drive, or offer to call a cab or another ride home for them.  In many instances, by permitting an inebriated customer to leave your establishment, you, your bartenders and servers could be held liable should that individual cause harm in an accident.

A restaurant’s liability in serving alcohol is a very complex matter and these points are only the beginning. Two of the top nationally recognized training programs in this area in the US are TIPS® (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) and ServSafe Alcohol®. Having members of your staff properly trained in this area can prevent situations where you might have potentially significant liability. Additionally you may be able to receive credit on your insurance premiums by having members of your staff certified in these programs. 

The points above, though crucial in protecting your business from potential litigation, are customer service issues at their core. Properly training all of your staff in how to handle difficult situations so that they are not embarrassing for the customers involved has tremendous value in customer loyalty.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | A Well Trained Staff is Your Secret Weapon | 4Q Consulting, LLC

A Well Trained Staff is Your Secret Weapon

Restaurant owners are often frustrated by not achieving their goals in relation to quality, customer satisfaction and financial benchmarks, yet many times they have not given themselves the appropriate tools to do so. Tools for your restaurant such as the newest, most integrated POS system, the most expensive kitchen and bar equipment, and even the best operating systems and procedures do not mean anything without a well-trained staff. 

People run your business and your business is only as good as your people.  An effective training program is an owner’s key tool to ensure consistency in product and customer service, which is a basic tenant of running a restaurant.  

Here are four key elements of such a program:

Proper Training Materials – Codifying operating procedures so they make sense to you is easy, however organizing and presenting the materials in a way that your staff will understand them may not be. Your staff probably comprises a diverse combination of people from different socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures with varying levels of education; additionally, research shows that people learn in three very distinct ways: visually, auditorily or tactilely. A training program that takes all of these factors into consideration should include: job specific written manuals (perhaps in more than one language), demonstrations and/or illustrated step-by-step procedure instructions, and hands-on or role-playing exercises.

Validate & Reinforce Your Training – To validate the efficacy of your training you must quiz, test and confirm that the information has been learned and absorbed. It is also important for managers to reward and reinforce the “good behaviors” done on the job - those that follow operating procedures as trained, as we discussed in our blog Keeping Employees Happy at Work – Happy Employees Part 2. Through reinforcement, you will discover who needs more training, how effective your training is, and perhaps what changes need to be made to your program.

Train your Trainers – Many restaurants often make the mistake of assigning their best employees the task of training new staff without taking the time to instruct them on proper training techniques and methods. Just because an employee is good at what he or she does, does not mean that he or she can teach someone else how to do it. Your trainers must be fully inoculated with company culture including policies, procedures and daily work tasks, as well as customer service values; they must have a complete understanding of the written manual for the job they are training; and they must be taught how to impart information in the way you want, so that training is consistent.

ABT – Always Be Training! – Training should be ongoing, not limited to the initial on-boarding process, and incorporated into the daily routine of your operations. As we wrote in our blog Are Your Pre-Service Meetings a Waste of Time?, there is an opportunity every day to share new information and keep your staff’s knowledge up-to-date. Work closely with your managers on what needs to be retrained, as they should be most aware of how policies and procedures are being followed by their direct reports.

A well-run restaurant can survive without the newest technology or the latest equipment. However, it cannot succeed without people trained to execute your vision, product and service ideals.  If you do not invest the time and energy to have a full training program, hitting your business targets becomes increasingly difficult.  As an owner or operator, a well-trained staff – from your Executive Chef to your Bussers – is your primary and most valuable tool.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have operational guidelines in place so you can be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs. 

Email us today for a free business consultation!

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Bench Strength = Success | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Bench Strength = Success 

All companies, large and small, must develop the next generation of leaders in order to thrive, let alone survive.  Using a sports analogy, the best teams have incredible talent, but they also have depth of talent, so they can readily adapt to change and adversity; this is called “bench strength.” The teams with the deepest bench strength often win championships because they can overcome injury, fatigue and unknowns where other teams fold under these types of challenges.  

