Monday, February 25, 2013

Restaurant Consulting NYC | Follow the Leader…| 4Q Consulting, LLC

Follow the Leader…

Many restaurants suffer from a lack of leadership.  As we’ved discussed in our previous blog: How to hire for Attitude as well as Skill, hiring for cultural fit is often as important as hiring for technical skills. When hiring the restaurant manager, owners should also be looking for a candidate with leadership skills.

In order to lead rather than just manage, which is vital in today’s diverse fast paced world, one must be able to be more than a day-to-day task master. While a manager deals with the technical dimension in an organization or the job content; a leader marshals resources, human and otherwise, for the best possible results.

Leaders reach company goals more quickly with less drama, reduce costly employee turnover, and guide their teams through change with less damage to the organization. By ensuring that your manager is a strong, positive leader, you can help improve your bottom line.

These are 4 Leadership Qualities to look for when hiring a manager:

Ability to Communicate Vision - While managers plan and organize job assignments, tasks and schedules, leaders provide direction.  Leaders are able to effectively communicate short term and long term goals to all employees. By communicating the organizational vision and helping the staff to understand the role that they each play in reaching these goals, a leader can inspire the team to give 100%.

Builds Relationships and Trust - We often hear that we should “Lead by Example”.  This is true to gain trust, and to be able to build relationships within the organization. Managers who work by the philosophy of “Do as I say, not as I do”, or by not holding all team members to the same standards, often break down trust within the team. Being a role model positively influences people in reaching their goals. Leaders get to know the individual strengths, weaknesses, and motivators of their staff to be able to get the best from them and to achieve company results.

Trains, Coaches and Mentors – Leaders need not be experts in every area, but must understand how all the pieces work together.  Leaders do not micro manage or do the jobs of their team, instead they coach, give advice and guide from the sidelines.  If leaders have set and communicated the goals and job expectations correctly, given their team the tools they need, and instilled trust, they should be able to step back and observe. 

Encourages Change and Risk-Taking – Leaders constantly seek out what is working in the organization and are quick to get rid of what is not. Great leaders openly embrace new ideas, innovation and change.  These are the bosses who praise and encourage team members to come to them with new ideas on how to be better, faster and/or more profitable; often some of the best ideas come from front-line employees. If a manager says “that is not how we do things here”, then he/she is not a true leader.

Much like a revered general going into battle with his platoons behind him, your employees will follow a leader through all aspects of the business with little question. By hiring managers who possess these leadership qualities, you will reach your goals more efficiently.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at
www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Restaurant Consulting NYC | Managing Safety Risks in your Restaurant | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Managing Safety Risks in your Restaurant

Restaurants can be dangerous places and accidents can be costly. As an operator, you need to understand the health and safety risks associated with restaurant operations and take appropriate preventive measures to minimize risk and liability.

Every day there are plenty of chances for an employee to become injured on the job: slipping, falling and lifting injuries account for more than 40 percent of serious injuries in a restaurant. Consider additionally a busy kitchen during service, full of sharp implements and open flames, or a frenzied bar area with broken glass. Additionally, a customer may become injured while dining at your restaurant, for example by slipping on a greasy floor or tripping on loose carpeting. It is your responsibility to make safety an integral part of your operational procedures.

Here are 4 ways to help minimize your safety risks:

Define Policies and Procedures - Your employee manual is a perfect tool for laying out your restaurant's safety policies and procedures on everything from proper equipment use to shoe wear choices. The handbook should contain as many scenarios as possible so that staff members know what to expect from their job, how to execute the job safely, and how to react in case of a crisis. This is an integral part of your business and a great training tool.  See our blog: 4 Reasons Why Your Restaurant Needs an Employee Handbook, for more on the importance of Employee Handbooks.

Train Employees Thoroughly - Train new employees in correct procedures and behaviors. Use the Employee Handbook as well as frequent demonstrations to support your training. Training is crucial to keep employees from avoiding behaviors that can risk injury.  Safety training should also include Food Handling Safety Training, see our blog: 4 Reasons why it is Vital that All Employees are Trained in Food Safety, detailing the reasons for this training.

