If you own or are hoping to open a restaurant business: major kudos to you! We know this can be a tough industry to be in, but man, can it be a rewarding one! Like with the other businesses we’ve highlighted this year, our experts have some professional organization tips specific to the restaurant industry, and we’re ready to serve ‘em up!

Daily operations in a restaurant involve dedicated teamwork, so you want to establish systems that are simple, repeatable, and easy for your team to follow. Establish weekly routines that cover all areas of the business, such as:

• Monday – inventory count & ordering
• Tuesday – staff training & kitchen deep clean
• Wednesday – financial review
• Thursday – review marketing strategies & social media
• Friday – equipment & building inspection
• Saturday – monitor peak operations
• Sunday – review weekly performance & plan next week

Train staff on hospitality and communication to improve the customer experience. Create opening and closing checklists for all staff departments. Document cleaning schedules (daily/nightly, weekly, monthly) and maintain equipment with preventative maintenance schedules. Assign responsibilities for each shift. Develop contingency plans for staffing shortages or supply disruptions.

You also want to have a standardized set of recipes and portion sizes for each menu item. In these recipes, include exact ingredient amounts, portion sizes, and preparation instructions.

The answer to this question is going to depend on your individual business needs, but we DO highly recommend finding good software to help you manage your POS, employee schedules, payroll, customer loyalty, etc. Below is a quick list of our “must-haves” when it comes to management software in a restaurant business (plus a few of our favorite recommendations for each!) Use good software to help you manage your restaurant’s:

• Point of Sale (POS) (Toast, Square)
• Inventory (Restaurant365)
• Employee Scheduling (Homebase, 7Shifts)
• Payroll & Financial Reporting (QuickBooks)
• Customer Loyalty Programs (Olo)

Your inventory is arguably the most important (customer and financial) asset in a restaurant business; it’s critical that you have an organized inventory! Assign a specific location for every item; group items by category (meat, dairy, produce, dry goods, beverages, spices, etc.) Label all storage shelves and bins clearly. Store frequently used items within reach and keep heavy items on lower shelves. Keep items rotated, following the “first-in, first-out” method, and set minimum/maximum stock levels to reduce food waste.

Conduct regular inventory counts (daily for high-volume items and weekly for others). Create a spreadsheet to keep track of each category to increase efficiency. Use inventory count sheets and keep them in the same order as your storage areas (walk-in cooler, freezer, dry storage). Keep naming consistent (ex: “Chicken Breast, 6 oz – Chicken Breast, 8 oz, etc.) on your inventory sheet to avoid duplicate inventory entries. Inventory frequency guideline recommendations are as follows:

• Daily: Perishable & high-value items (such as alcohol)
• Weekly: dry, frozen, & paper goods
• Monthly: full inventory/audit

Conduct spot checks – randomly verify inventory for high-value items each week to identify any counting errors, theft, waste, and/or unrecorded usage. Track expiration dates daily. Forecast your inventory based on expected demand and prepare for holidays and seasonal menu changes by planning ahead. Receive items carefully by creating standardized receiving processes where employees:

• Check quantities
• Inspect product quality
• Verify temperatures for refrigerated & frozen items
• Compare invoices w/purchase orders
• Put products away immediately

Build schedules based on busy and slow periods, including extra attention to key holidays. Cross-train employees to handle multiple roles. Keep attendance and time records organized. Rely on management software such as Homebase or 7Shifts to help you with scheduling.

Hold regular team meetings to review goals and performance. This will help improve efficiency and reduce waste, plus create a better environment for both customers and staff! In the meetings, you should:

• discuss customer feedback
• recognize employee achievements
• address operational challenges before they escalate

You want to track daily sales, expenses, and monitor KPIs to stay on top of your restaurant’s financials. Keep everything organized by reviewing food and labor costs weekly. Keep a waste log for all of the following and review it weekly to identify patterns:

• spoilage
• burnt food
• incorrect orders
• customer returns
• overproduction

Track high-cost items (steak, seafood, alcohol, premium oils, specialty cheeses, etc.) separately. Set a monthly budget and keep all business/personal expenses separate. Track metrics such as food cost percentage, labor cost percentage, average ticket size, table turnover rate, customer satisfaction, and profit margin.

Reach out or give us a call if, after reading this, you think your restaurant business could use an organizational “refresh”. And, please, if you’re crushing it in the restaurant business, message me your secret recipes for success and I’ll add them to my list!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Tonia