Successful restaurants build depth in their teams, at all levels, to help them through unexpected challenges such as market shifts, turnover in key positions and/or employees falling ill. It is essential that restaurants have people who can take the reins in any situation to ensure continuity and effectiveness. Additionally, having bench strength keeps you ready and poised for growth and expansion.

Here are 4 ways to help develop your bench strength in your restaurant:

Find Great Employees – Invest first in people, not ideas.  People are the most important asset to the success of any business, and hiring the right team makes everything else much easier.  Finding great employees can be challenging and takes time.  Make sure to give yourself enough time, to find the right people so you don’t end up hiring someone just because you need a body.  Hiring the wrong employees is very expensive because it creates disruptive turnover and impacts the morale of the remaining employees.   There are only so many seats on your bench, don’t fill it with sub-par players!

Ensure A Cultural Fit – As we touched upon in, How to Hire for Attitude as Well as Skill, “great employees are those who have both the technical skills required for the job as well as personal attributes that gel with your company culture and core values”.  You can always train, and even re-train, for skills depending on needs, but it is impossible to train someone to be hard-working, thoughtful, and honest.  Restaurants that are successful have a continual focus on their company culture at all levels and in all areas of the business.  They are quick to recognize when they made a wrong hire and remove poor cultural fits early on.

Share Knowledge – Cross functional training pays off when a key employee, manager or chef is out unexpectedly and offers flexibility during periods of high volume.  It allows individuals an opportunity to develop and expand their skill sets, showing that you value their career development.  Sharing knowledge openly with your staff pays off when a position opens up or your restaurant is ready to expand - you then have employees on your bench ready to go into these new roles.  Spending the time to cross-train can also provide employees with fresh perspectives, encourage service improvements and effective problem solving.

Empower Decision Making – Unfortunately, many managers feel that by empowering employees to make decisions, they lose the ability to lead and control their team.  This is a management myth.  When employees are part of the decision making process, they are highly motivated because they feel that they have control over their job roles.  The only way empowerment works is if there is effective two-way communication and trust between management and staff.  The more information employees have, the better they are going to be at making smart decisions for your business.

Furthermore, if employees are used to making their own decisions, they will be more prepared to make difficult ones as they move up the ladder. They will also have more ownership over a task because they made the decision instead of having it forced upon them. 

Putting the right people in the right seats on your bench is crucial to your survival.   A fully trained, empowered and invested team will allow you to be successful in your current business and future growth.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Employees are Your First Customers | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Employees are Your First Customers – Happy Employees Part 1

All too often, restaurant owners take their employees’ job satisfaction for granted. They focus all their energy on achieving financial results, acquiring new customers, launching new marketing ideas, and driving guest satisfaction, but they forget about the people who actually turn all those HR action verbs into real-life actions.  Treating employees as internal customers is the first step in providing a productive, positive environment, which reinforces your company’s hospitality and service culture.

Here are 4 reasons you should consider employees your customers:

Happy Employees = Happy Guests – Front-line employees are the key connection between your restaurant and your guests. As a result, if your employees aren’t happy, your guests won’t be happy with their experience in your restaurant and your restaurant won’t be happy with the business results.  A rude, surly or unhappy server does not provide the best possible experience for your guests and can often turn guests off.  In today’s economic environment, poor service will not be tolerated and can drive you out of business.

Happy Employees Are Engaged - Engaged employees care about the end results and the quality of work that they do.  They want to perform their job well and provide great service to their customers. They enjoy coming to work, interacting with their co-workers and making their customers happy.  They tend not to cut corners; approach jobs with energy—which enhances productivity—and come up with creative service improvements, which enhance the customer experience.  Unengaged employees do not care about co-workers or customers, need constant supervision and lose interest in what is best for the team, which increases operating costs. 

Happy Employees Exceed Expectations - Happy employees are more likely to help out without being asked, are willing to pitch in when needed, and will not say the dreaded “that’s not my job”. When employees come in on short notice to cover a shift, stay late for the good of the team, and/or clean without being asked, it makes it easier to manage and run the business.

