flevyblog

Flevy Blog is an online business magazine covering Business Strategies, Business Theories, & Business Stories.
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STRATEGY, MARKETING, SALES OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANIZATION & CHANGE IT/MIS Other

How to Take Your Restaurant Business to the Next Level

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Food & Beverage Company Business Capability Model (1-page PDF document). A business capability model for a food and beverage company. To be used as a core document for Enterprise Architects and EA work. Also very valuable to Business Architects and Business Architecture projects/programmes. The Food & Beverage Company Business Capability Model is an essential tool for [read more]

* * * *

The hospitality industry has taken a very nasty beating over the past couple of years. If inflation and rising prices isn’t forcing restaurants to rise their menu prices and customers to just make homemade again tonight, then a pandemic is closing their doors entirely.

The good news there is that we learned that restaurants are very susceptible to evolving. The industry was met with a huge problem, and adapted to deal with it, in a variety of surprising ways.

And you can take those lessons, plus more that are out there in the world, and boost your own restaurant with it. If you have found that you are stagnating a little bit, or you are simply looking to be more ambitious, you might be interested in our pointers. In this guide we show you how you can push your restaurant to the next level: get more feet through the door, get more positive feedback, and gain more reach from your premises. Read on for all the details.

Takeout/Collection

The biggest lesson that was learned from the pandemic was to not underestimate the influence of the almighty takeaway. Sure, apps like JustEat and UberEats had kept the concept chugging along, trying to convince the rest of us that you didn’t just have to stick to getting a kebab delivered to your door. Food of all ranges could be delivered. The more high brow of establishments weren’t having it.

And then the pandemic hit, and the takeout businesses were the only ones permitted to stay open. Suddenly a takeout service was a necessity, and premises around the world found out that there was a lot of customers who wanted good food but simply didn’t want to get all dressed up or leave the house. And the idea stuck.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, this trend of staying in and getting a decent takeout has stuck, which means restaurants that aren’t getting on board are missing out. People either can’t afford or simply don’t want to go outside, so alongside a streaming service giving you the latest movies, the best food delivered to your door is an acceptable date option.

Take It on the Road

Another idea that gained some traction was the concept of the food truck. Street food is a big hit, especially with the younger generation. There is just something about it that says, “This is quality food, something you’ve never tried before, for an affordable price.”

Plus, the benefits are there for you too. The brilliance of a food truck is that it’s portable. You can park where the crowds are thickest, in the city streets, beside the park, at music festivals, etc. and sell to the masses.

This idea has led to many variations, like the concept of ghost kitchens and pop-up kitchens, where catering is taken to a new extreme when they have a canopy set up to cover a set of kitchen equipment that appears out of nowhere (or out of a van).

And then there are people who simply create food out of their own home kitchen and forgo the idea of renting or buying a premise at all. With the help of delivery services like Deliveroo and JustEat, people can order everything from an app or website which you can then cook up and send off straight from your home set up.

Boost Your Website

Speaking of apps and websites, you might want to look into improving your online presence. Users are finding just about everything they want to do, from shopping to eating out, and researching it online. The best place to direct these people to is your own business website.

The good news here is that it’s a lot simpler than it used to be to be able to create a professional looking website. You can use a website builder with a template to make everything look fancy and like you’ve been coding all your life.

But another perk is that these website builders also come with a lot of good features that will make your customer’s lives easier – which should be your main goal. Restaurant technology trends only start on the website. Booking forms, calendars, menus, and more will allow your customers to see availability, set reservations, and even decide what they want in advance, making life a lot easier for everyone. No more spending half your shift on the phone.

Make It Social

Social media marketing is a given for restaurants. It’s the most accessible, most affordable, and most effective means of putting yourself out there. But take the term “social” to a new level when you’re looking for restaurant marketing tools.

This generation of users are very aware of the world’s problems and are trying not to add to them, so make sure to promote the fact that you’re not looking to either.

What does this mean? This means show off your vegan options. Show off your sustainable business practices, how you cut down waste, if you’re donating to the local food bank, etc. Show off your inclusive team of employees, any events that help the community, and anything else you think would encourage customers to say, “I like what they’re doing for more than just me”.

Get Redecorating

However, the internet isn’t all doom and gloom. The Instagram affect on restaurants and bars is palpable. Have you noticed doorways decorated with roses that couldn’t possibly survive in the climate,  outdoor dining structures and backyard pole canopy setups, barbers that look more like speakeasies, and cafes that are decorated entirely in pastel?

People are catching on that users are taking pictures when they get their food. Either to show off who they are with or where they are dining, so give them something to show off. Sure, you’ve got the food, but that won’t do if the girl’s are getting together for a selfie.

No one’s saying you need to stick to the pale pinks and blues of the Instagram color palette, but remember when you started how an entrepreneur told you that you needed to pick a niche? Take that niche and redecorate with it. Scour the interior design magazines and add any bit of style or color you can to the space.

Excel workbook
PURPOSE OF MODEL This Excel model is a highly adaptable and user-friendly tool for creating a 10-year rolling 3-statement financial projection (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement) with a monthly timeline. It is designed for a startup or existing Coffee Shop [read more]

Do You Want to Implement Business Best Practices?

