Starting the Day at Your Bakery

A bakery involves a long list of daily tasks that must be completed in a timely and organized fashion in order for the establishment to be successful. The tasks that are completed at the beginning of the work day will often dictate the organization and efficiency of the rest of the day. Here are some tasks to complete when you start the day at your bakery.

Get an Early Start

Bakeries are notorious for having some of the earliest operational hours of any eating establishment, restaurant, or food store in the business. Because many individual customers and large-scale consumers have baked good needs that begin at early hours, bakers must get started long before the sun rises to ensure that freshly baked goods are ready when the bakery opens. This is also why many bakeries close earlier than other eating establishments. If you have a large bakery with many employees, you can stagger employee shifts to ensure that they are well-rested and ready to go when the bakery starts its day.

Perform a General Review

When you enter your bakery in the morning, it's a good idea to perform a general reviiew of the premises to ensure that everything is in order. If you have seating areas for guests, be sure that the tables, chairs, and floors have been properly swept and wiped down and that the floor looks clean and free of debris. Check your store cabinets and refrigerated storage units to be sure they are properly stocked. This will prevent you from experiencing an ingredient crisis when you are already in baking mode.

Fulfill Daily Orders

The first thing to do when starting the day at your bakery is to make sure that the daily orders are either fulfilled, or in the process of being fulfilled. Most bakers try to stay a day ahead of schedule. This ensures that there are no last minute scrambles to fulfill orders. When orders are taken, be sure they are assigned a priority. This will depend on the length of time it takes to prepare the baked goods, as well as the time at which the customer will be picking up the item. Having an accurate schedule will help to ensure that food does not get stale before the customer has a chance to pick it his or her order. 

Start General Baking

A successful bakery must have items on hand to satisfy the needs of walk-in customers who visit the store without having placed an order in advance. Common walk-in items include loaves of bread, breakfast rolls, croissants, bagels, muffins, scones, and other items that customers may want to order in the morning. After you have made sure that your bakery is clean and well-stocked, it's a good idea to start baking those general baking items as early as possible.

Open On Time

Above all, ensure that your bakery opens on time every single day. A successful bakery is a reliable bakery. Customers must be able to expect that your doors will be open according to your listed hours. Opening even fifteen minutes late can be incredibly frustrating for your customers, and they may be forced to find a more reliable supplier of baked goods.