Also, by going above and beyond for your guests, happy employees deliver an enormous payoff: creating passionate, loyal patrons who spend more money, stay longer, return often, and tell their friends; all of which generates sustainable growth. 

Happy Employees Become Brand Ambassadors – Happy employees will speak positively of your restaurant and unhappy employees will speak negatively of your restaurant.  In social situations, often the first question asked is “What do you do?” or “Where do you work?”   Such moments can add or take away value to current and future customer experiences; increase or decrease loyalty; and leave positive or negative impressions.   All employees, not just management, can build or detract from your restaurant’s brand.

Employers need to take care of their employees first, in order for their employees to provide the best experience for guests.  Employees with high job satisfaction remain with their employers longer, reducing turnover.  This in turn, lowers the cost of constantly having to recruit, hire and train new staff and provides stability to grow your business.  

Stay tuned to next week’s Blog, Happy Employees Part 2…..

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to be as successful as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation!

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Chillin’ Out - Safe Food Storage and Handling | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Chillin’ Out - Safe Food Storage and Handling

Food safety is a top concern for every commercial kitchen. As we head into the warmer months, ensuring all foods are properly refrigerated and stored below 40°F becomes more of a challenge.  Operators must learn about safe and unsafe temperature ranges, especially in how food is stored and handled.

Time and temperature play a vital role in whether food is safe to eat or needs to be thrown out.  We have all heard the adage “keep cold food cold and hot food hot”, which refers to keeping food out of the Danger Zone. The Danger Zone is the temperature range between 40°F and 140°F in which harmful bacteria multiply the fastest. If perishable foods stay in the Danger Zone too long, the food will spoil, meaning there will be no way to kill off the bacteria present.

Here are some of our key recommendations on food safety and keeping food out of the Danger Zone:

Food Storage - Monitor Refrigerator and Product Temperatures - Most, if not all, commercial refrigerators come with a built in thermometer. We recommend having a second thermometer in all refrigerators in case one is out of calibration.  Large walk-ins should have several thermometers in different areas to identify temperature differences and possible hot spots.  If your fridge, or areas of it, is warmer than 40°F, your food will never be below 40°F.  Raw and cooked food items should also be randomly sampled for proper temperature with instant read thermometers.  We advise our clients to keep a refrigerator log and take the equipment temperatures twice daily – as part of opening and closing duties.  By getting in the habit of doing this daily, you can identify problems sooner so as not to lose food due to spoilage.

Do Not Overload Fridges - If there are too many items stacked in a refrigerator the unit will have to work too hard to maintain the proper temperature. This could create hot spots where areas of the cabinet are not cold enough and refrigerated food will spoil. Blocking the internal and external air vents of the unit will disrupt proper cooling operation of the fridge, causing temperatures to rise. The refrigeration unit may even stop working altogether.

Proper Refrigeration Maintenance – Make sure that you have a certified refrigerator repair service.  All commercial units need to have their compressors professionally cleaned and serviced at least twice per year to keep them in working order.  The cost outlay of this service often outweighs the cost of lost food due to spoilage, damage to your units from not servicing them, and possible health department fines.  If you are not sure where to find a reputable company, check with your state’s Restaurant Association for a list of suppliers.

Food Handling - Work in Batches – On hot days, when the ambient kitchen temperatures can be over 100°F, it is a good idea to handle perishable items in batches.  For example, when butchering steaks, it is best to take only one or two whole sides of beef out of the walk-in at a time;  once the batch is done, place the fabricated batch back into the walk-in before starting on the next.  Remember, according to the 2009 FDA Food Code, food cannot be left out in the Danger Zone for more than two hours and it is easy to forget about prep time.

Use Proper Cooling Techniques – Cooked food must to be cooled as fast as possible, so as not to spend too much time in the Danger Zone.  All food that has been cooked to the proper temperature must be cooled to 70°F within two hours and then down to 40°F within another 4 hours.  Train your staff in all the proper cooling techniques.  An example of improper cooling that is all too common: a 5 gallon bucket of hot rice stored in the walk-in straight from the stove; it would still be hot in the center the next morning and have the potential for making your customers very sick. 

