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Choosing the right music for your restaurant

31/3/2015

 
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Why the right music important 

Research has found that choosing the right music for your restaurant helps increase your businesses profitability. Fast music has been associated with a quicker table turnover and slow music increases average customer spend. Fast music has been found to increase excitement, meaning customers eat quicker. Slower music does the opposite. In this case customers take their time and are more likely to eat multiple dishes and drink more. However this doesn't mean all restaurants wanting to increase customer spend for example should play slow music. There are other things to consider.

Choose music that matches your restaurants personality

The crucial aspect when choosing the right music for your restaurant is to make sure it matches your establishments personality.

Choosing the right music is part of the package of factors that contribute to your brands identity. These other factors include:

  • Interior Design
  • Menu
  • Staff
Another important factor to consider is the type of customer you attract or want to attract. For example you might turn up the volume and play top 40 tunes if your restaurants wants to attract a younger audience.

Ask yourself:

What music matches the energy of my restaurant?
What music matches the food and drinks I serve?

Consider all of these things to determine your restaurants personality. You will then have a clearer picture of the type of music you should select. The result will be a better experience for your customer and your staff!

Change music according to the time of day

Choosing music for your restaurant is about knowing your establishments personality but also varying it to suit the time of day. 

If you are open in the morning then you are probably going to want a more relaxed music vibe. A soundtrack that helps guests wake up gradually.

You might still have a toned-down vibe at lunch but you could think of increasing the tempo.

Depending on the type of restaurant you have, nights could be the opportunity to increase the volume or offer a more exclusive vibe.

Don't just consider music to suit the time of day but also the days of the week. The music you play on Monday is likely to differ to Friday and on the weekend.

The music you play needs to be well thought through and planned.

Guidelines for music selection

Choosing the right music for your restaurant also involves creating guidelines for it's selection. These guidelines can include things like:

  • Who is in charge of putting playlists together. 
  • Ensuring the music played is not too similar to the competition 
  • Specifying what genre of music is encouraged/discouraged
It is advisable that you don't let customers choose your music as you are then put in a position where you have lost control and the music selected might not match the personality of your restaurant.

Choose music that is different from the competition as it can act as a key point of differentiation for your restaurant. 

By providing examples of the genres/types of songs you want played you are more likely to match your brands personality and it can act as a template if someone else needs to assume responsibility at short notice. Whatever the case you don't want to include music with any profanity.

Where to go for music inspiration

There are a range of sources where you can seek inspiration for your restaurant playlist. 

  • iTunes
  • Pandora
  • Spotify
All these services have radio stations or pre-made playlists that can match a mood you a looking to create. 

The bottom line

Choosing the right music for your restaurant is something that deserves your time and attention to get right. Your business stands to benefit financially if its does.
(Via: POS Sector; Reader's Digest; Buzz Time; My Hotel Revelation.)

How To Manage Fatigue in the Hospitality Industry.

24/3/2015

 
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Managing fatigue in the hospitality industry is a common issue that represents both a risk and a cost to operators.

The pressure for results and a more efficient workplace means that fatigue is a problem that is increasing amongst the industry workforce and therefore needs to be addressed.

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is an ongoing state of tiredness that goes beyond feeling tired or drowsy. It leads to mental or physical exhaustion which means workers aren't able to go about their work as they would normally.

Causes of fatigue

Fatigued can be cause by work and lifestyle factors or a combination of them both and occurs over a period of time.

Work related causes of fatigue

·     Roster patterns
·     Length of shifts
·     Work scheduling and planning
·     Length of time worked
·     Timing of shifts (e.g. night shift)
·     Recovery time between shifts
·     Period of time awake
·     Work environment
·     Job demands
·     Mentally or physically demanding work
·     Rest breaks

Lifestyle related causes of fatigue

·     Quality of sleep
·     Length of sleep
·     Social life
·     Family demands
·     Other employment
·     Travel time
·     Sleep disorders

Effects of fatigue

The effects of fatigue can be both short and long term and can effect the individual as well as the business. 

