Suggestions on how to run a better restaurant...

[recycled sixtie]

The wife and I like to go to restaurants a couple of times a month and we end up going to the same ones mostly because of several reasons.

-consistency of good tasting food.
-consistency of service. Ie. if I order soup I get it before the main course and it is not forgotten.
-Head chef has been there forever really helps. Went to one of our favorite restaurants a while back and the pea soup was missing. I asked why and they said the head chef had left and took all his recipes with him!
-I like it when the waiter/waitress writes the order on a pad as opposed to memorizing it. Less chance of memory fail!.

I would be interested in hearing from restaurant owners/managers(Onlycafe?) as to the challenges and successes they have in keeping customers happy.

Could you the patrons suggest any particular reasons as to why you like certain restaurants? I just don't get it why when I go to one restaurant the meal is perfect, good service etc and the next time the waiter/waitress is snarky, hot food is cool/cold, soup is forgotten. How can an owner tolerate the latter and nothing is changed?
Cheers, enjoy your next meal wherever! G.

[berettafan]

I don't own a restaurant (too smart for that) but I've done tax returns for MANY over the years and I LOVE good food.

#1 rule to running a good restaurant:
Quality of food is inversely proportionate to Sysco purchases.

#2 rule
Your employees are stealing from you.

#3 rule
Portion control

#4 rule
Payroll cost must be in line

#5 rule
If you paid too much either in purchase or rent then you are doomed to fail before you even begin.

#6 rule
If the owner is absent so is service and quality

[Roche993]

Originally Posted by berettafan

I don't own a restaurant (too smart for that) but I've done tax returns for MANY over the years and I LOVE good food.

#1 rule to running a good restaurant:
Quality of food is inversely proportionate to Sysco purchases.

#2 rule
Your employees are stealing from you.

#3 rule
Portion control

#4 rule
Payroll cost must be in line

#5 rule
If you paid too much either in purchase or rent then you are doomed to fail before you even begin.

#6 rule
If the owner is absent so is service and quality

Well said in so many ways from a chef of 25 years!

[Holger]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

-I like it when the waiter/waitress writes the order on a pad as opposed to memorizing it. Less chance of memory fail!.

But with a pen on paper please!
I hate those electronic pads some are using sending the order to the kitchen via wifi!
Why the hurry? Because it reduces the fails? Please! For so many years there was no problem in using paper and pen. Now it is?

[pavulon]

#7 clean (really...clean it) the place a couple times a day and check the bathrooms every hour or two.

[GH85Carrera]

So much of a restaurant experience is due to the water or waitress. A bad wait staff can ruin a great meal. A really good waitress can make average food tolerable.

My wife gets mad at me if I tell the waitress to bring the entree AFTER we have had time to eat the salad or soup. I don't expect the wait staff to fawn over me but my drink glass better never be empty.

Good food it the obvious attraction to any restaurant but good service is critical as well.

[john70t]

60% fail within three years, it looks like.

This study says having startup capital and owner commitment is key:The Restaurant-Failure Myth - Businessweek
"Parsa says, ruling that "a poor location can be overcome by a great product and operation, but a good location cannot overcome bad product or operation."

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

Could you the patrons suggest any particular reasons as to why you like certain restaurants? I just don't get it why when I go to one restaurant the meal is perfect, good service etc and the next time the waiter/waitress is snarky, hot food is cool/cold, soup is forgotten. How can an owner tolerate the latter and nothing is changed?
Cheers, enjoy your next meal wherever! G.

After food quality it comes down to service...
Turnover in some restaurants can be rather brisk... if you get a different waiter every time something is wrong.
On the other hand nothing like walking into your favorite resturant and the bartender starts your beverage the minute they see you and the waiter knows you by name.

RE: varying food quality... chefs do call in sick... they can't just shut down the resturant... so they call in the B team to cook that night.

[nostatic]

Just watch Restaurant Impossible on Food Network. You'll see plenty of bad examples and how they get addressed. It all starts from the owner/manager - they set the tone and the rules (or not).

[Mike80911]

In my Café I always stress to my employees that we should strive to make this a place that they themselves would like to eat at. Cleanliness is always my top priority customers do notice and frequently comment on how much that means to them.
Customer service is also extremely important remembering peoples names or what they like to eat or drink goes a long way in repeat business. Being accommodating to special needs or requests makes people feel that you actually care about what they want.
Consistency is a huge issue. It is not always easy to make sure everything is prepared exactly the same way but you have try your best. I have customers that tell me they want this employee and not that one to help them because one is better than the other.
Of course using quality ingredients and keeping things fresh and tasting good is very important also.
Running even a small café or restaurant is a lot of work not only are you worried about satisfying your customers you have to also satisfy the government agencies that are constantly on your back. The other day I had a visit from the health department and as I said I always try to maintain the highest level of cleanliness yet they need to find something. They ended up fining me because one of the employees had left the hand truck in front of one of the hand washing sinks we have two that are about ten feet from each other.
All this being said I will say that while the customer is supposed to always be right there are some people that cannot be pleased in any way shape or form no matter how hard you try.