Safety Training in the Pre-Service Meetings – As discussed in our previous blog: Are Your Pre-Service Meetings a Waste of Time, use pre-service meetings for on-going training and awareness of safety procedures and behaviors in the restaurant.  Having a regular safety topic and daily updates for the entire staff keeps these ideas top of mind; complacency is a recipe for accidents. Continue to educate staff on and keep them aware of the potential hazards of working in the restaurant.

Make Safety Part of Manager Evaluations - When safety is integrated in the evaluation criteria for a restaurant manager's review, the manager is apt to take safety more seriously and therefore reinforce the procedures in their employees. Reward managers for low occurrences of injuries and illnesses, or for having regular safety meetings. This is also a good way to hold managers accountable for keeping safety a priority. We have had our clients hang posters on the manager’s office door showing how many days the operation has gone without an accident, for all to see.

Minimizing Safety Risks by having written procedures, proper staff training and holding your staff accountable, can help lower your costs associated with Workmen’s Compensation Claims, Insurance Premiums, and possible lawsuits.  To be successful, make sure your business model incorporates ways to actively work to keep both your employees and customers safe.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Restaurant Consulting NYC | Measure by Measure | 4Q Consulting, LLC

Measure by Measure

It happens at some point in every restaurant: When short on time during prep, or in the rush to get food out of the kitchen, the staff skips the important step of weighing and measuring. To the detriment of profits, scales and measuring tools often go unused on shelves and in cabinets. Over-portioning is the quickest way to increase your food costs and deteriorate your margins.

Measuring product is essential in tracking, analyzing and calculating food costs. Even if your food costs are already at your target, a good portion control system can help further reduce cost, improving your margins and bottom line.  In the long run, the benefits of accuracy are worth the investment in several reliable industrial scales and a full complement of measuring tools. 

Here are 4 steps to improve food costs and profits through portion control:

Have the Right Measuring Tools
Any tool that is difficult to operate, or does not function well in the intended environment, will quickly fall into disuse. Encourage use of proper weighing and measuring tools by working with your staff to find tools that they can manage easily in your kitchen. It is useful to have several scales with different units of measure, such as grams, ounces and pounds, throughout your kitchen. It is also import to have an array of sized scoops, measuring cups, portion bags, and other volume measurement tools.  Make these tools readily accessible so they get used all the time.


Measuring - Not Just for Expensive Proteins
Accuracy reduces costs.  Everything coming into and going out of your kitchen should be measured.  Most obviously measure all of your center-of-the-plate items during prep, but don’t forget your appetizers, sides, salads and desserts.  Additionally, check all deliveries for proper weights and measures, particularly double-check any pre-portioned proteins.   Any discrepancies should be noted; an error on the distributor’s end should not affect your bottom line.


Establish Written Recipes and Measurement Standards
Consistency reduces waste.  For this reason, written recipes and measurement standards are essential.   Slight over-portioning over time adds-up financially: If a crab cake recipe calls for 3oz of meat, but 4oz is used when making a batch of 100 cakes, over 6lbs of crab meat is wasted.  At $25 per pound, this inconsistency added $155 to your food cost.  Train staff on the recipes and the use of the appropriate measurement tools.


Know Thy Waste
The goal should be to have as little waste as possible in your kitchen.   However, there will be times when waste occurs.  By weighing and tracking waste, as well as identifying the cause of the waste (over ordering, improper or excess production, poor food handling and storage procedures) you can account for the cost and address its root cause.  


The 4 steps above can easily be transferred to managing product usage at the bar, as well.

A system to weigh, measure and track is only effective when it is used: You must devise a program that works in your environment and that your employees will maintain. Better understanding the flow of product and waste in your kitchen allows you to use your resources most effectively, improving cash flow and profits.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.