Removing Yourself From The Equation
Anyone who opens a restaurant is not going to be afraid of a little hard work, because that is about the only thing that is going to keep that restaurant afloat for the first few vital years. And even after you have established a customer base and have a steady stream of satisfied patrons, the day in and day out of running a restaurant is still a tough one. It is important to set the goal of your restaurant reaching the point where it is no longer dependent upon the owners’ presence in order for it to continue operating efficiently and effectively.
The more dependent a restaurant is on the owner’s presence and involvement day to day, the greater the risk of ultimate failure. Once the owner is able to separate himself from those operations to a great degree and entrust the daily activities to competent management, then the potential for growth is fully realized, since he is now freed up to pursue other activities related to growing and expanding the business or brand.
Running a restaurant is more than opening your doors. As the owner, the best thing you can do is get it to the point where it ccan run without you.
Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds, is arguably the most successful restaurateur in the world, and he got to that point by doing two things….the first was to make it a point of working on his business, not in it. By this we mean establishing McDonalds as a prototype that may be easily duplicated elsewhere. There is a reason that one Mickey D’s is virtually indistinguishable from another. The second was establishing the system as the solution, making sure that every restaurant would be operated in exactly the same manner, allowing even the most ordinary people to be able to effectively operate a McDonald’s franchise location on a daily basis. If a restaurant has an excellent operating system in place, then it doesn’t have to rely on necessarily extraordinary talents in order to make it happen.
Basically, the focus needs to be on building a system that is fully capable of functioning without you. Having a system in place that works is the key to success, not having the guy with his name on the lease and the bank loan maintaining a presence every day.
The Restaurant Operation Basics
Every restaurant has three major areas that must function at peak efficiency in order for the restaurant to achieve its potential success:
– Operations. This includes all of the functions that are required to prepare and serve your products every day, and includes activity in the kitchen, dining room, and bar.
– Financial. This involves the handling of the cash, accounting, payroll, cost control, and operational expenses.
– Marketing. You can have the greatest restaurant in the world, but if no one knows that you are there, then you plan on spending a lot of time alone. You need public relations, community involvement, advertising, and the projection of the correct image.
Providing adequate attention to these three areas means that the stage is set for your restaurant to fly without you, freeing you up to pursue additional opportunities. Don’t miss it.
LeaseQ is one of the leading providers of restaurant equipment leasing and financing in the country.