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Refining Your Craft: 4 Aspects of Business Every Restaurant Owner Can Improve

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business | Entrepreneurship | Restaurant | Refining Your Craft: 4 Aspects of Business Every Restaurant Owner Can ImproveMany restaurateurs get started with visions of rave reviews and prestigious awards dancing before their eyes. Running a real restaurant, though, almost always turn out to be more difficult and demanding than expected.

Fortunately, there are a number of proven ways for restaurant owners and operators of all kinds to raise the bar higher. There are at least four important facets of the restaurant business that can almost always use some attention.

1. Double Down on Accounting

Laypeople sometimes believe that the most popular restaurants get by entirely on the quality of their food and service. In reality, every successful restaurant rests on a firm, carefully laid financial foundation.

When a restaurant does not feature plenty of enlightening, useful accounting behind the scenes, its days will necessarily be numbered. Upgrading a restaurant’s accounting processes and systems can easily end up being the best way to ensure its long-term viability.

Fortunately, that is easier to achieve than at any time in the past. From focused franchise accounting services to one-off consulting projects, the required kinds of support are now readily accessible.

When a restaurant’s accounting game has become truly well-developed, the entire establishment will be a lot more resilient. Accounting is so important to every restaurant that it often proves to be the best place to look for ways to improve.

2. Cut Down on Waste

Well-run restaurants tend to feature menus that account for every bit of expense tied up in each dish. Even when a great deal of planning has gone into developing a business-informed menu, though, excessive waste can alter the equation significantly.

From scraps that get thrown out instead of being turned into stock to misfired dishes that end up in the trash, waste is a pernicious problem in the restaurant industry. Having strong accounting processes in place will make it easier to identify areas where waste can be reduced or even eliminated.

Over time, that will contribute directly to the continued viability of almost any restaurant. While some level of food waste will typically prove unavoidable, keeping on top of this universally relevant problem will always be best.

3. Make More Efficient Use of Workers

Most restaurants spend just as much on labor as they do on procuring fresh, delicious ingredients. In many cases, though, restaurant workers find their talents being misdirected or even neglected.

Looking to make the most of every employee hour can cut a restaurant’s costs significantly. Having a salaried sous chef handle some additional duties might make it possible to reduce the number of hours scheduled for prep cooks.

Of course, workers have rights and limits, and these always need to be respected. In most cases, simply taking a regular look at how staffers are being employed and when will reveal opportunities for improvement.

4. Speed Up Service

Restaurateurs who are passionate about food never want guests to feel rushed. That generally hospitable approach to the business can encourage excessive slowness if not properly controlled.

Keeping things moving along in the dining room and the kitchen can allow a restaurant to serve more diners each day or night. That can end up raising revenues significantly without adding much to the operation’s costs. In some cases, this can even turn a formerly unprofitable establishment into a successful business.

There are Ways to Improve Any Restaurant’s Operations

Tactics like these consistently help restaurant operators make much-needed progress. Some of the most successful restaurants got there largely because of behind-the-scenes efforts like these. While great food and refined service will always help, restaurants that rest on solid foundations tend to have the best chances of success.

Purchasing A Server Rack For Your Business

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A lot of businesses nowadays require the use of server racks in order to store their servers and IT equipment. Selecting the right one is obviously of the utmost importance, especially when one considers the highly valuable and expensive equipment which is going to be stored inside.

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Entrepreneurship | Purchasing A Server Rack For Your Business

One of the ways in which an individual or a business can guarantee that they are getting a top quality data rack is by going for a highly credible and reputable company. In large a company is measured by what products they sell and what service they provide, if the general outlook is that a company is a good one then this says an awful lot about the goods and services they offer. Therefore, this blog post will reveal certain points that an individual should contemplate regarding a company selling server racks in order to ensure that they purchase a top quality product.

The sole thing that any individual should do when determining the worth of a company is a little bit of background research. It will take a mere five minutes but it can save a lot of people from buying an unsatisfactory product or a bad customer service experience. If you already use the services of an outside IT provider to assist your business, ask for their recommendations. You can get quality managed IT services from Ethos if you do not have an IT provider at the moment. Companies like this make sure that your business is running as efficiently as possible from a tech point of view. This includes updating your tech infrastructure, as well as establishing standards at your business. You definitely run the risk of getting left behind if not.

So how does one go about this little bit of background research? If the person in question has found a data rack they would like to buy they should then type in the name of the company selling the rack into a search engine, such as Google. They should then proceed to visit the relevant forums in order to see what previous customers have thought about the good they have received and the service they experienced alongside this.

