1. Make Your Marketing Moments Count
Granted, not having committed mylife savings to opening a restaurantor not having put blood,sweatand tears into
my dream,I do not have as much at stake. However, in a lot of instances,I believe that affords me the ability to see
their operation a little clearer than manyrestaurantowners.Over the last10 years of having meaningful consultations
with new and veteran restaurantoperators,there are a few recurring themes thatI have come across. Some thatI
would encourage operators justgetting started to consider:
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN IDENTITY
Who are you? What do you do? Who is your customer base?
You may call this your mission statementor something else,butthe importantthing is to write it down and show it to
everyone connected to your organization.Focusing on who you are and what you do bestenables you to excel and
differentiate yourselffrom other restaurants.Trying to cater to every taste will ultimatelydilute your identity. What do
you do better than the hundreds ofnew restaurants thatopen in this marketevery year? That should be your identity!
Justbecause the place around the corner has burgers,pasta and burritos on the menu doesn’tmean you have to!
LEARN THE BASICS
Having systems and controls in place will help your profitability. Learn how to accurately calculate your food cost and
figure it regularly.This will help you identify inefficiencies in your operation while there is still time to correct them.
Costout your recipes and charge accordingly.Too manyoperators base their menu pricing on whatthe competition
charges for similar items;notwhatthey need to charge to be profitable.Provide your staff with the tools they need to
do their job correctly. Written recipes,properlysized scoops,spoodles and ladles,functioning equipment,adequate
storage,prep and inventory par lists… all help your employees do their job correctly and consistently.
TRAINING LEADS TO EXCELLENCE
Make sure you have a structured training program thatall new hires will go through.Give the back of the house
plenty of time to practice making consistentdishes.Give the front of the house time to identify, taste and describe all
dishes.Role play.Practice handling customer complaints.This will all ensure thatyou are ready to provide
exceptional service. Training doesn’tend when you open.Make sure every ensuing hire gets the same structured
training.Use quarterly staff meetings and dailypre-shiftmeetings to continuallywork on bettering your staff.
OPEN WHEN YOU’RE READY!
The costof equipment,supplies,inventoryand payroll add up quickly. Many operators fail to properlybudgetfor all
the expenses incurred during the opening process.As a result,they feel the pressure to open before they are truly
ready so they can start generating revenue.This will inevitably resultin a less than ideal firstimpression with potential
regulars.A couple of “family and friends” nights can help getthe kinks worked out withoutdisappointing paying
customers.A soft opening gives you the opportunity to make sure everything and everyone is firing on all cylinders
before the hoopla of a grand opening.
EMBRACE SOCIAL MEDIA
Many people are like me and will look up a restaurant’s menu online before going there to eat and will mostlikelydo
this from a mobile device.Is your website consistentwith your brand and is it mobile friendly? Trying to order take out
on a recentfamily vacation, I dismissed the firsttwo restaurants Icame across online because Icouldn’teasily
navigate their websites on myphone. The third restaurantI pulled up, who happened to have a mobile friendlysite,
got my $100 order.
Many operators despise review sites;however,many patrons use and value them.Read your reviews and act on
them accordingly.Granted, a lot of people justlike to complain,butyou can find valid opportunities to better your
business ifyou read reviews with an open mind.

2. With the popularity of Instagram,Facebook and YouTube it is not necessaryto spend hundreds and thousands of
dollars to effectively marketyour restaurant.Post interesting,engaging contentthatcaptures people’s attention.Don’t
justpostpictures of today’s specials over and over and over again! People that have liked your page will eventually
justtune that out. Find a business whose posts do a greatjob of capturing your attention and emulate them.
DON’T TRIP OVER DOLLARS TO SAVE PENNIES
With the profit involved in running a successful restaurantbeing pennies on the dollar,it is importantto watch every
cent. However, there is credence in the axiom,“You can’t save your way to profitability.” Spending halfa day and $10
in gas driving all over town to save $50 on your groceries isn’tthe bestuse of your time.I would argue that the same
time would have been better spentin your restaurant,monitoring your labor,ensuring recipes are being followed and
personallyinteracting with your guests, notto mention marketing your business.Spending thatsame halfday a week
out promoting your business in the local communitywill provide a better return than what you could have saved in
grocery cost.
PARTNER WITH YOUR SUPPLIERS
Your suppliers have a vested interestin seeing you succeed and growing your business;take advantage of the
resources theyhave to offer. A good salesperson should be connected to business,and prepared to share new,
profitable recipe ideas,help you costout your menu and keep you apprised ofmarketconditions.Utilize any value
added services your supplier offers,such as culinary,menu,marketing or training consulting.There are a lot of
moving parts involved in running a restaurant;it is unrealistic to be an expert in every aspectof it. Take advantage of
the experience your supplier can offer. | MARK SENA, SYSCO PORTLAND