5 Lesser-Known Tips for Running a Restaurant Successfully

One in three restaurants won’t survive their first year. Don’t let that be you.

A restaurant can have a queue out the door every night but not be profitable if the owner doesn’t understand the restaurant business well enough.

When you’re running a restaurant, you want your business to be successful, your guests to have a good experience, and your staff to be happy. Let’s take a look at the 5 lesser-known business tips you need to be thinking about.

1. Have a Unique Selling Point

Don’t try to be all things to all people — you need to have a specialism. A USP is one of the restaurant essentials that you should never be without.

Take the time to craft a strong business identity. What type of restaurant are you, what food do you serve, and what target audience are you catering for? What makes you unique?

2. Improve Your Guest Experience

Customer engagement can change the perception of the whole restaurant experience. Make sure your staff are touching tables often to make the guests feel welcome and appreciated.

If you’re running a restaurant, you need to be always asking your guests for feedback and implementing it. If you do make any mistakes, acknowledge and correct them to make your guests feel seen and heard.

3. Pay Attention to Costs

A crucial element of restaurant management is knowing your costs and cash flow inside and out. You need to be thinking about where you’re sourcing your inventory from and have a pricing strategy that reflects this and allows you to be profitable and competitive in the market.

Be prepared for unexpected costs that may come up for state or federal guidelines, such as commercial water filtration, inspections, and maintenance.

4. Value Your Staff

Treating your staff well is one of the restaurant tips that should not be missed. Provide them with a positive working environment and make them feel like they’re a part of your business.

Happy staff will create a better overall guest experience, work harder, and value their jobs more, which will all add value to your business.

5. Have a Marketing Strategy

You can’t run a successful restaurant without having a marketing strategy in place.

A lesser-known thing you can think about is visual merchandising. How does your store look from the outside? Is it inviting and welcoming? How could you encourage more people to want to try your restaurant?

Be sure to monitor your restaurant’s perception and reviews regularly online — this is what people will see immediately before choosing whether or not to visit your restaurant.

Successfully Running a Restaurant

If you’re running a restaurant and you want to run it well, you need to think about every detail, from your cash flow to your marketing strategy.

With a well-thought-out business plan and a passion for your business, you can take your restaurant to the next level.

Browse our site for all of the business and career tips you need to know to maintain and sustain your restaurant.