How to Take Care of Your Restaurant When Things are Overwhelming
From careful planning, to going to school, to being savvy. Sometimes we train ourselves to potentially know what to expect from our desired careers, but we don’t truly know until we are out there living out our plans and learning from real experience. Owning a restaurant can be one of the hardest things you do, but it is a labor of love in every way.
A North Carolina native and a restaurateur, Mike White knows the value of hard work and knows what it takes to be a restaurant owner. “Everything in your business matters and you cannot drop the ball because that can be very dangerous for your business and even the reviews you receive matter. You have to create a beautiful ambiance, have wonderful food, and have great staff that understand what you’re doing.”
Many aspects of having a restaurant are built around the aesthetic and experience. Branding these things is important to establishing the restaurant itself. There is a lot of work that goes into it all.
Restaurateurs are the individuals who own and operate restaurants professionally. Restaurants are the business establishments where meals and refreshments are prepared and served to customers. The attractiveness of running a restaurant lies in the wide variety of opportunities it offers.
Owning a restaurant is a labor of love, and most restaurateurs work long hours. When her establishment is open only for dinner, the restaurateur usually starts her day in the late morning. She has a number of daily tasks to complete before the staff arrives. First, she checks “the book,” which contains reports from managers about whatever happens in the restaurant each night. The owner keeps tabs on things like items to be ordered, customer complaints, and staff scheduling conflicts, all of which are recorded in the book. She studies the accounting records daily and stays on top of the restaurant’s financial situation.
When the doors open, the restaurant owner must be dressed and ready to socialize until the last customer leaves. It is extremely important that a restaurant owner have an exceptional name and face recollection. The most successful owners report that the majority of their clientele are regular customers. The easiest way to gain repeat business is by offering seemingly special treatment, and remembering a customer’s name or favorite table is always impressive. The restaurateur acts as a host, chatting with his customers and making sure they are satisfied. Approaching customers while they are dining helps the owner check on his staff. While this may seem intrusive when done by waiters, restaurant patrons usually love to have the owner inquire about the food and service
There are many types of restaurants—they may specialize in a single offering or serve multi-cuisine, they may have seating arrangements for customers or strictly provide takeouts, they may be budget eateries or posh restaurants. Many enterprising individuals enter into this business as they can open a setup with features those are most suitable to them. Operating a successful restaurant is a challenging job. The restaurateur is responsible for the smooth functioning of the restaurant and has to ensure the satisfaction of customers. They have to appoint and train the chefs and waiters, hire interior designers to design the décor, manage the financial and accounting aspects, and ensure food quality and adherence to food storage standards. Since restaurants directly serve customers, it is vital to ensure that the waiting staff provides optimum customer service. Restaurateurs operating small restaurants also have to perform promotional and marketing duties.
Mike White is a restaurateur in the North Carolina area that specializes in establishing the experience of restaurants and cafes along the east coast. If you or someone you know wants insight into the restaurant business, give him a call at 704-885-6652.