Short term effects of fatigue

For the individual, fatigue can hamper the ability to:


·      Concentrate and avoid distraction
·      Think laterally and analytically
·      Make decisions
·      Remember and recall events
·      Maintain vigilance
·      Control emotions
·      Appreciate complex situations
·      Recognise risks
·      Coordinate hand-eye movements
·      Communicate effectively
·      React
·      Perceive distance, depth and speed 
·      Engage with others

For the business this increases the likelihood of:

·      Error rates
·      Accidents and injuries
·      Employees arriving late for work
·      Unplanned absences

Long term

For the individual the long-term consequences of fatigue include:

·      Heart disease
·      Diabetes
·      High blood pressure
·      Gastrointestinal issues
·      Anxiety
·      Depression

Managing Fatigue

Managing mental and physical demands of work

·      Ensure appropriate machinery and equipment e.g. anti-fatigue mats
·      Design jobs that have a variety of physical and mental tasks
·      Job rotations
·      Rest periods
·      Plan for busy periods or an unexpected increase in work hours

Managing work schedules

·      Schedule any hazardous work outside the period between 2am and 6pm.
·      Avoid incentives that encourage employees to work excessive hours
·      Provide adequate breaks between shifts
·      Work demands should gradually increase towards the middle of the shift and then reduce towards the end
·      Align shift times with the availability of public transport or provide alternative transport after long shifts

Managing environmental conditions 

·      Reduce work times during periods of extreme heat
·      Install appropriate heating and cooling devices
·      Provide adequate break facilities

Managing factors outside the workplace

·      Introduce a workplace policy to manage fatigue
·      Provide staff training

Why manage fatigue?

Hospitality businesses stand to gain financially if they are better able to manage fatigue in the workplace. This can come in the form of increase morale, less sick leave, a lower number of workplace incident and reducing the likelihood of fines and court proceedings.

As always we'd love to hear from you. What process has your business implemented that reduce the likelihood of fatigue in your workplace?

(Via: Worksafe Victoria; Worksafe Australia; NSW Work Cover; Hospitality Magazine.)

7 Steps to Handling Negative Reviews

17/3/2015

 
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Handling negative reviews left by customers online is a fear faced by many restaurant and cafe owners. 

As many customers choose to read reviews before they deicide where to dine it pays to be proactive on review sites . The aim should be to turn negative reviews into a mechanism to improve your business

Let's look at some of the steps you should take when you receive a negative review.

1. Stay Calm and Be Polite

When handling a negative review remember to stay calm and be polite. Negative reviews provoke strong emotions, especially when you feel a customer has exaggerated their complaint.

The first thing to do when receiving such a complaint is to take a break. Don't respond straight away. Take the time to calm down and investigate any of the issues raised. If you do respond straight away you risk responding in an angry and defensive tone which could do more damage.

While it is always best to take some time out before responding, don't leave a negative review unacknowledged for too long. Try and respond within 24 hours of the review being received. When you do, ensure you reply in a polite, measured tone.

2. Ask For False Reviews To Be Removed

Not all reviews are legitimate. If you believe that you have received a negative review that is false or suspect then you should contact the website on which it was posted. Explain the reasons behind your objection to a review. The more detail and evidence you have the better. The website should then investigate your claim.

Some of the reasons for flagging a review for investigation include:

  • It's false
  • You suspect it has been posted by a competitor
  • It contains a profanity
  • It contains a personal attack
  • The review contains private information
Even if you do flag a negative review to be investigated it can take time or the website might not agree with your assessment. Therefore it is worth continuing the process of handling the complaint.

3. Public or Private Response

Often it is good practice to respond both privately and publicly to someone who has posted a negative review. 

At first it may be necessary to ask for more details about the customers complaint and to offer a solution to the issues raised. It's recommended that in all but the most serious situations you invite the customer back to your cafe or restaurant.

Once you have contacted the customer privately you should then respond publicly. In the response acknowledge the customers concerns and outline how you have gone about rectifying the issue.

Remember that potential customers will be reviewing how your respond to customers and forming opinions on that basis. Being proactive and responding publicly is a great way to demonstrate that you are committed to high levels of customer service. It will have a positive impact on customers perception of your business.

In the instant that you have tried to get in contact with a customer who has made a negative complaint but you have received no response, it is a good idea to comment publicly so that you demonstrate to potential customers that you've been proactive.

4. Provide Acknowledgement

When you respond to an angry complaint it is always important to acknowledge the issues raised. As a first step thank the customer for taking the time to write feedback. Acknowledge their complaint and what you will or have done to rectify the issue. Take the opportunity to highlight any relevant, positive aspects of your cafe or restaurant.

It is also important to apologise, even if you don't agree with what the reviewer has said. In addition, don't attempt to explain how things 'really happened.' This will only make the situation worse. People reading the reviews will identify this defensiveness and take the side of the customer, not yours.

5. Offer To Make Ammends

When a reviewer provides bad feedback view it as a challenge to make amends. One way of doing this is by offering some sort of compensation. This could include:

- A refund
- A private tour
- A free meal

Making a disgruntled customer feel important can be a good way to reduce their anger. Hopefully extending the olive branch will help change the opinion of the reviewer. Most sites offer the opportunity to change a review.

