Tips on How To Be a Successful Restaurant Owner

Behind every great restaurant is a great restaurant owner. In order for your restaurant to become a success, you'll need to be an effective leader for your team. Here are four key pieces of advice on how to be a successful restaurant owner: 

Listen to your staff.

Your staff, especially the front-of-house team, interact with customers on the daily. They have a first-hand account of what the dining hall is like, and what can be improved so that they can serve guests better. Hear your employees out by holding sessions where they can voice out their concerns. Stay close to them, so they feel comfortable enough to share their ideas.

Your guests are equally as important.

Like your staff, your customers' feelings should not be overlooked. Include a suggestions/comments card along with the bill, so that diners can rate their experience, the service, the food and other items that you want to know more about. Gather the cards and analyze them to see if there are any particular patterns. Publish the results, then have your staff go through them. Review the information as a group, as well, so that everybody understands what needs to be fixed.

Leave room for growth and expansion.

Keep in mind you cannot rush success. It is possible that your restaurant can expand in physical size/scale and you might need to hire more staff. Also, realize that at a certain point, growth and sales will slow down. Be sure to have a back-up plan or ideas on how you can help grow the business. Maybe consider opening a second location, or even relocating. If not, what about reworking your restaurant's concept, menu, etc.?

Remember your role as the leader.

As the restaurant owner, be sure that you lead by example. Conduct yourself as a person that is hard working and dedicated to the restaurant. When your employees see that, they will be encouraged to be so too. You want your staffers to know you as somebody that is strong and dependable.

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How to Boost Restaurant Sales in January

January is typically a slow month for most industries, and the hospitality industry is no exception. People are more cash-strapped after the holiday season, so spending will be down a bit. However, you can still bring in sales if you market and promote your restaurant properly. Here are some ideas to boost your restaurant numbers during this time:

#1: Winter food and drink menu

Create a specific menu for the winter season. Incorporate warm, hearty foods, like soups and stews, in the food menu. Comfort foods are popular choices during the colder months. Don't forget about the bar as well. Get creative with specialty cocktails to entice happy hour-goers to come in.

#2: Seasonal events and entertainment

Encourage diners to eat at the restaurant by offering live music and/or entertainment. You can also host seasonal events or game/trivia nights to entice customers.

#3: Special deals and prices

Offering special prices is another great way to increase sales and traffic. For example, if you notice lunch service is quiet, think about providing a lunch hour deal. Determine the time period (i.e.: 11 AM–2 PM) and specify that diners have to eat in. In addition, consider having a prix fixe menu, with set appetizer-entree combinations. These fixed-priced values are good for both your business and diners alike.

#4: Take out/delivery

Again, the cold weather means people rather stay in than dine out. Cater to those people and provide takeout/delivery service. You can offer deals and discounts here as well, like free delivery after $20 or $5 off $25 order.

#5: Participate in Restaurant Week

If possible, be a part of Restaurant Week. This is a great opportunity for diners to experience your restaurant, which may be usually out of their price range. These patrons can potentially come back and become repeat customers in the future.

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Top 10 Traits of a Great Employer

Question: What makes a good employer? We were curious as well, so we surveyed our large community of 170K+ for answers. We asked members to select ten characteristics that their ideal boss would have. Here are some takeaways from our findings.

Employees want:

• A leader, a person who is focused and can guide workers in the right direction. This trait is much needed when the team has to accomplish company goals.
• A boss that is supportive and has a positive attitude is favorable. Staffers like to be encouraged and praised for their work, as it helps them grow to become greater individuals and move into bigger roles.
• To hear the truth, even though it may be unpleasant. Honesty is key!

To learn more on this, see the visual infographic below:

These traits were what was told to us by our hospitality-based network, however, they are applicable across all industries. So employers, do keep note, because you surely would like to be that great boss that everybody wants to have.

Look forward to our blog post on the top 10 traits of a great employee coming soon.

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Technology and Video to Change Hiring Game in 2016

 

WELLESLEY, Mass., Dec. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Predictive Index, a company that empowers businesses to realize what drives workplace behaviors, released their hiring predictions for 2016 today.

Mike Zani, CEO of The Predictive Index, feels that companies will need to supplement traditional thinking when it comes to selecting qualified candidates - including using assessments as part of the vetting process.  Zani states, "In order to increase efficiency and find qualified people, we will see the use of behavior, personality, cognitive ability, and skills assessments used earlier and earlier in the hiring process to ensure only the best-fitting candidates are moved through the hiring process."

