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Whether you are in the process of starting a restaurant or can boast of many years of business experience, watch out for business mistakes that have destroyed the potential of many food service establishments. First and foremost, from the appliances in your kitchen to the paper towel dispensers in your bathrooms, every purchase should be of the highest quality. Another key to business success lies in hiring the right staff – so know the correct qualities to value instead of relying merely on applicants’ prior experience. Finally, always have an up-to-date, viable restaurant business plan and follow it carefully.

A Restaurant’s Most Critical Investments

Your restaurant equipment and your staff determine the success or failure of your business. Many food industry professionals make the sad mistake of underestimating the importance of these aspects of the business. The instruments on which you prepare and in which you store your cuisine are not the way to save a few extra dollars in the short term. Make sure you invest in the best quality, most durable options on the market. Tough, professional grade metals like stainless steel and copper must become the foundation of your commercial kitchen. Purchase solid restaurant equipment made by trusted brands to ensure long-lasting appliances that will achieve the most impressive results. ...continue reading

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Restaurant waste is more costly than perhaps any other part of being a food industry professional. Buying or renting commercial space, purchasing restaurant equipment, and paying top-notch staff all increase your likelihood of turning a great profit. Food waste, on the other hand, is simply that: waste. Food waste hurts your bottom line and the environment. Here, some simple yet highly effective methods of waste reduction for your commercial kitchen.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Ingredients

One of the most effortless ways in which to reduce food waste in your restaurant is to prevent it. Gauge how much your customers tend to leave over after certain dishes. If there are menu options that consistently result in a great deal of waste, you are serving too much. Cut down on the serving size just enough so that your customers will still be satisfied but will be able to finish more of the meal. Then, freeze single-serving portions of everything that you can. This practice lends you more control over portion size because you will see with more precision how much you put on one plate in comparison to other servings of the same dish. Tailor your menu in such a way that you use ingredients that you normally throw away. For example, if your restaurant serves sushi, you know that the ends generally do not lend themselves to attractive presentation and often become waste. ...continue reading

When you are establishing a menu, it is important that you price the items in a way that brings in a profit. There are a number of ways that this is achieved, but the most reliable is through costing your recipes. This process involves determining exactly how much each recipe costs to make and how many people it will feed. When you have accomplished this, you can then see how much you need to charge in order to profit from the menu item. It is also a great way to see if a particular item is not going to work for your restaurant. So, how do you do that?

The first step is to understand your costs. Make a list of every ingredient in the recipe and then see what the cost was for you. Because deals vary from vendor to vendor, it is possible to serve the exact same recipe in two different places and have two different costs for it. What many people do not do is update their costs when the prices change. Over time, everything goes up and if you do not regularly cost your items then you will find that you aren’t making as much profit as you want to.

While it’s important to know how much every ingredient costs, it is just as important to understand how many people the recipe feeds. This will help you to break down the cost of the recipe per person. ...continue reading

Going green is the current rage because of the impact it can have on the environment and your finances. As a chef or food service business owner there are many ways to go green in your kitchen. You will find that you save a significant amount of money through this process and you will feel good because you are doing something beneficial in the process.

Buy Energy Star Equipment When Possible

If you already have your equipment, then replacing it might not be in the budget. However, there will come a time when you do have to purchase new equipment items. At these times you will find that purchasing equipment that is rated energy star efficient will be beneficial to you. Each of these pieces of equipment are not only helpful to the environment, they consume much less energy and allow you to save money on your utility bills. Anytime it is possible you should purchase items that have an energy star rating.

Recycle

While recycling seems quite simple, the fact is that it can be monumental in any business’ efforts to go green. ...continue reading

An annual budget is more than just something that should be done in the restaurant business. It is actually a necessity. Without an annual budget you do not have the ability to keep up with your profits and losses, plan for the future and see how you will afford to keep operating. Because of its importance in your business, you should know what having an annual budget entails. This will ensure that you do it the right way from the start and have fewer problems with it as your business really begins to thrive.