Sometimes the most unhappy customers, with a bit of work and perseverance can turn into loyal fans!

6. Humanise Your Brand

One on-going strategy to minimise negative reviews is to show a human face to your restaurant or cafe. Social media is the perfect tool for this. 

By  showcasing pictures of the staff and behind the scenes insights then customers won't see you as another faceless business.

When leaving reviews, customers are reminded their dealing with real human-beings. Even if they want to leave a negative review they are more likely to do it in a polite, constructive way.

One technique that can also work in some situations when responding to reviews is humour.  Ensure your still taking the complaint seriously, but the use of humour can diffuse the anger of a negative reviewer.

7. Learn and Move On

Negative reviews are normal and part of business. Even the very best restaurants and cafes receive negative feedback. 

See all reviews, both positive and negative as a way to learn and improve your cafe or restaurant. You are likely to see common themes in feedback from customers.  Customers then become de-facto business consultants helping you to constantly improve.


We'd love to hear your feedback. What have you found to be the best ways to respond to a negative review?

Via: Business Queensland; Sprout Social; Word Stream; Forbes; Fast Company; Hospitality Magazine.

EightAnnoying Habits of Diners

10/3/2015

 
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As customers of restaurants and cafes we all have our gripes from time-to-time. It might be the over-attentive waiter, a staff members uncaring nature or even bad body-odour. But what about us as diners? Are we unwittingly doing things that drive restaurant and cafe staff crazy? Let's not be the patrons who do any of the following:

1. You don't respect reservations

Restaurants and cafe run on slim margins. When a guest fails to turn up for a booking they have made that is real money the establishment has lost. The bigger the booking, the higher the loss if they are a no-show.

Not only does the business lose money but it's unfair on others who could have made a reservation in your place.

If you can't make your booking, ensure you cancel it. The more notice you give to an establishment the better. If it's unavoidable even a cancellation at short-notice can give the restaurant the opportunity to use the table for another guest.

2. You seat yourself

You might think your doing the restaurant or cafe a favour by seating yourself but regardless of whether the host is busy, you should always wait to be seated.

There is a system in place at most cafes and restaurants that is upset when you choose to seat yourself. Factors include ensuring an even spread of wait staff and reservations that have been made in advance.

Just because you walk into a restaurant that is half-empty doesn't mean that will be the case in 15 minutes time.

3. Saying your ready to order when your not

Avoid being the table that holds up other guests. Don't tell your waiter that your ready to order when really you haven't event decided what you'd like to drink. 

Asking your waiter questions about the menu? Absolutely. Give the waiter the heads-up and they'll be happy to help. 

What annoys staff is when you don't ask your questions beforehand and the task of ordering your meal takes 10 minutes longer than it should. In the mean time the table next to you is waiting for the jug of water they have been waiting on since they arrived.

4. You rewrite the menu

There is a reason behind every menu item. They entire menu comes together to deliver on the restaurant or cafes concept. Chefs consider it an insult if you go and completely change what they've spent time and care preparing. 

Requesting the vegetarian option or asking for the dressing on the side are reasonable requests. However when you request an item not on the menu or substitute ingredients and seasonings, that's when kitchen staff get annoyed.

If something can't be done the way you want it then consider another menu item. If there's nothing on the menu that you like the look of perhaps it's not the restaurant or cafe you were looking for.

5. Entitlement

Every staff member at a restaurant or cafe wants to provide great service to every guest. Don't make the mistake of thinking your more deserving than any other table. This includes the situation where you know the owner. 

Understanding that the task of running a restaurant is not easy will go a long way to improving your dining experience.

6. Etiqutte

There is a basic etiquette when eating out that all of us should observe. Poor etiquette is something that is a turn-off not only for staff but your fellow guests. 

Here are some examples of what not to do:

  • Smelling the dish of another diner whose meal you like the look of
  • "Same-siding" being a loved up couple seated next to one another makes other guests feel uncomfortable
  • Talking loudly so everyone can hear
  • Taking calls on your mobile phone at the table
  • Swearing
  • Being drunk
  • Constantly coughing 
  • Dressing inappropriately for the occasion

7. Your mean 

As customers at a restaurant we can help create a great dining experience. By ensuring our general tone and demeanour is positive we create a positive environment that is reciprocated by staff. Empathy can go a long way.

8. Being the last table

While you have every right to stay as long as the restaurant or cafe is open, consider that they are likely making very little money the longer you stay. Given the cost of wages to stay open it might even be costing them money. 

In addition, if you come in at the last minute it's likely that the full menu won't be available. Staff will have gone home and food will have been put away. If you come in at the last minute you'll most likely receive last minute options.