[Cajundaddy]

Motivating people to want to exceed customers expectations is difficult in any business and few really do it well. The one's who do are nearly always successful.

Restaurants I like: Very clean and friendly. Very fresh ingredients. A simple menu they can prepare well, not trying to be all things to all people. Attentive service. When they get these things right I don't worry so much about the bill.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

Motivating people to want to exceed customers expectations is difficult in any business and few really do it well.

Money usually works. Also recognition.

A yearly profit-sharing scheme or bonus (even small) would motivate me as employee.
Or, make me greedy and unrealistically want more..

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

So much of a restaurant experience is due to the water or waitress. A bad wait staff can ruin a great meal. A really good waitress can make average food tolerable.

My wife gets mad at me if I tell the waitress to bring the entree AFTER we have had time to eat the salad or soup. I don't expect the wait staff to fawn over me but my drink glass better never be empty.

Good food it the obvious attraction to any restaurant but good service is critical as well.

Yup. Fantastic food with crappy service = I won't go back. Eating out at a nicer restaurant is as much an experience as a meal, usually I'm out with my wife or friends and want to enjoy it from beginning to end. In college I had a number of friends that were waiters/waitresses, it always baffled me how some restaurants did everything possible to shortchange them. High turnover and lack of consistent service is bad for everybody, find good people and reward them for their hard work.

[Seahawk]

Sounds like you have the right approach. You have a website?

To the OP, I worked in a number of restaurants in college, extra shifts, tending bar, etc. So did my roommates: We worked in SF and Berkeley, high end establishments and start-ups.

I saw and learned a lot over four years.

What customers want in a restaurant varies but the fulcrum is, given reasonable service and food, efficiency and a welcoming environment.

I worked in a French restaurant that had the best food on the planet but management was too haughty (even for SF) and difficult and they closed within six months. I left after three.

I then worked at a place in Ghirardelli Square that had average food but a great, and I mean great, attitude and environment.

Location helps but the owner and manager set the tone.

Originally Posted by Mike80911

In my Café I always stress to my employees that we should strive to make this a place that they themselves would like to eat at. Cleanliness is always my top priority customers do notice and frequently comment on how much that means to them.
Customer service is also extremely important remembering peoples names or what they like to eat or drink goes a long way in repeat business. Being accommodating to special needs or requests makes people feel that you actually care about what they want.
Consistency is a huge issue. It is not always easy to make sure everything is prepared exactly the same way but you have try your best. I have customers that tell me they want this employee and not that one to help them because one is better than the other.
Of course using quality ingredients and keeping things fresh and tasting good is very important also.
Running even a small café or restaurant is a lot of work not only are you worried about satisfying your customers you have to also satisfy the government agencies that are constantly on your back. The other day I had a visit from the health department and as I said I always try to maintain the highest level of cleanliness yet they need to find something. They ended up fining me because one of the employees had left the hand truck in front of one of the hand washing sinks we have two that are about ten feet from each other.
All this being said I will say that while the customer is supposed to always be right there are some people that cannot be pleased in any way shape or form no matter how hard you try.

[Mike80911]

No sorry no website not on twitter or Facebook my sons are always yelling at me to use social media but we do well by word of mouth and customer satisfaction

[Hugh R]

All of the above is important. As a business traveler, I appreciate when the wait staff doesn't act like a robot and actually interacts with me a little, like they might be appreciative/be interested in the fact that I came into their restaurant. A few words like "How are You", or "Are you visiting [insert name of City]. "What brings you here". I know they are busy and don't have time to chat, but a few words make me feel like they appreciate my business.

All that goes a long way towards a better tip. Male or female wait staff, it doesn't matter.

[T77911S]

here is what i DONT like and why we will not go back to carrabba's any more even though it was one of our favorites. funny, i was thinking of doing a thread on this.

the portions HAVE gottne smaller, and not just the main course. the salads. i dotn under stand why restaurants go cheap on things like salads, french fries, you know, the cheap stuff.
they could cut back on the main portion and with a big salad and sides you will not notice or you will be too full.
also, the food is not as good. chicken has been overcooked last few times or jthe food ust not as good. sorry carrabbas your off our list.

there was a family OWNED and RUN burger king near my brothers house. i would put their hamburgers up against ANY fancy hamburger place.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by T77911S

there was a family OWNED and RUN burger king near my brothers house. i would put their hamburgers up against ANY fancy hamburger place.

Localized draw.

Put an individual unique stamp on it.
Make it famous.
Got to have parking (or nearby transportation) location.
Good for the neighborhood and community.

That's one approach.

[bivenator]

Many years in the business in a previous lifetime. Lesson taught to me early in career was that if the food was slow to come out of the kitchen, make sure it was correct when it left the kitchen and was hot and fresh. People will wait for something good, but if you make them wait and the order is wrong then you won't get that customer back.

[masraum]

I like good food and good service, but most of the time, I would rather go someplace with great service and just ok food than someplace with great food and crappy service.

The food is important, but the service can ruin the experience even if the food was good.