Use Proper Thawing Techniques - Never defrost food at room temperature. Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. There are only three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing because of the time already spent in the Danger Zone.

Having to constantly check temperatures and observe safe food handling practices may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but as with all things, after repeating the correct procedures over and over, it will become second nature. Making food safety concerns part of the daily routine can only help your business by providing tasty, bacteria-free meals to customers.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Follow the Leader... | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Follow the Leader…

Many restaurants suffer from a lack of leadership.  As we’ve discussed in our previous blog: How to hire for Attitude as well as Skill, hiring for cultural fit is often as important as hiring for technical skills. When hiring the restaurant manager, owners should also be looking for a candidate with leadership skills.

In order to lead rather than just manage, which is vital in today’s diverse fast paced world, one must be able to be more than a day-to-day task master. While a manager deals with the technical dimension in an organization or the job content; a leader marshals resources, human and otherwise, for the best possible results.

Leaders reach company goals more quickly with less drama, reduce costly employee turnover, and guide their teams through change with less damage to the organization. By ensuring that your manager is a strong, positive leader, you can help improve your bottom line.

These are 4 Leadership Qualities to look for when hiring a manager:

Ability to Communicate Vision - While managers plan and organize job assignments, tasks and schedules, leaders provide direction.  Leaders are able to effectively communicate short term and long term goals to all employees. By communicating the organizational vision and helping the staff to understand the role that they each play in reaching these goals, a leader can inspire the team to give 100%.

Builds Relationships and Trust - We often hear that we should “Lead by Example”.  This is true to gain trust, and to be able to build relationships within the organization. Managers who work by the philosophy of “Do as I say, not as I do”, or by not holding all team members to the same standards, often break down trust within the team. Being a role model positively influences people in reaching their goals. Leaders get to know the individual strengths, weaknesses, and motivators of their staff to be able to get the best from them and to achieve company results.

Trains, Coaches and Mentors – Leaders need not be experts in every area, but must understand how all the pieces work together.  Leaders do not micro manage or do the jobs of their team, instead they coach, give advice and guide from the sidelines.  If leaders have set and communicated the goals and job expectations correctly, given their team the tools they need, and instilled trust, they should be able to step back and observe.

Encourages Change and Risk-Taking – Leaders constantly seek out what is working in the organization and are quick to get rid of what is not. Great leaders openly embrace new ideas, innovation and change.  These are the bosses who praise and encourage team members to come to them with new ideas on how to be better, faster and/or more profitable; often some of the best ideas come from front-line employees. If a manager says “that is not how we do things here”, then he/she is not a true leader.

Much like a revered general going into battle with his platoons behind him, your employees will follow a leader through all aspects of the business with little question. By hiring managers who possess these leadership qualities, you will reach your goals more efficiently.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Managing Safety Risks in your Restaurant | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Managing Safety Risks in your Restaurant

Restaurants can be dangerous places and accidents can be costly. As an operator, you need to understand the health and safety risks associated with restaurant operations and take appropriate preventive measures to minimize risk and liability.

Every day there are plenty of chances for an employee to become injured on the job: slipping, falling and lifting injuries account for more than 40 percent of serious injuries in a restaurant. Consider additionally a busy kitchen during service, full of sharp implements and open flames, or a frenzied bar area with broken glass. Additionally, a customer may become injured while dining at your restaurant, for example by slipping on a greasy floor or tripping on loose carpeting. It is your responsibility to make safety an integral part of your operational procedures.

Here are 4 ways to help minimize your safety risks:

Define Policies and Procedures - Your employee manual is a perfect tool for laying out your restaurant's safety policies and procedures on everything from proper equipment use to shoe wear choices. The handbook should contain as many scenarios as possible so that staff members know what to expect from their job, how to execute the job safely, and how to react in case of a crisis. This is an integral part of your business and a great training tool.  See our blog: 4 Reasons Why Your Restaurant Needs an Employee Handbook,  for more on the importance of Employee Handbooks.

