Restaurateurs share New Year's resolutions
Operators put priority on labor costs and staff communication
David Flaherty
David Flaherty has more than 20 years experience in the hospitality industry. He is a certified cicerone and a former operations manager and beer and spirits director for Hearth restaurant and the Terroir wine bars in New York City. He is currently marketing director for the Washington State Wine Commission and writes about wine, beer and spirits in his blog, Grapes and Grains.As 2016 draws to a close, restaurant owners and operators are taking a hard, yet optimistic, look at the state of their businesses.
While December tends to bring in the most revenue all year (thank you, corporate events), January often hits with a sense of levity and coming up for air. You survived another year!
But the resetting of the calendar gives an excuse to honestly assess strengths and weaknesses. Whether it's a fresh look at the layout of your space, a critical assessment of costs or a new approach to tasks you always seem to avoid, take the chance to refresh the decks.
In Astoria, N.Y., Ben Sandler and Jennifer Lim opened The Queens Kickshaw in 2011, and were awash in glowing reviews and welcoming embraces from the neighborhood. As the years have passed, and as new spots have popped up all around them, they are taking the opportunity to make improvements that will ensure they stay relevant and continue to reap the benefits of their hard work and vision.
“In the past year, we’ve done a number of things to add new revenue streams,” Sandler said. “We resolve to attempt to fully capitalize on those in the new year, while also focusing on areas we need to improve on, such as communication with our managers.”
Ensuring that your management team has detailed weekly labor and cost of goods reports, as well as up-to-date profit-and-loss statements, is a challenge for any operator. But Sandler and Lim know that their managers can respond quickly with purchasing or staffing adjustments if they get those reports in real time.