Still, seating diners outside doesn’t entirely extinguish risk for employees. This can be accomplished through photos and/or creative text. In order to run your business smoothly, you need to make sure you address any staffing problems head-on. Like many other industries, Artificial Intelligence will play an important role in the restaurant industry to solve many of the existing staffing problems. Flooded administration. Remember, your restaurant is only as good as the people who are working there. Consider hiring a copywriter to craft a compelling menu. But all restaurant workers are in some danger when diners carelessly eat out. Sometimes, however, learning the pitfalls before you develop a restaurant business plan is the best way to avoid them. Problems between staff are going to happen. “I’m always thinking about how we have norovirus outbreaks, and it spreads so easily throughout the restaurant. Are you meeting them? What does it cost to make each menu item? Are you sticking to it? Motivating a restaurant staff is not all about contests to see who can upsell the most pink lemonades and chocolate mousse pies. “We’re in a new social compact with one another right now,” says Guernsey. If they refuse to wear a mask whenever they’re not actually eating, or if they dine out despite feeling ill, risk goes up for everyone in the restaurant. Update your menu and prices at least once a year. by Nick Mancall-Bitel Jul 24, 2020, 1:12pm EDT Share this story. Below, we’ll give sample chef interview questions, explain how to find a chef for your restaurant, and suggest some qualities that could be beneficial for your chef to possess. Common Problem #1: Your Menu A great menu is a real balancing act. In Philadelphia, restaurants are only allowed to serve guests outside, but even with that stipulation, Matthew Rankin, a spokesperson for the city’s public health department, says kitchen workers are still in danger due to transmission among staff. Get a responsive website that looks great on desktop, tablet and mobile phone. “What [customers] do will impact the entire restaurant,” Martin says. Keep track of ordered menu items. This includes mission statement, logo, graphics, guidelines, etc. Dealing with these problems is overwhelming, frustrating, and puts the business at a much higher risk of failure. While he makes clear he hasn’t quite seen COVID-19 spread in the same way in restaurant settings, the novel coronavirus has been shown to quickly explode from one infection given the right conditions. Keep your menus clean – no grease and no food or water stains. Customer problems in a restaurant can escalate quickly. More than inventory. According to Rankin, A server interacting with customers could become infected and then unknowingly pass on the virus to other employees, like cooks and dishwashers, if they can’t maintain six feet of distance. Being proactive to prevent problems, such as theft, will also help stave off potential difficulties. However, there are still plenty of human issues you need to address in your restaurant scheduling. Don’t Fear! But You’ve Been Underpaying for Years. Even if a diner understands how COVID-19 spreads and believes they can mitigate transmission, no one can be entirely confident they aren’t unintentionally exposing food workers by dining in or ordering out. A great restaurant manager will take the time to address the problems … Focused on all aspects of Restaurant Business from Interior Design to Menu Design, you can get helpful content on different problems you face while running your Restaurant such as Food Wastage, Internal Thefts & Pilferage, Customer Attrition, Hiring Staff and overall Restaurant Business Management issues. It’s not just the food that matters. “Servers who have high person-to-person contact — because that’s where there’s a significant concern — would likely be at higher risk than those that are at the back of the restaurant in the kitchen,” says Barbara Kowalcyk, assistant professor of food safety and public health at the Ohio State University. & More... See first-hand how Restaurant Engine can help your restaurant attract more customers. Whether dining inside or outside, diners should consider the risk they pose to restaurant staff. Yet, a common problem exists as many restaurants hire the wrong people and have a high turnover rate. Having employees leave is bound to happen at some point. Problem employees inevitably surface in most workplaces and small companies aren't immune. The trick is to address those problems sooner rather than later. SingleThread has been hailed as the pinnacle of farm-to-table dining. There will always be problems. We asked veteran operators how they tackle some everyday challenges. Do you have a budget for labor? Photo by Rock’n Roll Monkey on Unsplash. How much do you spend on labor compared to your restaurant sales? 3 Restaurant Menu Pricing Tips to Increase Sales, 10 Things You Should Know About Restaurant Finance, Innovative Restaurants Begin Selling Groceries, Meal Kits. Good restaurant communication is is a measure of how your staff works with each other, but also how you work with your staff. As noted above, paying your staff should always be a priority, but cash flow issues can sometimes result from a mishandled payroll process. It goes from person to person, booth to booth, menu to menu,” he says. If customers are choosing between delivery and picking up food to-go, Kowalcyk recommends contactless delivery with payment online as the least risky option. Restaurant PROBLEM #2: EMPLOYEE TURNOVER Historically low unemployment, the rise of the gig economy, and an overall scarcity of talent combine to create yet another headache for the restaurant industry. “This situation is quickly evolving and we’re literally learning something new each day about COVID-19, how the virus behaves,” says Jessica Guernsey, public health deputy director of Multnomah County. Make sure your staff is thoroughly trained and has memorized the menu. Maybe it’s time to take it off the menu. Restaurants need to always be prepared for a wide variety of safety issues that could adversely affect staff and customers, including kitchen injuries such as burns and cuts, food-borne illnesses due to mishandling, slips and falls, and sanitation issues. Beyond turnover, restaurant operators face a number of staff issues every day, ranging from struggles with internal communication to recruitment. Having a plan in place can prepare you for these problems, if and when they occur. Train your staff to be accommodating but firm. Saying “No problem” implies that the guests’ requests are inconvenient. Make a marketing plan. If the customer is perfectly pleasant, treat every step of the dining experience with the same care. If diners sit outside, on the other hand, they slightly reduce the risk of person-to-person exposure for servers, since experts agree the virus cannot travel as far or remain viable in outdoor environments. Outdoor seating also eliminates ventilation systems as a means of transmission. Even as Philadelphia allows outdoor dining, the city encourages restaurants to promote their delivery and takeout businesses to reduce crowds. When we asked restaurant owners about their biggest pain points, 30% of them said staffing is what keeps them up at night. Ask guests to dish on the things that most annoy them in restaurant dining and get ready for a long list. 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