Via: Bon Apetit; City Lab; TopTenz; Serious Eats

7 Factors to Consider When Calculating Food Costs

3/3/2015

 
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The pricing of your food plays a critical role in the success of your hospitality business. It is important to spend the time required to get it right. Manage it on-going to reflect any changes in the business landscape. 

If you've avoided an evaluation of your hospitality venue's prices for a long period of time, chances are that you're not as profitable as you could be. Welcome the opportunity to ensure the continued success of your business.

There is no exact formula when it comes to calculating food costs but there is a range of factors you should consider.

1. What are your Cost of Good Sold (COGS)?

How much does it cost to serve each item on your menu? Remember that every cost incurred in running your business has to be covered by the food and drink that you offer.

Let's take the example of producing one hamburger. The costs would include:
  • Patty
  • Bun
  • Each individual salad item
  • Condiments 
Say for example the cost of all these items is $15.

That means that before you even consider any other overhead costs you have to charge at least $15. 

The cost of producing each item also includes any other expenses directly related to purchasing the food and can include:

  • Delivery fees
  • Interest
  • Return charges
Don't forget to include these in your calculations.

2. How much do you spend on overheads?

The costs associated with the day-to-day operation of your hospitality business need to be added to the cost of producing each menu item to get a better picture of the price you should charge.

Wages are a big part of a hospitality business expenses but also consider things like:

  • Utilities: gas, water, electricity
  • Advertising
  • Cleaning
  • Spoilage
  • Theft
This list is by no means exhaustive. When thinking about your overheads ask yourself two questions:

  1. What costs do I incur as I make more sales (variable costs)
  2. What costs do I incur regardless of whether or not I make a sale (fixed costs)
When you have considered all your expenses you can use the numbers of customers you serve each day to calculate an overhead cost per person. An electronic POS system should be able to give you this data. 

As an example:

  • On average you serve 100 customers per day
  • The total cost (variable and fixed not including COGS) to run your business based on serving 100 customers per day is $1000
  • This means your daily overhead per person is $10 
Using the previous example of the burger, this means we have to charge at least $25 for this menu item to make a profit. 

Depending on your hospitality business this may or may not cater for you target customer. If it doesn't then consider not using as many ingredients or substitute for a cheaper product.

3. How much is your customer willing to pay?

Depending on your target customer, the quality of your food and the dining experience, customers will have a rough idea for the prices you should be charging.

Depending on the hospitality venue that you operate a customer might be willing to pay more or less depending on the following factors:


  • How often they expect to visit
  • How much time they expect to spend in your venue
  • How much food they expect to order
Take for example a take-away pizzeria. Customers would be expected to visit more often, spend little time on the premise and would be unlikely to order a 3-course meal. In this case customers would expect cheap to mid-range pricing.

To increase customer perception of how much you should be charging consider advertising how ingredients are grown, whether it is organic or free-range. Using these words to describe a menu item can often command a premium. So too can items that require more effort, artistry or talent to prepare. 

Your business location as well as general supply and demand also play a crucial part in how much you can charge, with these factors being more difficult but not impossible to influence.

4. What's your competition doing?

Your competition can be a good gauge for how to price your food items. Give some thought though about who it is that constitutes your competition. Consider asking your customers what other businesses they frequent. Make sure that any business you choose to compare your prices with is doing well themselves.

The are a number of different strategies you can employ when pricing yourself against the competition

  • Undercut the competition with the aim of bringing in more business
  • Charge more by providing a higher value offering

5. How often do you change your menu? - Seasonality

A good way to keep the cost of your menu items under control is to offer a seasonal menu. Food that is season is usually cheaper to purchase and fresh. This is a win for both  you and your customers. By changing your menu items to reflect the season you are  forcing yourself to review your pricing on a regular basis. 

6. Can you limit the consequences when increasing prices?

It is a fact of life that there will be times when you will have to raise your prices. There a ways of doing this though that will mean you don't lose customers though.

Consider the following tactics:


  • Decrease the portion size of the menu item but keep the price the same
  • Create a more attractive name, add a special sauce or theme to the food
  • Ensure the more profitable items are given prominence on your menu
  • Increase menu items by small increments 

7. How can you add to the experience?

Lastly, when it comes to your hospitality business it should be the total value of the experience not just the food that you should reflect in your pricing.

Customers are more likely to judge a restaurant on the quality of your food, the level of customer service and how it is perceived by others before they worry about price.

Finding ways to add more value to the experience of dining at your establishment gives you more leeway when setting menu prices for your hospitality business.
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