You can download in-depth presentations on Restaurant Industry and 100s of management topics from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.

For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:

These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.

Readers of This Article Are Interested in These Resources


Excel workbook
Financial Model providing an advanced 5-year financial plan for an All Day Restaurant & Bar. Suitable for either a startup or an operating company, the model is a flexible tool for owners to calculate financial and operational activities, manage payroll, inventory, operating expenses, capital [read more]


 
Excel workbook
 
 
Excel workbook

About Shane Avron

Shane Avron is a freelance writer, specializing in business, general management, enterprise software, and digital technologies. In addition to Flevy, Shane's articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Forbes Magazine, among other business journals.


Complimentary Business Training Guides


Many companies develop robust strategies, but struggle with operationalizing their strategies into implementable steps. This presentation from flevy introduces 12 powerful business frameworks spanning both Strategy Development and Strategy Execution. [Learn more]

  This 48-page whitepaper, authored by consultancy Envisioning, provides the frameworks, tools, and insights needed to manage serious Change—under the backdrop of the business lifecycle. These lifecycle stages are each marked by distinct attributes, challenges, and behaviors. [Learn more]

We've developed a very comprehensive collection of Strategy & Transformation PowerPoint templates for you to use in your own business presentations, spanning topics from Growth Strategy to Brand Development to Innovation to Customer Experience to Strategic Management. [Learn more]

  We have compiled a collection of 10 Lean Six Sigma templates (Excel) and Operational Excellence guides (PowerPoint) by a multitude of LSS experts. These tools cover topics including 8 Disciplines (8D), 5 Why's, 7 Wastes, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and DMAIC. [Learn more]
Recent Articles by Corporate Function

  

  

  

  

  

The Flevy Business Blog (https://flevy.com/blog) is a leading source of information on business strategies, business theories, and business stories. Most of our articles are authored by management consultants and industry executives with over 20 years of experience.

Flevy (https://flevy.com) is the marketplace for business best practices, such as management frameworks, presentation templates, and financial models. Our best practice documents are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier consulting firms (like McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, BCG, and Deloitte) and used by Fortune 100 organizations. Learn more about Flevy here.
  


OUR CORE OFFERINGS
Flevy Marketplace: Top 100
· Strategy & Transformation
· Digital Transformation
· Operational Excellence
· Organization & Change
· Financial Models
· Consulting Frameworks
· PowerPoint Templates
FlevyPro (Subscription Service)
KPI Library
Streams (Functional Bundles)
Flevy Executive Learning (FEL)
PowerPoint Services

FREE Resources

About Flevy
Management Topics
Marcus (AI-Powered Consultant)
Partner Program
LinkedIn Influencer Marketing
FAQ / Terms / Privacy / Blog
Contact Us: support@flevy.com



CONNECT WITH US!
       
TOP 100 TRENDING TOPICS
Acquisition Strategy
Agile
Analytics
Artificial Intelligence
Balanced Scorecard
Best Practices
Big Data
Breakout Strategy
Business Continuity Planning
Business Plan Financial Model
Business Transformation
CMMI
COBIT
Change Management
Cloud
Communications Strategy
Company Financial Model
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Analysis
Consulting Frameworks
Continuous Improvement
Core Competencies
Corporate Culture
Cost Reduction Assessment
Customer Experience

BROWSE BY FUNCTION
Strategy, Transformation, & Innovation
Digital Transformation
Operational Excellence and LSS
Organization, Change, & HR
Management Consulting

Customer Journey
Customer Service
Cyber Security
Data Privacy
Decision Making
Digital Marketing Strategy
Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation Strategy
Due Diligence
ESG
Employee Engagement
Employee Training
Enterprise Architecture
Growth Strategy
HR Strategy
Hiring
Hoshin Kanri
ISO 27001
ITIL
Information Technology
Innovation Management
Integrated Financial Model
Kaizen
Kanban
Key Performance Indicators

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Business Strategy Frameworks
Case Studies
Consulting Training Guides
COVID-19 Trend Data
Digital Transformation
Financial Advising Services (FAS)

Knowledge Management
Leadership
Lean
Lean Manufacturing
Logistics
M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)
Manufacturing
Market Research
Marketing Plan Development
Maturity Model
McKinsey PowerPoint
McKinsey Templates
Operational Excellence
Organizational Change
Organizational Design
Performance Management
Post-merger Integration
Pricing Strategy
Process Improvement
Process Maps
Procurement Strategy
Product Launch Strategy
Product Strategy
Project Management
Quality Management


Free Resources
KPI Library
Lean Management
Lean Six Sigma Training Guides
Marcus Insights
Operational Excellence

Real Estate
Remote Work
Restructuring
Risk Management
Robotic Process Automation
SWOT
SaaS
Sales
Scrum
Service Design
Six Sigma Project
Social Media Strategy
Strategic Planning
Strategic Thinking
Strategy Development
Supply Chain Analysis
Sustainability
Target Operating Model
Team Management
Total Productive Maintenance
Value Chain Analysis
Value Creation
Value Stream Mapping
Visual Workplace
Workplace Safety


Product Strategy
Small Business Owner
Startup Resources
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Process
Value Innovation Strategy


© 2012-2024 Copyright. Flevy LLC. All Rights Reserved.