Most companies are facing the seemingly omnipresent obstacles like the war for talent, change management, employee retention, and the changing workplace (which includes continuing to adapt to the changing needs of the millennial workforce). Facing these challenges head on can provide great opportunities for companies to automate, modernize, and lead in 2016.

The top workplace trends for 2016 identified by The Predictive Index:

1. People Will Use Technology to "Shop" for Their Ideal Employer Employers are seeing the war for talent fought on a national and even global scale. This is due to ubiquitous information access and the fact that the best candidates are more mobile than they had been prior. Organizations now find themselves competing beyond their local market. Additionally, sites like Glassdoor (which provides transparency about what it's like to work at a company) further shifts power from the employer to the well-informed job seeker. Employees can "shop" for their ideal job and company much easier than ever.
2. More Personal Connections between Employees and Employers Will be a "Must Have" Millennials, according to various estimates, will make up a majority of the workforce after 2020. As this majority grows, workers have indicated a desire to feel like they're working for a company they can relate to on a deeper, more meaningful level.  Companies that encourage a fluid, entrepreneurial approach to work and get in involved in causes on a local and global level will be successful in attracting top talent. Social media will continue to grow as a force that drives employer branding, advocacy, and the perception of potential candidates.
3. Video will Change the Hiring Game There will continue to be an increase of hiring tools and software packages that allow employers to easily administer video interviews. With the fluctuation in cost of video hardware and software, more and more companies will be leveraging video to qualify candidates earlier in the hiring process. A growing trend in 2016 will include candidates recording video responses to a few canned questions using their laptop or tablet and uploading them to the potential employer. This makes it easier for an employer to find quality candidates in a scalable way that doesn't break the bank for the candidate.

For more information contact: Karen Pantinas 781-418-2413 kpantinas@daviesmurphy.com

About The Predictive Index Serving more than 8,000 clients across 142 countries and delivering solutions in 70 languages, The Predictive Index is a simple methodology that allows businesses to understand what drives their people so they can take them where they want to go. Through a unique blend of scientific assessments, groundbreaking software, top-notch management training, and professional consulting from the world's best workplace behavior experts, The Predictive Index can help you overcome the most complex business challenges. Scientific validation and a 60-year proven track record has shown that business challenges big and small are no match for our unique approach to client education and knowledge transfer, which ensures swift adoption, direct ROI, and high impact on performance metrics. Each year, 2.5 million PI assessments are administered and over 7,000 professionals are trained in our workshops. Visit www.predictiveindex.com to learn how to select, hire, and onboard the best-fitting talent, increase employee engagement, develop teams, discover high potential employees, and overcome sales slumps.

(via PR Newswire)

How to Write an Effective Job Description

In order to attract the attention of top talents, as an employer, you have to write an effective job description. As it is the initial starting point of the recruitment process, it needs to be authentic and captivating; so much to the point where candidates feel that they cannot miss out on such a job opportunity. But what are the necessary components to a job description you ask? Here are important elements you must include:

#1: Background Information

This portion needs to be short and to the point. Keep the length to a maximum of two paragraphs. It should include your history, what you do and your mission. You may also recognize your achievements and defining moments. Don't forget to mention other significant details that the candidate for that particular role would care about.

#2: Role Overview

Start the paragraph off with a compelling job title. Provide a summary of the position by listing the main tasks and goals, and name the supervisor/team leader that the candidate needs to report to.

#3: Job Details

For this section, in one to two paragraphs, provide more specific information about the role. Go into detail what the candidate would be doing day-to-day and job responsibilities. Use words to that indicate movement or measurable action, such as "leading", "supervising", "managing", etc.

#4: Qualifications

List ideal traits that you are looking for in candidates, such as, years of experience, certifications and knowledge.

#5: Compensation

Money matters always brings up debate, however, candidates surely would like to see a range of the expected salary, especially those applying for top-level positions. For senior/executive titles, include the salary, benefits and other perks. If you still prefer to not disclose the compensation, let candidates know that it will be discussed privately during the interview itself.

With these five components, your job description is set. Post and share it through your job networks, and prospective candidates will reach out to you in no time.

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