Train Employees Thoroughly - Train new employees in correct procedures and behaviors. Use the Employee Handbook as well as frequent demonstrations to support your training. Training is crucial to keep employees from avoiding behaviors that can risk injury.  Safety training should also include Food Handling Safety Training, see our blog: 4 Reasons why it is Vital that All Employees are Trained in Food Safety, detailing the reasons for this training.

Safety Training in the Pre-Service Meetings – As discussed in our previous blog: Are Your Pre-Service Meetings a Waste of Time, use pre-service meetings for on-going training and awareness of safety procedures and behaviors in the restaurant.  Having a regular safety topic and daily updates for the entire staff keeps these ideas top of mind; complacency is a recipe for accidents. Continue to educate staff on and keep them aware of the potential hazards of working in the restaurant.

Make safety part of Manager Evaluations - When safety is integrated in the evaluation criteria for a restaurant manager's review, the manager is apt to take safety more seriously and therefore reinforce the procedures in their employees. Reward managers for low occurrences of injuries and illnesses, or for having regular safety meetings. This is also a good way to hold managers accountable for keeping safety a priority. We have had our clients hang posters on the manager’s office door showing how many days the operation has gone without an accident, for all to see.

Minimizing Safety Risks by having written procedures, proper staff training and holding your staff accountable, can help lower your costs associated with Workmen’s Compensation Claims, Insurance Premiums, and possible lawsuits.  To be successful, make sure your business model incorporates ways to actively work to keep both your employees and customers safe.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | Measure by Measure | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Measure by Measure

It happens at some point in every restaurant: When short on time during prep, or in the rush to get food out of the kitchen, the staff skips the important step of weighing and measuring. To the detriment of profits, scales and measuring tools often go unused on shelves and in cabinets. Over-portioning is the quickest way to increase your food costs and deteriorate your margins.

Measuring product is essential in tracking, analyzing and calculating food costs. Even if your food costs are already at your target, a good portion control system can help further reduce cost, improving your margins and bottom line.  In the long run, the benefits of accuracy are worth the investment in several reliable industrial scales and a full complement of measuring tools. 

Here are 4 steps to improve food costs and profits through portion control:

Have the Right Measuring Tools Any tool that is difficult to operate, or does not function well in the intended environment, will quickly fall into disuse. Encourage use of proper weighing and measuring tools by working with your staff to find tools that they can manage easily in your kitchen. It is useful to have several scales with different units of measure, such as grams, ounces and pounds, throughout your kitchen. It is also import to have an array of sized scoops, measuring cups, portion bags, and other volume measurement tools.  Make these tools readily accessible so they get used all the time.

Measuring - Not Just for Expensive Proteins Accuracy reduces costs.  Everything coming into and going out of your kitchen should be measured.  Most obviously measure all of your center-of-the-plate items during prep, but don’t forget your appetizers, sides, salads and desserts.  Additionally, check all deliveries for proper weights and measures, particularly double-check any pre-portioned proteins.   Any discrepancies should be noted; an error on the distributor’s end should not affect your bottom line.

Establish Written Recipes and Measurement Standards Consistency reduces waste.  For this reason, written recipes and measurement standards are essential.   Slight over-portioning over time adds-up financially: If a crab cake recipe calls for 3oz of meat, but 4oz is used when making a batch of 100 cakes, over 8lbs of crab meat is wasted.  At $25 per pound, this inconsistency added $200 to your food cost.  Train staff on the recipes and the use of the appropriate measurement tools.

Know Thy Waste The goal should be to have as little waste as possible in your kitchen.   However, there will be times when waste occurs.  By weighing and tracking waste, as well as identifying the cause of the waste (over ordering, improper or excess production, poor food handling and storage procedures) you can account for the cost and address its root cause.  

The 4 steps above can easily be transferred to managing product usage at the bar, as well.

