Having a website to advertise your restaurant is becoming almost mandatory in today's market. Building a winning website can take time and money. The good news is that you don't need to do it all straight away. Websites can be updated at any time so think about it more as a journey. Here are 7 tips to help you along the way.

Using colour is a powerful tool to convey what your restaurant is about. It should be a key consideration in the design of your website. This is what some common colours symbolise:

White: freshness, purity, freedom
Black: mystery, creation (food photography looks great against a black background)
Brown: reliability, stability, tradition
Red: Passion, desire (often used by fast-food restaurants)

Once you know your target audience then choosing the right colour for your website is easier. Colour can influence behaviour. So choose wisely and use it to your benefit.

A key goal of your restaurants website should be ease-of-use and simplicity. Your website should look good on a desktop and a smart phone. Google now punishes websites that are not mobile friendly in their search results. An easy way to overcome this is to use a responsive website.

One common mistake restaurant websites make is a hard to read menu when viewed online. Don't simply upload a scanned copy of your menu. Ensure it is formatted for the online domain, is easy to read and navigate. This is especially true on a smaller screen.

We're in the food business so great photos of your menu items is important for a great website. Visitors are on your site mainly to view your product. You need to sell it to them. It is important therefore not to skimp on this part of the website. Poor food photography can actually do more damage than it does good.

You want to demonstrate what your dishes look like. Make them look delicious and elicit hunger from those viewing them. After seeing photos of your food customers should be rushing in to try it out.

All Australian business must register their business name with the Business Name Register. The only exception to this is if you trade under your individual name or all the individuals names in a partnership. Business names are registered through ASIC for a period of 1 or 3 years at a cost of $34 or $78 respectively.

If you are a restaurant owner in Sydney then you are required to hold a current food licence or notify the NSW Food authority of your food activity. In all likelihood your restaurant will be involved in handling meat, seafood and eggs and will therefore require a licence. If you apply for a food licence online then there is no fee.

If you are selling packaged food at your restaurant then you will be required to comply with the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand code.

Food labels must meet certain requirements that include but are not limited to the name of the food, a list of ingredients, a date mark and warning statements.

Not all food requires labelling however. Any unpackaged food, food that is packed on the premises it is sold, or delivered packaged ready for consumption are just a few examples where food labelling is not required.

If your restaurant does or plans to have seating on the footpath then you will need to apply for an Outdoor Dining Licence. Sydney restaurant businesses can apply through the relevant local council. Information that you will need to provide includes: the location of the premises, any relevant development consent and details of any structures you plan to erect.

If your restaurant plans to allow the consumption of alcohol then you are required to apply for a liquor licence. If you are in the process of opening a new restaurant then be sure to apply well ahead of your opening. If your are purchasing an established business who already have a liquor licence then ensure this will be transferred to you upon taking ownership. 

If you hold a liquor licence then all your staff who serve alcohol will require a Responsible Service off Alcohol certificate. The business may be required to produce proof that their staff have been trained.

If you plan on playing copyright music in your restaurant then you will need to apply for two licences:

1. APRA AMCOS Licence
   
2. PPCA Licence

The APRA AMCOS Licence covers copyright restrictions in the song while the PPCA Licence covers the recording and music video of a song. The price for your restaurant will depend on the price of your food, the number of seats on your premises and days of operation.

The Fair Work Ombudsman requires that every employee covered by the national workplace system is given a Fair Work Information Sheet before or soon after joining a new employer. The Fair Work Information Sheet outlines basic rights, responsibilities and laws when it comes to employment.

If you employ staff in your restaurant then you will be required to comply with the ten National Employment Standards. The ten standards cover the following:

The ten standards cover the following areas:

1. Weekly hours of work
2. Flexible work
3. Parental leave
4. Annual leave
5. Personal/Carer's leave
6. Community Service leave
7. Long Service leave
8. Public Holidays
9. Termination
10. Provision of the Fair Work Information Sheet

More information can be found on the website of the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The ATO requires that any business employing staff withold tax from wage payments to employees. You will also be required to withold tax if another business doesn't supply their ABN on an invoice. As soon as you employ staff you will be required to register as a PAYG Witholder.

If you currently employ staff (or plan to in the future) then you are required by law to pay superannuation. Superannuation has to be paid each quarter at a minimum to eligible employees. An eligible employee is someone who is between 18 and 75 years of age and is paid more than $450 in a calendar month. Superannuation is paid regardless of whether staff member is employed on a casual, part-time or full-time basis. Superannuation is paid to the employee at the current rate of 9.5%.

Playing music in your cafe can have a positive impact on your businesses profitability. If a customer enjoys the tunes that you've been playing then they associate they enjoyable experience with your venue. Music can encourage patrons to spend more and visit regularly. It can also help motivate staff and act as a point of difference with competitors.

The Hospitality Directory cites a study that indicated on a weekend, venues that played music had an average uplift in sales of almost 50%. On weekdays the increase was 21%. 

As a cafe owner their are restrictions around what copyright music you can play. In most cases if you are playing music that has copyright restriction in a commercial environment (i.e. your premises) then you will need to apply for a license. It is against the Copyright Act and there are penalties if you decide to simply play a CD, digital download or use a streaming service without the licence. This is because recorded music as well as music videos are considered to be the intellectual property of their creators.

There are two licences that you will need to apply for if you want to play music in your cafe:

1. APRA AMCOS licence. This licence covers the copyright restrictions in the song (lyrics, composition). The body represents composers and publishers
2. PPCA licence. This licence covers the recording and music video of a song. The body represents recording artists and record labels.