This is a very simple method but it is great because it means the person can learn whether the product was exactly how it was described on the website, they can also determine whether the company provided a good after service, and in addition to this they can learn other things such as whether the company delivered the server racks on time.

This is highly valuable information as it alerts anyone to a company which is not credible, as people will be more than willing to voice their opinion if they have been left dissatisfied. They will want to warn others in order to ensure that they do not waste their money as well.

However, it is vital to remember that it is the general feel of all comments that should be considered, not just one. No company is going to please everyone and if there are twenty nice comments to one person who has gone on a rant, then it is the twenty good comments which are important. As quite often it is easy to be distracted by someone who has said something shocking.

Moreover, an individual buying a server rack should always keep in mind what they are looking for from their shopping experience. For instance, if a company has rave reviews yet the only downfall they have is some customers are unhappy that they don’t sell a certain cable then don’t let this be a negative if that cable is not something required by the individual shopping.

You will, of course, also need to look at the range of server racks that they have available to ensure that they have something suitable for your needs. Cooling is one of the most important factors to think about when it comes to tech storage today, as well as security.

A final point worth considering is that it is important not to merely consider any feedback which has been given on the company’s website itself. It is very unlikely that a business is going to post any negative feedback on their website and thus this can often be rather biased.

Luring Customers To Your Restaurant Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Luring Customers To Your Restaurant BusinessYou would think that great food and wine would sell itself but more and more restaurants are learning, times have changed. This isn’t so anymore, because just like any other industry, the food and beverage industry is going through a lot of evolutionary moments. With food ordering apps on the rise, more people are choosing against the ‘going out to eat’ option. A massive cultural shift is occurring and thus, if you’re a restaurant business, you have to be ready to innovate and attract customers to your establishment. You’d be surprised at how many restaurants have still got websites that seem like they would be better suited for the early 2000s. A basic menu and prices are no longer enough. You have to go the extra mile.

Part of the crew, part of the experience

The one thing ordering out doesn’t get you, his personality. That’s one of the best parts of going to eat out in a restaurant is the service you receive. That’s why you should film a short video to place on your website’s homepage, showing the type of customer service your waiters and chefs will provide. Firstly, contact a video production specialist, and inform them of your needs. They will arrive on location and speak with you about your idea and if it’s feasible or not. Then with a little planning and having a couple of meetings, the production team can set up their equipment and go for a test run. It might take a few takes before you get it absolutely right, but that’s why you will be shooting for a couple or a few days. Show the best side of your employees and drop in a few unique services such as special requests from your musicians and chefs.

A cultural symbol

Your city has a number of festivals that you should take full advantage of. Whether it’s an ethnic event such as an Italian feast, a celebration of Chinese culture or perhaps an event tied to the town such as fishing and seafood, you should be a part of it somehow. The more your face and name are seen around town during culturally important events, the more your restaurant connects with the local people. If they see you’re participating in an event, they will see you as a cultural symbol of their city. Thus, you become a business that is part of the furniture so to speak. Giving away free samples at events gives your customers a sense of what to expect should they make their way through your doors.

New menu release

Ever so often, restaurants will revamp their menu and start anew. If and or when you decide to do this, you should have an exclusive sale of tickets for that day or week. Drum up the anticipation with online and local marketing techniques. People will always be allured to something that is exclusive and niche. So offer exclusive bookings for those who want to be the first to try out the new menu.

The restaurant business will never die out but it will and has gotten tougher. You can beat fast food places if you make your customers want to experience the service.

Garage-Industry: Manufacturing Your Own Products From Start To Finish

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Entrepreneurship | Garage-Industry: Manufacturing Your Own Products From Start To Finish

A lot of modern business have turned their focus away from factories overseas, opting to make their products closer to home. Of course, this is a great selling point for a business. And, it’s one that a lot of businesses use to get customers interested in their goods. Tactics like this can often offset the extra costs of manufacturing at home. Especially if you can do it from your garage. This makes most of the operation free, as you’re already having to pay most of the bills. And, it gives you a way to keep your work at home. This is a great benefit to a lot of business owners.

The very first step to taking a product to market is the design. A product needs to be immortalised on paper before it can be made. This is a hard process, and it might require a little bit of help. To make it easier, you can try and enlist the help of a product design. But, with some hard work and sound advice, you shouldn’t have many issues doing it on your own. Of course, there’s a lot to this stage. So, it’s important to take your time.

Concepts
Photo courtesy of Jordanhill School D&T Dept via flickr

Most people can’t draw very well at all. But, this doesn’t mean that you can’t sketch your ideas on paper. Trying to draw something will help you to visualise it much more clearly. It will also help you to notice issues with your design before you start making it. These drawing don’t need to be detailed. They just need to give you a visual representation of your future product. Of course, if you intend on showing these to companies, they should be done professionally. But, that’s easy to have handled if you use a drawing service.

