Ever walked into a busy cafe or casual restaurant, and even though it was busy, they seated you quickly? Or maybe they said a table will be available in 5 minutes, and it was! Your order was taken quickly, the food and drinks arrived promptly, and you could see staff working efficiently, with a smile on their face. That can be your place, when you fine tune systems for faster service, and maximise capacity.
Busy is good… unless you’re overwhelmed, and have insufficient staff, and systems that can’t cope. Then it’s bad for your reputation, staff freak out and customers may decide not to return. The ‘sugar hit’ of a very busy day may be worse overall than regular steady supply of customers.
When you get your menu, systems and staffing ready for a sudden rush, the results can be a tremendous boost to your cashflow. In fact, it can be a thrill for staff who achieve something great and win – that’s one of the most exciting parts of hospitality! AND their tips will be much better when it’s busy. You can also develop your systems so busy becomes the ‘new normal’, because your solid marketing is attracting more and more people.
There are 3 essentials to harvest extra dollars when it’s busy…
1. Anticipate the busy times
Just like we talked about in a previous blog article, about the 3-Step Counter Strike System, it’s about having good forecasting systems.
You will know when it’s going to be busy because of events, weather or special promotions, because you’ve set up good monitoring systems.
You also have one central point of truth – your bookings and events calendar that’s more than just table bookings, it also covers special events and other business drivers.
2. Organise and upgrade your systems
Fix the Bar and Front of House Layout for Speed – those racks behind the bar are called ‘speed rails’ for a reason! Your staff will have valuable feedback – what else is a bottleneck?
Fix the POS keypad layout for speedy entry – again, staff will have plenty of advice based on experience.
Pump up the QR code ordering – many customers are happy to do their own ordering, so put your staff on delivering and making drinks.
Keep plentiful supplies of table and glassware – running out of coffee cups or cold glassware when it’s busy is a joke! Are there enough plates for the kitchen when they’re pumping out the food?
Faster payment 0ptions – QR code ordering handles payment at the beginning of the visit, or swap to order-and-pay at the counter for busy periods.
Manage the queue and wait system – this is the key to keeping 100% of seats full all the time. There are specialist waitlist systems, or it may be part of your existing system. People don’t mind some queueing if it’s moving and it is fair.
3. Prepare your staff for what’s going to happen
Train for speed and accuracy – efficient use of tray service, carrying 3 plates, efficient plate clearing, 2 people on the coffee machine, and accurate order taking.
Upgrade the floor communication – supervisors with ear-piece intercoms will know if there’s a table ready and send the message. Or there may be a system of hand signals.
Pay more for great staff – this is when you need the A-Team, and you may have a Pay-Plus system for highly competent people. Plus there should be great tips if the service is smooth and efficient – QR code ordering with tip suggestions helps to boost this.
Division of labour – it’s time in Australia to adopt the US system of support or bussing staff – the people who deliver and clear. This allows the best wait staff to concentrate on sales and service. Bussing can be great training for new or young staff.
Also useful – special hosting staff who manage the people waiting and seat them.
When you have well-organised systems with the same number of seats, it’s absolutely possible to increase sales by at least 40%. You also build a reputation for handling crowds with style and efficiency – people know they can come back with confidence. Everyone gains: more happy customers, more staff hours, and better tips.
Time to improve your systems for the busy times…
Work through your ‘cycle of service’ to identify weak points: from the time customers arrive, through all the steps until they pay and go – that will highlight what needs attention. Talk with your staff who’ve worked when it’s busy – some will have worked at other busy places and have good suggestions. There may also need to be an investment in new equipment and alternations, but the payback time for this could be just a few weeks!
Want to get some 1 on 1 help? Talk to one of our coaches
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Ever walked into a busy cafe or casual restaurant, and even though it was busy, they seated you quickly? Or maybe they said a table will be available in 5 minutes, and it was! Your order was taken quickly, the food and drinks arrived promptly, and you could see staff working efficiently, with a smile on their face. That can be your place, when you fine tune systems for faster service, and maximise capacity.
Busy is good… unless you’re overwhelmed, and have insufficient staff, and systems that can’t cope. Then it’s bad for your reputation, staff freak out and customers may decide not to return. The ‘sugar hit’ of a very busy day may be worse overall than regular steady supply of customers.
When you get your menu, systems and staffing ready for a sudden rush, the results can be a tremendous boost to your cashflow. In fact, it can be a thrill for staff who achieve something great and win – that’s one of the most exciting parts of hospitality! AND their tips will be much better when it’s busy. You can also develop your systems so busy becomes the ‘new normal’, because your solid marketing is attracting more and more people.
There are 3 essentials to harvest extra dollars when it’s busy…
1. Anticipate the busy times
2. Organise and upgrade your systems
3. Prepare your staff for what’s going to happen
When you have well-organised systems with the same number of seats, it’s absolutely possible to increase sales by at least 40%. You also build a reputation for handling crowds with style and efficiency – people know they can come back with confidence. Everyone gains: more happy customers, more staff hours, and better tips.
Time to improve your systems for the busy times…
Work through your ‘cycle of service’ to identify weak points: from the time customers arrive, through all the steps until they pay and go – that will highlight what needs attention. Talk with your staff who’ve worked when it’s busy – some will have worked at other busy places and have good suggestions. There may also need to be an investment in new equipment and alternations, but the payback time for this could be just a few weeks!
Want to get some 1 on 1 help? Talk to one of our coaches
Work out a 20% improvement from better preparation and systems for the busy times:
One peak shift of sales = $______ – divide by 5 (20%) = $______ X 52 = $________ (annual extra sales)
Check the other useful blog posts on the Foodie Coaches website…