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7 Tips for Restaurant Success

There are plenty of reasons why people decide to enter the restaurant business: it can be fun, exciting, and it provides an opportunity to make a mark on the world. Alas, there’s no getting around the fact that finding success in this industry can be tough. Around 60% of restaurants fail within their first year, which shows just how difficult it can be. While there are no guarantees in this world, there are a few things that you can do that will help nudge your restaurant in the right direction. Incorporate our tips below, and you’ll be giving yourself the best possible chance of success.


Find Your Theme

A restaurant is about much more than the food that it serves. It’s about the overall experience. In order to sculpt the best experience for your guests, you’ll need to find the theme of your restaurant, and then ensure that its touch can be felt throughout all areas of your business. This will include the decor, the menu, the uniform of the staff, and so on. It could be casual, smart, regionally themed, or anything else, so long as it’s cohesive and makes sense.

Create the Atmosphere

People can cook food at home. It might not be as good as what they can get from a professional cook, but it’ll be fine. So why do they spend the time, energy, and money heading out to a restaurant? It’s because those places give them an atmosphere that is impossible to recreate at home. In many ways, the ambience of the restaurant is just as important as the menu. A top-quality meal wouldn’t be as enjoyable if it was served in a cafeteria; a good meal can become great if it’s served in an intimate, well-put-together, friendly environment. So pay attention to your decor to ensure that it’s of a high standard; this can involve investing in comfortable seating and top restaurant quality tablecloths from Richard Haworth. You should also take special care with the lighting, which can make or break the atmosphere.

Hire the Best

It’s the people inside the restaurant that make it a great experience. Restaurants, after all, are highly interpersonal spaces; everything rests on the skills and warmth of the people. There’s a big difference between a restaurant that has well-trained, experienced waiters and waitresses and one that hires anyone off the street. Support staff in the kitchen will help ensure that meals are served promptly (this plays a big role in a guests’ overall enjoyment), and it goes without saying that your chef plays a crucial role, too. 

Spicing Up the Menu

You might have a menu full of hits, but even these will begin to feel old at some stage or another. Even the greatest songs in the world become boring if they’re played on repeat! As such, it’s important that you’re taking the time to spice up your menu from time to time. This could involve changing the menu completely, or just switching out a few dishes. Not only will it give people an incentive to return to your restaurant, but it can also help to keep things interesting for your staff, too. 

Getting People Through the Door

One of the hardest things for restaurants to do is to, well, get people through the door. People might be intrigued by the new restaurant that has opened up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll visit. And even if they do, a one-time visit isn’t going to make a world of difference -- it is repeat business that counts. As such, it’s recommended to find ways to encourage people to visit you. You could create happy hour deals, cheaper lunchtime menus, evening music performances, and so on.

Handling Your Money 

There is a lot of potential when it comes to making money in the restaurant business, but it’s also true that there are a lot of expenses that must be met, too. As such, it’s of vital importance that you learn how to manage your business’ money. Staying on top of cash-flow will help you to meet daily expenses, while it’s also important to put some money away for the low-season, when business might be reduced.

Online Presence

Finally, be sure to focus on your marketing, especially your online marketing. Restaurants can benefit from word of mouth, but you can also nudge your business in the right direction by managing your social media websites and having a website that contains your menu and where the public can make reservations.

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