Page 23 - MENU Magazine - Sept/Oct 2017

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EXAMINE YOUR MENU FOR It bumped up revenue, but our operating LABOUR-INTENSIVE ITEMS costs were only incrementally higher.”
SCRUTINIZE EVERY EXPENSE
Townsend analyzes the
We took over the space 6 next to the restaurant to take
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restaurant’s costs line by line— “food, maintenance, supplies, services: every single line of expense budget.”
He says it’s surprising how every bit can make a di erence. Shaving a little o the cost of high-margin items can have a big impact on the bottom line.
Knowing your customers, and what makes them happy, is key to delivering on a great experience. Valiant says, “We're
in the fast-casual vertical. Our customers love loyalty programs and coupons, so we have robust programs to provide them.”
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Townsend recommends perusing your menu for the item that requires the
BUILD IN
WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY
At both of Peters’ restaurants, FOH employees participate in kitchen jobs when business slows down. This helps them understand the products and processes, and builds their appreciation for the work the kitchen sta does.
care of the takeout business... This gave us another revenue stream altogether.
8 STREAMLINE YOUR OPERATIONS Townsend and Lavallée owned a sandwich shop for two and a half
years before they closed it and opened The
Canteen. But they almost became victims most labour and removing of their own success. Trying to satisfy
it. “Doing that helped us eliminate one shift
at lunch every day.”
their former takeout customers in the
new space was actually overwhelming the new restaurant. “We took over the space next to the restaurant to take care of the takeout business,” Townsend says. “This gave us another revenue stream altogether.
Some menu items just take longer than others to make, either because there are many steps, or there’s a lot of work in plating it. Townsend recommends perusing your menu for the item that requires the most labour and removing it. “Doing that helped us eliminate one shift at lunch every day,” he says.
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MAIN COURSE
GIVE YOUR CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT
SEPTEMBERM/AOYC/TOJUBNERE 2017
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