The most important thing about your budget beyond the amounts it includes is how it is broken down. If you do everything on an annual basis then it will be difficult to look at it and see how it breaks down by the month or even the week. Most restaurants opt to do their budget in sections broken down by month. This allows you to make allowances for special times like holidays when you might need more inventory, but you will also make more profit. You can plan for each month and then look at how it breaks down for the entire year. ...continue reading

A big part of pulling together all of the elements of holiday affairs is Planning (with a capital P!), and caterers, of course, are the ultimate planners. Everything in our business has to work in synch. A beautiful table, often the focus of the event, takes definite planning and forethought. This season when you are planning table settings for a holiday event, think disposable tableware for unmatched elegance and practicality.

Disposable Tableware for the Holidays

The holidays are, in fact, a particularly good time to use disposable dinnerware and disposable tableware. So many events at this time of the year are off-site, and disposables definitely cut down on clean-up time and also avoid breakage. From disposable glasses, such as champagne flutes, wine glasses, and parfait cups for dessert, to disposable serving bowls in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, disposables offer a great way to add pizazz to your tables. Other disposables that are attractive and handy are disposable cocktail shakers and ice buckets. All of these quality disposables offer strength, as well as beauty. Consider mixing in some of these peripheral items, even when you don’t choose to do a completely disposable affair. ...continue reading

Touchdown! Whether you are an avid tailgater or never tried throwing a tailgate party before, now would be the right time to give it a shot. You can choose to tailgate at your home or at the game. The choice is yours. The following are some helpful tips that will help you make the best of your tailgate party.

6. If you choose to tailgate at the game, the last thing you want to forget is your cooler. Fill it up with frozen water bottles in place of ice to save yourself from bringing extra packages. A cold drink of water will always come in handy.

5. Do as much preparation as possible prior to the tailgate party. This will allow you to enjoy the party to the fullest, rather than having to stand over the food and worry about everything running smoothly while the party and game are on.

4. Just about everyone will agree that the worst part of throwing a party is cleaning up. Make use of as many disposable items as possible, such as containers, plates, bowls, cutlery, etc. It will save you a nice amount of time once the party dies down.

3. Make sure to have enough food to go around. You want people to keep coming back to your tailgate party, game after game. You’re better off being left with loads of leftovers than not having what to feed your guests. Leftovers can always be frozen and defrosted for later use. ...continue reading

If you’re just starting out in the restaurant industry, a manager is not something you should be worrying about. However, if you own more than one business or are doing so well that you feel like you're drowning, hiring a manager is what your next step should be. It is only normal for you to be afraid to take a step back and let someone else take over. That is why it is important to know what to look out for when interviewing/hiring a manager.

Hiring a restaurant manager is a far cry from hiring waiters/waitresses, since he/she plays an extremely vital part in the success or failure of your business. That is why, when interviewing, make sure to pick up on the following:

• Experience, experience, experience. I can’t stress the importance of your soon-to-be manager’s experience working in the restaurant industry. Whether it is waiting tables, managing the register, working in the kitchen etc., make sure the person has been in a position where he/she had to interact with customers and find out how he/she rated. How did your potential manager deal with irate and/or unruly customers? Were they given the finest dining experience? How does this person react under stress and with issues that tend to crop up? Can he/she manage more than one task at a time without losing his/her edge? etc., etc., etc.
• It is important for a restaurant manager to be willing to put everything he’s got into this job. If he’s in it just for the money, don’t even bother. He/she must be willing to give the business his all. A manager has to come up with proper sales strategies and do whatever it takes to boost your revenue. ...continue reading
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Think plastic and elegance cannot go hand-in-hand? Plastic dinnerware can be much more practical than regular china or glassware, since you save on money, as well as avoid having to worry about breakage and losing the real stuff. Plastic dinnerware is a must during the spring/summer picnic/barbequing months.

Most plastic dinnerware is manufactured from one of the following materials: melamine, polycarbonate, SAN, or good ol’ plastic. Can’t make your mind up on which material to go with? The following information will give you a better understanding of the difference between each material and help you decide.

Melamine resin is an organic compound often used in kitchen utensils and dinnerware. It should be handled like any fine quality dinnerware. Although better than plastic, when melamine is exposed to high heat, the heat will cause it to decompose. Therefore, it is not safe to place melamine products in either ovens or microwaves since they take in the microwave radiation and heat up. However, they can be places in a dishwasher. Melamine is a thermoset plastic. Therefore, it cannot be melted down and, as a result, cannot be recycled through melting. ...continue reading