Maximizing Your Restaurant’s Potential: A Comprehensive Guide by TRG Restaurant Consulting

Managing a restaurant is hard work. In the bustling and dynamic food service industry, you always try to provide a pleasant guest experience while ensuring a positive cash flow after all expenses have been accounted for. A Restaurant Consulting Firm like TRG can make things easier for you. 

Here’s how we do that:

Crafting a Profit-Driven Menu 

Seventy-seven percent of diners visit a restaurant’s website before they visit one. They look at the menu first to decide if it’s worth it. As the average customer studies the menu for only 109 seconds (Gallup), you must make the most of it with menu engineering.

This technique can increase your revenue by 10% to 15%. Our analysis and menu creation help your establishment by:

• Finding your stars: low-cost items with high profitability 
• Pairing complementary flavors to encourage people to order more
• Using the psychology of menu design to persuade guests to take a specific action

Almost always, it’s best to keep the menu short to eliminate decision fatigue. A condensed menu will allow your crew to perfect the offerings and get dishes on the table faster, even during peak hours. 

Establishing an Online Presence 

People are visual creatures. Social media leverages this aspect of our nature to attract potential guests. With professional photos that show unique, drool-worthy offerings, behind-the-scenes videos of a skilled chef at work, paid ads, incentives like coupons and discounts, and clever SEO, you can increase your reach and attract a larger crowd.

But how do you earn their loyalty?

TRG suggests engaging with followers to establish yourself as a restaurant that cares. Factor in stellar customer service and top-tier loyalty programs, and you’ll unlock more than a 25% increase in profit, with only a 5% boost in customer retention.

Smart Cost Management

Seventy-five percent of restaurants in the US struggle to make a profit due to poor food cost management (National Restaurant Association). Since these expenses comprise 28% to 45% of total food sales, TRG helps you incorporate savvy cost management strategies. 

These may include:

• Identifying your cost per item before setting a price
• Using the First In, First Out (FIFO) method to limit waste
• Analyzing trends to guide your purchasing decisions for the season
• Working with a diverse range of vendors to source items economically

We also recommend using digital inventory apps to deter overstocking and theft. 

Streamlining the Kitchen Layout

A well-designed kitchen layout can optimize workflow and determine your success. This is why TRG provides restaurant kitchen design services that strike the right balance between aesthetics and functionality. We help you create a space that elevates the customer’s comfort while minimizing preparation time.

We also minimize food spoilage by helping you maintain the right temperatures. 

Training the Team

Your restaurant staff is the heartbeat of your business. They’re responsible for the entire experience, and can thus influence customers’ perception of service quality. 

It’s why high-end hospitality businesses have a greater employee-to-guest ratio.

Restaurant startup consulting involves the development of business plans. This includes employee training manuals that can help you become more familiar with your staff’s various competencies. You can then use the insights to help them develop certain skills, boosting their confidence and commitment to your brand. Professional development programs also enable you to mitigate turnover—which can be as high as 106% to 144%! 

Learn and Adapt With TRG

Restaurant management is an ongoing pursuit. Even after you’ve outpaced your competitors, much still needs to be done. TRG restaurant consulting can help you weed out inefficiencies and find opportunities for growth with an operational analysis.

To learn more, please continue to our website.