A system to weigh, measure and track is only effective when it is used: You must devise a program that works in your environment and that your employees will maintain. Better understanding the flow of product and waste in your kitchen allows you to use your resources most effectively, improving cash flow and profits.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | How Much of your Profits are Being Eaten by Employee Theft? | 4Q Consulting, LLC

How Much of your Profits are Being Eaten by Employee Theft? Four Basic Ways to Prevent Employee Theft in your Establishment

As profitable as restaurants can be, most restaurants are losing money due to employee theft.  Loss to theft can be overwhelming; If you are a smaller business owner, this difference can make or break your profit margins.  If you are a larger establishment, think of how much more profitable you would be if you could recover 5% of your bottom-line profits!

There is an entire field of study dedicated to loss prevention in restaurants. It has been estimated that in the US about $52 billion a year is lost due to employee theft and that approximately 95% of all businesses experience employee theft.  So, what are what you doing to protect your business and your money?

Here are 4 basic procedures that can help you limit employee theft in your establishment:

Pre-Employment Background Checks – Proper screening in the recruiting process can lower your risk of being subject to theft. A background check searches for criminal records, as well as verifying information on an application or resume. Studies show that theft is a pattern of behavior that is often repeated: If a candidate steals before they are hired, they are prone to steal (from you, other employees and even customers) once they are hired. The cost of these checks is relatively low compared to the potential loss due to theft in your establishment by hiring the wrong employee.

Strict Controls and Procedures – As discussed in our last blog on inventory controls and accountability (http://4qconsult.blogspot.com/2012/09/4q-consulting-llc-restaurant-consulting_21.html ), many employees steal because they can get away with it. There are countless methods and controls that can be enacted to curtail this: Train employees in, and hold them accountable to, internal security measures such as strict cash controls, and inventory checks; maintain surveillance on the premises and limit employee access to the building to their scheduled work hours, through key and code authorizations.  Above all, make employees aware of the penalty of not adhering to procedures, as well as the likelihood and consequences of getting caught stealing.

Time Clock Controls – An often-overlooked theft is time card fraud, when employees are not clocking actual hours worked.  First, ensure that you have clear, written clocking in and out procedures in your employee handbook or manual.  Secondly, have some form of time clock - whether an old-fashion punch type or a computerized POS System.  Hand-written time cards should be avoided, as they are not reliable and pose a liability in many states. Lastly, your clocking station should be under camera surveillance. This promotes accurate clock-in/out and prevents employees clocking in/out for their friends. Think about this: a $15/ hour employee that clocks in 20 minutes early and 20 minutes late on each shift in a week is earning an extra $50 per week or $2500 per year.  If all your employees are doing this, it starts to add up!

Secret or Mystery Shopper Programs –  Although you may normally think of mystery shoppers as focusing on customer service and food quality, shoppers can design programs to look at employee theft. Shoppers can observe employee adherence to policies (e.g. whether the sales are rung up properly, whether items are being given away).  You should have your establishment secretly shopped at least once per quarter.  Let your staff know that they you do use secret shoppers for this purpose, as this helps promote your culture of accountability. The reports can be a valuable tool in training staff, and rewarding employees who do uphold your policies.

These are just a few ways to start to ensure that you reduce theft in your establishment.

Remember the 4 basics:  1. Hire the right people; 2. Hold your staff accountable through strict controls; 3. Watch your payroll: 4. Get an objective opinion from time to time. 

As an owner, you want to make sure that you do not have an environment where it is easy to be stolen from. These practices will discourage your employees from stealing.

Let 4Q help you get these procedures and practices into place while helping you to grow your profits!

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Restaurant Consulting NYC | An Attitude Adjustment - Hiring for Attitude as well as Skill | 4Q Consulting, LLC

An Attitude Adjustment - Hiring for Attitude as well as Skill

Technical skills, such as the vocational expertise of a chef, while important in making hiring decisions, should not be your only criteria.  You can teach technical skills, but you cannot train people on the personal attributes that make up soft skills such as listening, communicating and empathizing.  By evaluating these characteristics you can measure whether a candidate will fit with your team, company culture and core values.

Bad hiring decisions are costly: they can increase turnover, pull resources away from other projects, be disruptive to other employees and your establishment as a whole. This can negatively impact your bottom line.   

