Monday, May 10, 2010

Proven Ways to a Profitable Menu - Part 2 -First Things First


The menu should be the first item to be fleshed out in building a concept because it affects every aspect of the business. No matter what the size, shape or style of the restaurant, the menu is the hub of the operation. The stronger the links are between the menu and all other aspects of the restaurant business, the more powerful, popular and profitable the concept is likely to be and the easier it will be to grow.

The menu affects everything about a restaurant from the name on the front door to the purveyors arriving at the back door. It determines the optimum location, the demographics needed to attract the customer desired.

It determined the design of the building and the decor both inside and out. The menu is the necessary guideline to design an efficient kitchen, to choose the equipment package and to decide on the kitchen staff in terms of both prior experience and training needed.

The menu dictates the style of service and determines the staffing needed to operate the business. It sets the price points, the check average, the operation's day parts and sales volume necessary for profitability.

a restaurant in the development stage should earmark a budget for detail menu and recipe development. These documents should be included in the business plan as they provide the basis to forecast the potential sales of the restaurant and serve as the primary planning guideline for designers and support personnel.

A restaurant undergoing retrofit or redefinition because of low sales volume will also find that the menu is the key to the changes needed to regain profitability. the menu will affect eerything from decor uplift to the new look on the tabletop. It drives any changes in the service, kitchen and basic operation that will determine the new marketing image of the restaurant and the action necessary to implement it.

Everythingis linked to the food and menu.....ther is no escaping it. If your heart is not in the kitchen with the food, you must find this passion in an operating partner or a well-paid employee with a performance bonus. a restaurant without a strong sense of its menu (and the kitchen support to deliver it) will find it difficult to survive the aggressive onslaught of national chains and local competition with better food.

Food Service Management: How to Succeed in the High-Risk Restaurant Business -- By Someone Who DidThe Non-Commercial Food Service Manager's Handbook: A Complete Guide for Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Military, Prisons, Schools, And Churches With Companion CD-ROMThe Restaurant Manager's Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation 4th Edition - With Companion CD-ROMThe Power of Self-Coaching: The Five Essential Steps to Creating the Life You WantGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior

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