Once you have a rough idea of what needs to be made, you can start making a digital model of it. Once again, this is a skilled field. So, it can be hard to do it by yourself. Thankfully, companies like Autodesk have some easy-to-use 3D modeling software, that can export machine-readable files. You can use this software for free. But, you won’t get amazing results. The best way to design a product is using professional software. This means that you may have to do some learning or have someone do the job for you. In some cases, though, free software could be fine.

Engine
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Some people also find that they benefit from making physical models of products. This is something that everyone can do. You have loads of options when it comes to the materials that you use for this. Cardboard is usually chosen by people on a budget, as it’s something most people already have. But, foam is much better. Hard, closed-cell foam is a great material for making models. It’s easy to cut and shape, without having to use tools. It enables you to create a realistic model of your product.

Once you know what the product will look like, you need to do some research. The way that you make a product will have a big impact on the item itself. And, so will the material. Using the wrong methods and parts, it’s easy to create poor products that people won’t want. This makes it incredibly important that you try to make sure know about all of the options.

The materials that you use will be the difference between a product looking and feeling great, and something that is somewhat disappointing. In recent years, plastic has lost a lot of it’s popularity. In the past, it was used because it was easy to work and abundant. But, nowadays, it is associated with cheapness. So, for most products, metal is a good material. Glass is also very good, as it makes a product feel premium. Ultimately, you should be using materials that suit the purpose of your product. For example, you wouldn’t want to make a luxury watch out of a polymer. But, you also wouldn’t want to make a rugged phone out of gold. These are some obvious examples, but you will find that the same applies to your own products.

Different materials will require different machines to be worked. This means that you need to find out which machines are best for the materials you choose. There have been loads of advancements in the ways that materials are worked with. This has had a huge impact on the amount of choice that designers have. In a lot of cases, you want to look for a balance between speed and accuracy. You need your machines to work fast so that you can keep up business. But, you don’t want them to be producing low-quality results because of speed. The machines that you use will have to be bought. So, you need to consider processes that could work for other products, too. Otherwise, you could find that you need more tools as your business grows.

The most important part of the research phase is prototyping. As you choose materials and methods, you need to be testing them. For each material that poses a good option, you should make a prototype. And, if you can, you should make prototypes using as many different processes as possible. This will give you a chance to test each choice before you make the ultimate decision. Sometimes, where one material is good for one product, it could look or feel bad as another one. Making sure that you’re able to test this will ensure that you end up with the best possible quality product.

The prototyping phase should give you a good idea of what you’re going to be using. So, now it’s time to get the ball rolling. But, you still have plenty to think about. First, you’re going to need to get your hands on the machines to do the job. This will involve doing a lot of research, to find the tools that have the best price. At this point, it might be worth asking what your prototyping companies are using. This will give you a chance to make the products exactly the same as the prototype. You also need to think about other tools, as well. Most products need some sort of finishing. This will vary from product to product. For things that are made out of metal, you may need a painting or powder-coating booth. Or, for plastic, you may need a buffing wheel. All of these tools can be found online, and you can get items from Reliant Finishing Systems to get you started.

At this point, you will also need to find suppliers for your materials. Don’t buy these from places that sell to retail customers. Instead, you need to look into wholesale and trade. These sorts of companies only sell to businesses. So, their prices reflect the amount of materials that you will be buying. This will make things much cheaper. Always do a ton of research here. It’s easy to save a little bit on each order, which will mount up to a lot in the future. Just like with your tools, you can ask your prototyping company if they can tell you where they get things from. They may even be able to help you get some money off!

Once you’ve got your machines and materials, you’re almost ready to get started. You just need to make sure that you’re not going to be breaking any laws. Working from home like this may present different rules than other businesses have to follow. If you have a mortgage, you may have to tell the lender what you’re doing. Or, if you lease the property, you may need to tell the owner. And, of course, insurance will be altered by this activity. If you have insurance that protects the building, the risk will be increased for a business. So, if you make these changes without changing your policy, you may not be covered.

Having a business run from your garage is a great way to save some money. Most people have the space to build a small factory, and they don’t even know it. But, it gives you access to your home when you’re working. It allows you to spend less time working, and more time with family. Ultimately, for most people, working like this is the best option. But, of course, you have to make sure that it’s right for you. If you put in all of this time and money, you’ll feel bad if it goes wrong. So, you need to be realistic and make sure that you’re confident in your ability to work from home. It presents certain challenges. But, once they’re overcome, living at work can be a great benefit and a pleasure.