APRA AMCOS is an Australian body that licenses organisations like those in the hospitality industry to play, perform, copy or record music. APRA AMCOS has affiliations around the world so you will be allowed to play any commercially released music from around the world. Licences start from $165 per year depending on where you plan to play music.

The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) is a not-for-profit music licensing company. The PPCA can offer cafe owners blank licences to play music. The licence covers almost any conceivable song that your business would wish to play. 

The cost of the licence for cafe and restaurant owners depends on the number of seats in your venue, the cost of the food you serve and the number of days your premises operates. It excludes areas where music is not played. The minimum fee charged is currently $52.50 per quarter.

Success in the restaurant industry is built on the back of great teams. To build a great team you need dedicated, enthusiastic and reliable employees. Easier said than done in an industry notorious for its high turnover of staff. Evidence suggests that to build a great team you need to motivate. One way to do this is through an incentive scheme for staff. For other ideas check out our blog: 10 ways to motivate employees in hospitality.

Many restaurant owners are big believers in incentive schemes with evidence suggesting their benefits far outweigh costs. Restaurant and Catering Magazine cites a source the claims incentive schemes can boost the quality and quantity of restaurant staff performance by up to 40%. Here's how your restaurant can get on board.

Achievable

A restaurant incentive scheme must be achievable. While at first glance this may be obvious, there are still plenty examples of well-managed restaurant incentive schemes that fail because they are perceived to be unattainable. Staff don't buy into the scheme from the start and the scheme may actually cause staff to become demotivated as it shows a disconnect between staff and management. 

Equitable

A restaurant incentive scheme should be equitable with commensurate reward for effort. This means that the bigger the achievement, timeframe or required effort, then the larger the possible reward. This rule should apply equally across all staff members regardless of seniority.

Clarity

Staff should easily be able to identify what they need to do to qualify for a reward. The incentive scheme should clearly specify those factors with are objective and those open for appraisal and how they will be measured. There then needs to be a balance between these two variables. 

Eligibility

What do staff need to do to qualify for reward under any restaurant incentive that you run? Key things to consider are:

• How long an employee needs to be with the restaurant to be eligible?
  
• What happens when an employee changes roles?
  
• What staff members will be eligible for which incentives?
  

Simple Sales Incentive

Under this restaurant incentive scheme an employee will earn a specific amount for each unit or dollar amount sold. For example $1 for every bottle of wine ordered or $10c for every $1 spent on desserts.

Target Incentive

Staff must reach a certain target to be rewarded under this scheme. This could be in terms of the number or value of items sold. It could also be a percentage increase on items sold versus a base line figure. So for example a $5 bonus when a guest spends over $50 or a $100 bonus if sales for an individual staff member are over $2,000 or 10% more than last month.

Group Incentive

A group incentive is for all staff members and is a great way to encourage team camaraderie. Examples of this incentive could include movie tickets if the kitchen staff meet food cost targets.

Limited Time Incentives

This type of restaurant incentive is a one-off and only lasts a shift, day or week and isn't a regular occurence. For example you might need to sell some cases of slow-moving wine. You could offer a $100 incentive for the staff member who sells the most of the left over stock.

Management Incentives
 
Usually reserved for full-time staff in positions of seniority who have been with the restaurant longer and are likely to stick around. Management incentives are usually based on improving previous performance. For example a manager may earn a bonus if wages are kept below a certain level or sales are a percentage increase on the previous quarter, half or full year results.

In this post we take a look at five key areas of a restaurant business and give you tips on how to increase revenue and cut costs to boost your restaurants profitability.

To boost your restaurants profitability you need to work closely with staff. The first thing you should do is define your role as owner. What will your day-to-day responsibilities be? By having a clearly defined role then your are in a position to empower staff with the tasks that you won't take on. Empowered staff will be more motivated and loyal. 

Another way you can motivate and maintain loyal staff is through training. A lot of hospitality owners baulk at the cost of developing their staff only to see them leave. What happens though if you train staff and they stay?

These two tips can save a restaurant thousands of dollars a year by reducing staff turnover. The time and money you save hiring new staff can boost your bottom line.

Another way to reduce staff turnover is to hire staff based on their attitude and motivation to do the job. This should be a key selection criteria. Potential employees who have the right attitude: a customer focus, adaptable and loyal are more likely to stick around.

One thing your business could consider doing to  increase revenue and cut costs is to implement a monthly meeting of staff to discuss business improvement ideas. For example "What initiatives can we implement to boost the number of guests over the long weekend?" You will find that staff have some great ideas that you can implement. 

When it comes to food you should spend your money wisely. One way to lower your food costs is to only use fruits and vegetables that are in season. Not only are you buying fruits that costs less but it can also be used as a selling point to market your business.

Food wastage is a big challenge for restaurants. By regularly tracking sales of your menu items you can trim that aren't selling well and cut down on food spoilage. A hospitality POS system will help you gather that data.

Another tip is to consider group buying. While you may only save 2-3% on some items, the savings can add up. Especially in an industry with low margins. A word of caution though, chefs can feel compromised if they are forced to buy certain ingredients. A voluntary system can work well. 

Investing in assets that are user friendly, efficient and well maintained can save your business money. Equipment should be safe to use and fully operational. When things like fridges have cracked seals or a mixing appliance is missing a part then they cost more to run and you lower productivity. Now might be the right time to think of investing in assets for your business given the small business tax incentives announced in the 2015 budget.