All posts by Dana Williams
As we’ve already discussed, choosing the right refrigeration unit (or units) for a commercial kitchen is an essential part of setting up a food-service business. A full range of refrigerators – all with a different purpose – includes reach-in units, undercounter fridges, walk-ins, merchandisers, and more.
Whether you think of them as the pre-game warm-ups of the restaurant industry, or the sound-checks of the hospitality business, pre-shift meetings are a vital part of running a successful restaurant. Starting each shift in your restaurant without a pre-shift meeting or “pep-talk” is to overlook a great opportunity to connect, encourage, and educate your team.
The restaurant industry is notoriously competitive and physically draining; however, sometimes the hard work and financial investment pays off and your restaurant turns into a huge success. If that happens, and if you’re an ambitious and confident business owner, your thoughts might turn to opening a second restaurant based on the belief that doubling locations could mean doubling your success.
Restaurant Staffing Apps
It happens to all restaurant owners: Ahead of one of the week’s busiest nights, half of your kitchen staff calls in sick, and you’re looking at a disaster. It’s too late to find replacements and you’re existing staff is stretched thin as it is. Only recently, you would have panicked, asked friends and relatives to pitch in (knowing full well that they’re inexperienced and unskilled), and kept your fingers crossed.
Commercial refrigerated merchandising units – a.k.a. merchandisers – can be found in food-service operations of just about every type. They are designed to openly display prepackaged chilled foods or beverages through a glass door or an open front, so that customers can reach in and take the beverage, cake, sandwich, or snack that they crave without bothering the wait staff or cashier.
Much has been written – including right here – about why a restaurant’s location is so important to the success of the business. Visibility is the number-one factor in choosing a site for a new restaurant, as being seen is the basis for drop-in business, which is vitally important. For this reason, off-street locations have long been considered undesirable real estate options.
Although you may not realize it – and you may not even know what “it” is – your restaurant can definitely use an expeditor. If you find that the service in your restaurant is sluggish and the kitchen-to-dining process isn’t flowing smoothly, an expeditor can help alleviate the problem and turn your restaurant into the efficient establishment it has the potential to be.
When you own or manage a restaurant, not only do you have to pay attention to your guests’ experience – the food, ambiance, presentation, etc. – but you must always keep the health and safety of your employees in mind, as well. As a business owner, the safety of those you employ – from kitchen workers and cooks, to front-of-the-house waiters and bartenders– should always be a top priority, and you must ensure that you have the right equipment on hand to keep your staff safe and sound.
The importance of good baking pans for your commercial kitchen cannot be overstated. Baking, unlike cooking, is an exact science, so it makes sense that not only does the success of your baked goods correlate directly to the ingredients you put into it, the shape, size, and material of the pan you will be using also matters. So read on to learn about how choosing the most appropriate pan for the goods you plan on baking will lead to the amazing results you and your customers are clamoring for.
When it comes to marketing a restaurant the bottom line is: You can never rest on your laurels. You must always assume that the next best thing is right around the corner or that your loyal customer base is not as devoted as you hope it is. Even if you are everyone’s go-to dining establishment right now, success can be fleeting unless you nurture it – through advertising, promotion, and marketing.