Rarely do Lakeland restaurants get to celebrate its 25th or 50th anniversaries these days. That’s one of the downsides of having too much competition in the industry. There are simply too many options for customers that it took some time for them to “return” to your restaurant and sample what you’re offering. Running a successful business these days is not easy, although promotions and marketing strategies have become faster and more convenient, thanks to the proliferation of social media platforms.
Learn the basics
Tried-and-tested restaurants have one thing in common: their owners are hands-on. They personally stay in the restaurant to manage and run it, and sometimes even to help in serving the customers or cleaning up the kitchen or cooking the dishes. If you want to become successful in this industry, you’ve got to have a great love and respect for it. Be disciplined enough to train yourself on how to do the little thing around the restaurant, whether it’s washing the dishes, setting up the table, or mixing cocktails. Do the hard work and experience the hard graft of all areas first before calling yourself an expert in this industry.
Focus on the business side
What many business owners don’t realize is that the restaurant business is more than just managing a company or a team of people. It’s about making money. Do you know how to make money out of the skills you have as a restaurateur? Why do you think chefs partner with businessmen to build their restaurants? They cook in the kitchen and yet, they let someone else handle the business side of things. You have to know how to balance the books, how to create more products that will sell, and how to get rid of expenses your company doesn’t really need. At the end of the day, managing a restaurant is more than just about serving food. It’s about profit and how it can transform your business.
Fill the gaps in the market
What can your restaurant offer that others don’t? You don’t always have to be the pioneer on something, but you can transform a dish and infused it with the culture of another cuisine to come up with something that people may love. For example, you own an Irish bar that caters to the night owls. How could you widen your scope, though? By reaching out to the bigger market, the ones who has to get coffee in the morning or a quick lunch in the middle of the day. In the morning, then, you can offer Irish coffee through a kiosk outside the pub. There should also be sandwiches that they can take out and eat while on the commute.