A poorly designed kitchen/bar/service area can be the difference between success and failure. It is a bold statement, but in the world of the restaurant industry, the kitchen and bar are the heart and soul of the operation. It’s where culinary and mixologist teams craft the perfect meals and cocktails. Your establishment’s success largely depends on your kitchen’s efficiency and functionality. This is why, from time to time, restaurant owners must consider a restaurant kitchen makeover. In this edition of CORE Profit Strategies, we will explore the signs that indicate when it’s time for a re ..read more

During the first few days in a new role, I toured the new convention and restaurant spaces that were under construction and opening within a few months. In the a la carte kitchen, the lead designer pointed out the new state-of-the-art equipment and other features of the area. “Where is the printer going?” I asked. Suddenly, I felt a nudge and then a whisper, “Don’t bring anything up. We will fix it later!” Later? That was an interesting moment because I was the new team member and wasn’t aware that people were afraid to speak up. So again, I asked, “Where is the printer going?” At this point ..read more

There are two restaurants with similar menus, prices, job positions, and functions with one significant difference – Restaurant A has exceptional employee retention rates, while Restaurant B faces high employee turnover. Because of Restaurant B’s high turnover rate, they are spending excessive money and time to recruit new employees while continuing to lose high-performing workers. A certain amount of turnover will always exist within organizations and can help make way for new talent; however, high turnover rates can cause harm to an organization in a variety of ways, such as revenue, guest ..read more

In the previous two editions of CORE Profit Strategies, we covered the evolution, resistance to, and benefits of centralized production areas. This leads us to how to successfully implement or reimagine your production kitchens. In this final article on production kitchens, we will first look at some of the common challenges you will face. Afterward, you will have the full story that leads to the key principles of operating successful and efficient production systems. Challenges With every new initiative, it is important to identify the potential roadblocks or challenges that you may ex ..read more

Most people that work in large kitchens and operations appreciate and understand the value that the three major production areas provide the operation. When properly developed and managed, they can produce significant cost savings, address a variety of labor challenges, and dramatically improve quality/consistency. Whether you have production kitchens in place, are considering them, or wonder how you can incorporate some of the principles into your operation, it is important to understand the resistance, benefits, and challenges you may already have or will face. Resistance It may seem out o ..read more

At one point or another, every owner/executive and leader in food and beverage has heard the line, “If we do or buy this, we can save labor”. Captivated by the idea of labor savings, many jump at the opportunity without any further conversation. It is important to consider new ideas and equally as important to understand that some initiatives can have consequences that come at the expense of something else, such as: Increased food costs, Reduce value or quality to the customer, Place the burden on other employees or departments, Or all of the above. You need to fully investigate each oppor ..read more

The topic of reducing and eliminating food waste is nothing new to anyone in the Food & Beverage industry. From the supplier to the person who is serving the food to the customer, we all have reasons to prevent and eliminate food waste. The reasons can generally fall into one of two categories: financial or social. The great thing is that no matter what your motivation is, in the end, eliminating food waste accomplishes both. The Worst-Case Scenario In today’s environment, you will seldom see an operation that is not focused on food waste for one reason or another. However, it was not th ..read more

Restaurant labor costs are likely the greatest expense in today’s food & beverage operation and have always been an area of focus for restaurant operators. With rising wages to attract employees, minimum wage increases, staffing shortages that increase overtime pay and retention/training cost, food & beverage labor costs have become an even greater focus. Labor shortages are nothing new, and with low entry-level wages, physically demanding work, dealing with customers, weekends, holidays, and varied schedules, it has always been a challenge to attract people to the industry. For thos ..read more

When we enter the food and beverage industry, we hear different terms that reference the number of guests to expect or that were served. Whether it be PAX (unit) in banquets, reservations, or customer counts, we quickly learn that “cover” is the term most widely used. Simply, one cover represents one customer, so if you have 100 customers, you have 100 covers. When Did a Customer Become a Cover? There are a few opinions on how the term came to be. Some say it references the number of covers or cloches used to cover food as it is transported to the table. That is a fun theory, but since the a ..read more

Choosing the right food & beverage software system depends on whether you have existing systems and software or if you have a blank canvas in a new operation. There are some great systems that can perform many functions, but before deciding to purchase a one-stop system you need to detail exactly what you need and how you want it to perform. For example, a system may have a great POS component with table management but lack analytics or it is difficult to add invoices to the inventory application. The Evolution of F&B Software Analytics Early versions were jazzed-up spreadsheets or s ..read more