Here are 4 ways to hire for attitude as well as skill:

Take advantage of candidate self-selection – By listing desired soft skills that align with your company core values and culture in your recruitment ads, candidates will evaluate whether or not they should apply.   This will give you a more focused applicant pool to choose from; reducing your time spent on recruiting, as well as improving the quality and value of your hires.

Be Proactive in your Recruiting - Don’t just wait for people with the right attitude to apply for a job, spot them in the marketplace and make your pitch! When you see someone who clearly embodies the qualities you want on your team, give them your card and invite them to apply for employment. As any great business owner knows, that extremely attentive waiter, remarkably patient sales associate, or well-spoken hostess could be your next great hire.

Use Behavioral-Based Interviewing - This type of interview, focuses on how the interviewee acted in the past to give insight to future behaviors and actions.  Multi-segmented, open-ended questions get to the heart of behavior in relation to soft skills.  For example, when interviewing a restaurant manager you might ask:  “Tell me about a time when you had to manage a difficult employee.  What was the challenge and how did you resolve it?”  Select questions that pinpoint the attributes you seek.

Observe Applicants Outside “The Interview” - Want to see someone’s true colors? Find out how they behaved when they thought no one is watching.  In conjunction with behavioral-based interviewing, this can give you a true read on a candidate.  How did they treat your receptionist or hostess? Did they strike up a friendly conversation with the bartender while waiting for you?  What the candidate says and does outside of the hiring manager’s view can give you a glimpse into their true personality, which may differ from how they present in an interview. 

To build a great company, you must hire great people.  Great employees are those who have both the technical skills required for the job as well as personal attributes that gel with your company culture and core values.   Focusing on technical skills without enough consideration for soft skills and personal attributes can leave you with a dysfunctional staff that can’t work together due to misaligned values. When in doubt, hire for attitude; you can train almost any skill. See the candidate who lacks hard skills as a cause for concern, but see the employee who lacks soft skills and enthusiasm as a giant red flag.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation!

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Restaurant Consulting NYC |Restaurants Fight the Flu! | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Restaurants Fight the Flu!

The current influenza season is the most widespread since the H1N1 pandemic of 2009-2010. Restaurants, where multiple people are handling food, utensils and glassware, are breeding grounds for influenza germs.  Special consideration should be paid to keep both your employees and your customers safe from the influenza virus.  There are financial implications if half of your staff calls in sick and your customers get sick from eating in your restaurant.

Here are 4 Ways to help stop the spread of the flu in your establishment:

Send Sick Employees Home - Whether for fear of losing their job or missed pay, restaurant workers often come to work when they shouldn’t. All sick employees, front-of-house or back-of-house, should never be tolerated in your restaurant. They will only infect others.

Enforce Hand Washing Procedures - Make sure you have written hand washing procedures in place.  All employees must be trained on how and when to wash their hands and these policies must be enforced.  Hand washing is advised after touching any part of the face, coughing, smoking, taking out the trash, and in between food handling jobs, just to name a few. Frequent hand washing greatly reduces the spread of the flu.

Sanitize - Have hand sanitizers readily available for both employees AND customers in as many areas as possible (e.g. wait stations, bars and bathrooms).  Remember Hand Sanitizers to not replace, but work in conjunction with, proper hand washing. It is also important to sanitize items or areas in your restaurant that customer come in contact with – menus, table top signage, hand rails, door knobs, etc.  Work these items and areas into your shift cleaning checklists.

Train Proper Health Habits – People have an unconscious habit of touching their face, which is the primary way germs are spread. Your staff must understand that they can transfer germs to themselves or others, as well as onto service items through their actions.  Train your staff to be aware of this habit and that they must wash their hands afterwards.  Also train your staff on how to properly handle items that touch or have touched guests’ mouths, both when setting and clearing tables. 

Beyond getting vaccinated, keeping sick employees out of your restaurant and following good health habits can keep your staff able-bodied and your customers coming back throughout this flu season.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place so your manager can help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation!