Some annoying problems in running a restaurant

Among the most widespread entrepreneurial activities in our country, it is easy to imagine that the most numerous are those  dedicated to Food & Beverage. Less easy is finding that local that has achieved success and has been able to maintain it over the years.

Problems in running a restaurant

Problems in running a restaurant. Speaking for  the management of a restaurant, in fact, there are many errors and problems that are commonly encountered. Moreover, it is often believed to be rather acting in the interest of one’s own business. Do we give an example?

Talking about the management of a restaurant, in fact, there are many errors and problems that are commonly encountered. In addition, you often think you are acting in the interests of your business. Let’s take an example?

Problems in running a restaurant

The catering industry is a difficult sector in which to succeed. There are so many things that can go wrong and be disastrous, but there are some common mistakes restaurants tend to make that could make them inefficient or unprofitable.

Misalignment between front-of-house work (FOH) tasks such as hospitality /front desk service versus back-of-house functions such as cooking food for customers who don’t order online; even FOH employees do not always know exactly what their responsibilities are when it comes to clock time out Make sure that the staff has everything you need at hand at all times, including utensils and work gloves when preparing meals, because if anything ever happens you want these basic items accessible quickly without having too much delay.

Problem # 1: A menu for all tastes, is it OK or not?

Problems in running a restaurant

No. To present a menu of pages and pages, with dishes that are meant to satisfy the taste of any customer, sit at the table, it’s wrong. Or anyway, we need to differentiate. This solution could work, even if relatively, in a purely tourist destination; there it will be possible to find the customer who wants the hamburger and what the sushi wants, and to think to satisfy them both.

Problems in running a restaurant

The trend of recent times shows, however, that in order to retain customer loyalty, it is better to specialize on a particular proposal (whether it is sea food, traditional local recipes, mountain dishes and so on); customers, tourists included, are often demanding, looking for excellence or typicality; better to be experts in that proposal that with so many dishes to choose from and mediocre in quality. It also goes to the identity of the place, so …

Problem n.2: having an “anonymous” place

Problems in running a restaurant

When managing a restaurant, remember that the eye wants its part. Therefore, as well as good food, to retain the customer must be welcomed in an environment that has its own character. The decoration, the details, the colors, are important to create the right atmosphere that accompanies your dishes, and they must be in line with your proposal. Creating an inhospitable environment can drive away the customer as much as finding a hair on the plate.

Problem # 3: … and the competition?

Problems in running a restaurant

Problems in running a restaurant

As already mentioned, the premises like (restaurants, pizzerias, pubs) are many and one can not fail to take into account their presence and offer. Monitoring competition, on the other hand, serves on several fronts: see what works or what does not in your sector; what are their strengths or weaknesses, and therefore how to improve their service, and so on.

Problems in running a restaurant

It also serves to stay alert and never gain excessive security about your business. Being sure to have reached a certain standard, it ends up limiting the initiatives (activities, improvements, marketing strategies etc.) and making the business run aground.

Problem # 4: how can I keep up with the times?

Keeping up with the times today, in managing a restaurant, also means being social. It should not be overlooked that part of marketing that binds, in fact, to digital tools.

It also means using support technologies in the management of your premises: there are software that can manage reservations, keep the warehouse under control and much more, speeding up and automating some processes. The use of these technologies, which in fact simplify the work of restaurateurs and others, improves the quality of service in terms of speed and accuracy. As? Do you think you can do everything yourself?

Problem # 5: Are you the business owner or is it the business you own?

Problems in running a restaurant

In managing a restaurant, the owner often feels compelled to perform an endless series of tasks on his own. We find it so to welcome customers, take orders, check the kitchen, prepare the bill, give change to the checkout, check the goods and much more.

This is also a management error: an overload of work and responsibility that damages the quality of the relationship with customers and with those who work with you.

Learn to delegate and enjoy your time and the fruits of your work more. Choose competent staff and make use of technology help.

A suggestion? Discover the advantages of RISTOMANAGER, the perfect management software for every restaurant owner. Download the trial version for free. Find it here
https://ristomanager.it/scarica.html

Read also: Ristomanager: software that manages restaurant reservations

How to adapt the menu to the law on allergens

On December 13, 2014 the new law on allergens came into force.

The law on allergens provides that the consumer of any food product is aware of the ingredients contained in foods, including allergens. This not only applies to “label” foods,  packaged products, but also to restaurant menus.

What is an allergen?

law on allergens

Law on allergens

It is a substance generally harmless for the  most consumers, but dangerous at various levels for allergy sufferers. It can produce in fact  allergic crises of various severities, such as asthma, rashes and more.

According to the new law, their presence must be indicated among the ingredients and highlighted (through the use of bold or of a different character, for example), in the labels of pre-packaged foods. For restaurants, however, it’s a bit different.

Law on allergens

Allergens are substances that cause an allergic reaction.
A substance can be identified as an allergen if it leads to unpleasant symptoms or damage in people with no previous history with this particular element and causes them physical discomfort when they come into contact with its pollen, mold spores (mild)dust mites, etc., causing sneezing among other problems such allergies manifest themselves differently depending on the type of protein was triggered, but for example: – hay fever could mean a runny nose, while eczema will leave angry red skin from irritation.

How to adapt the menu to the allergen law?

Law on allergens

First of all, the ingredients and the  allergens should be reported product by product. For example, the single billboard that brings together in a single word all the basic ingredients of ice-creams in an ice-cream parlor or in bars; rather, they must be listed one by one and in a complete and individual manner. And, speaking of bars or restaurants, the law requires everything to be done in writing: it is not enough for the restaurant owner or barista to give information “verbally” about the products.

How to adapt the menu to the new provisions? No drastic changes!

Law on allergens

Completed documentation must be prepared with the ingredients that make up each single dish. This can be attached to the menu or delivered to consumers upon request. Important: it is however mandatory to clearly indicate on the menu on  the presence of this documentation. Or again, reiterate it on the register or on a special sign.

What are the products that contain allergens?

Law on allergens

Unfortunately for those who suffer, they are more common than you can imagine: about a hundred. Avoiding dangers, however, is simple, and the list of main allergic reactions is restricted to fourteen. These are those ones that require mandatory reporting.

Remember to check the ingredients of the goods you buy for your premises and report any presence of allergens (eg: it may contain traces of nuts) in your documents. Here is a list to begin to become familiar with the law on allergens and the foods involved.

  1. Cereals containing gluten: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelled, kamut or their hybridized strains and derived products. The following are excluded: wheat-based glucose syrups, including dextrose; wheat-based maltodextrins; glucose syrups based on barley; cereals used for the manufacture of alcoholic distillates;
  2. Crustaceans and products based on crustaceans.
  3. Eggs and egg products.
  4. Fish and fish products. The following are excluded: fish gelatine is  used as a support for vitamin or carotenoid preparations; gelatin or isinglass used as fining agent in beer and wine.
  5. Peanuts and peanut-based products.
  1. Soya and soy products, except: refined soybean oil and fat; natural mixed tocopherols (E306), natural D-alpha tocopherol, natural D-alpha tocopherol acetate, soy-based natural D-alpha tocopherol succinate; vegetable oils derived from soybean phytosterols and phytosterols; vegetable stanol ester produced from soybean vegetable oil sterols.
  2. Milk and milk products (including lactose), except: (a) which are used for the manufacture of alcoholic spirits, including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin; b) milk.
  3. Nuts and their products, except for nuts used for the manufacture of alcoholic distillates, including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin.
  4. Celery and celery products.
  5. Mustard and mustard-based products.
  6. Sesame seeds and products based on sesame seeds.
  7. Sulfur dioxide and sulphites in concentrations of more than 10 mg / kg or 10 mg / liter in terms of total SO2  need to be calculated for products as proposed ready for consumption or reconstituted in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions.
  8. Lupins and products based on lupins.
  9. Molluscs and products based on molluscs.

Read also: How to contain the costs of the menu: 3 solutions.

How to create a restaurant menu: 9 things to know.

Restaurant menu. It is said that the appetite comes by eating, and yet how many times have we sat in a restaurant and leafed through the menu we got a mouth watering? Scrolling through the different names of the dishes we evoke flavors, scents and suggestions that make us lean for a recipe or another.


This happens as long as the menu is well thought out, edited and written. Very little remains of the paperboard drawn by hand with the list of the courses of the late nineteenth century. Today nothing is left to chance: from the format, to the graphics everything is designed to improve the performance of the restaurant.

If you have a well-organized menu, in 3 minutes you will be able to orient the customer to choose the dish that is easier for you to make or the one with the greatest margins, with the aim of maximizing profits. Otherwise, the preference could fall on a great classic, but cheaper.

1.The restaurant menu must be original

Restaurant menu

The restaurant menu offers an ideal balance of unique and old dishes, for example the basic burger. It can be offered in a classic or with American cheese. You can even offer a unique version, one that fits with the themed restaurant, like topping a burger with guacamole cheese and pepper jack for a Mexican themed restaurant.

2.The restaurant menu must be versatile

This simply means that no item in the menu should be alone. If you offer a fresh lobster roll, be sure to include lobster in other dishes.

3.The restaurant menu should have the correct cost of food

Restaurant menu

In order to keep profits and prices accessible to customers, each item on the restaurant menu should be evaluated to determine its food in terms of costs with the actual amount it costs you to make the dish. The expensive ingredients (as already mentioned the lobster) is equivalent to an expensive menu. This does not mean that the food you order should be the cheapest quality available – it is the most important aspect of creating menu items – but it is necessary to balance the high and low cost of food at a reasonable profit margin.

4.Menu items must be easy to prepare

The menu items should be easy to prepare and these are two useful tips:

1 – easy to prepare on the spot (sautéed, grill, etc …)

2 – easy to prepare in advance and heat (lasagne, pasta, ribs).

5.The restaurant menu should have an easy to read format

Reading characters and too much text make it difficult for users to read. Keep your menu with simple design and avoid using too much culinary jargon.

6.The restaurant menu should be in a manageable size

Restaurant menu

Restaurant menu

The sky is not the limit when it comes to your restaurant menu. Avoid the temptation to offer a wide selection of articles, otherwise you will inevitably throw food at the end of the evening. Consider also what your kitchen restaurant is able to produce. There are enough stations to offer grilled dishes, sauteed dishes, salads, soups, baked goods, etc …

7.You should know when to update your restaurant menu

Restaurant menu

In order to keep the cost of food under control and keep up with other costs, you need to update your menu at least once a year. This does not mean that you have to rewrite the entire menu or add all the new dishes. It is simply a good time to make sure that prices are where they should be, and to evaluate the menu items with those that are not being sold.

8.You should know what to avoid on the restaurant menu

There is a long list of things to avoid in a restaurant menu, such as reading difficult characters or overly descriptive languages. The menu is like an ambassador for the restaurant, and you want to set the right foot.

9.One must know when to offer special restaurant menus

Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day often deserve a special menu at a fixed price. A fixed price menu limits the number of items available at a time, making it easier for the kitchen to result in a large number of meals in a short space of time. Even if it’s not a party, a set menu also acts as a big promotion during slow times. Special-price menus of two-for-one or a fixed-price wine tasting menu are great restaurant promotions to convince people, even in difficult economic times.

Read also: How to adapt the menu to the law on allergens