Hopefully, this will inspire you to start designing and making your own products. This isn’t going to be cheap. But, any money that you spend at this point can be considered an investment into your business. And, most businesses can’t start without investment. In future, when you’re making money, this work and time won’t feel like anything at all.

A Small Business Owner’s Emergency Preparedness Checklist

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Entrepreneurship | A Small Business Owner's Emergency Preparedness ChecklistIf a natural disaster were to impact your city or town, would your small business be prepared for it?

Many small businesses are, unfortunately, not ready for emergency situations. It’s why about 40 percent of small businesses end up closing down following natural disasters and other emergencies.

You can avoid this fate by creating an emergency preparedness checklist for your small business. You should be especially mindful of doing this if your small business is located in an area that gets hit with a lot of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other weather-related emergencies.

Take a look at some of the things you should do as a small business owner to protect your property and, more importantly, yourself and your employees.

Identify Potential Emergency Situations

There are some emergency situations that will pop up out of the blue and catch small business owners completely off guard. If, for example, a car drives through the front of your business, that’s not something you would have been able to predict.

But most of the emergency situations that small businesses face have to do with the weather. And while some of these situations can catch small business owners asleep at the wheel, most of them should be things that are on your radar.

Depending on where your small business is, it could be subjected to:

  • Hurricanes
  • Tornadoes
  • Earthquakes
  • Blizzards
  • Flash Floods
  • Wildfires

Your emergency preparedness checklist should include details on how you’ll respond to each of these things. But it all starts with identifying which of them are most likely to impact your small business.

Figure Out Ways to Respond to Each Specific Type of Emergency

Once you know which types of emergency situations your small business could potentially face, the next order of business will be to figure out how you’ll handle each one. This will require some careful planning on your part.

Sit down and take a look at each type of emergency situation and think about how it could affect your small business. This will help you decide what you’ll need to work your way through an emergency situation.

For instance, if your small business is positioned right in the middle of a city that gets hit with bad hurricanes every few years, you’ll need to find the best ways to respond to hurricanes. You should plan to do it by:

  • Boarding up windows and doors prior to a hurricane touching down in your city
  • Moving electronic equipment to a place where it won’t get wet if water makes its way into your small business
  • Securing anything that could get washed away during flooding in your area

Every emergency situation is a little bit different and will require you to take different steps. The key is outlining a detailed response plan for each individual situation.

Outfit Your Small Business With the Right Tools to Handle Emergencies

In order to respond to emergency situations, you’re going to need to have more than just response plans in place. You’re also going to need a series of tools that will help you carry your plans out.

Prior to a hurricane, for instance, you’ll need to have everything from hammers and nails to plywood and sandbags on hand to prepare your small business. Without these things, it’s going to be difficult to get your small business ready for an emergency.

Yet, you would be surprised to see how many small business owners wait until the very last minute to try and obtain these tools. Some end up not being able to get the tools they need to shore up their small businesses and make emergency situations worse for their businesses.

See which tools you will need to respond to different emergency situations and invest in them long before you ever have to pull them out. It never hurts to have these tools stored away since you never know when you could need them.

Put a Communication System Into Place for Emergency Situations

Communication is going to be of the utmost importance when an emergency situation strikes.

You’re going to need to communicate with your employees to let them know what you need them to do to keep your small business safe. You’re also going to need to communicate with other small business owners in your area so that you can lend a hand to one another.

And of course, you’ll need to communicate with your local police station as well as your local fire station in many cases. You might need to have them come out to assist you with an emergency.

Figure out who from your small business is going to be communicating with others during an emergency situation. Whether it be you, your general manager, or someone else, there should be a point person in place for all communication efforts.

Get Out Ahead of Emergencies as Best You Can

As we mentioned earlier, it’s impossible to predict all emergency situations. There are going to be emergencies that sneak up on you from time to time.

But you can get out ahead of many emergency situations by paying close attention to what’s happening in the news. If there is a hurricane threatening to touch down in your city, you can map its progress and see how much damage it could potentially do to homes and businesses in your area.

This will help you prepare for emergencies so much better than you would be able to otherwise.

Start Checking Items Off Your Emergency Preparedness Checklist Today

You don’t have to allow a hurricane, an earthquake, or another type of emergency to cripple your small business. By creating an emergency preparedness checklist, you can limit the amount of damage that an emergency does.

Use the tips listed here to formulate your own emergency preparedness checklist based on the potential emergency situations your small business might face. You won’t have to worry about an emergency shutting your business down for good when you prepare for it ahead of time.

Read the articles on our blog to find out more about the emergencies that could bring your small business to a halt.