Business can be very hard and stressful. Starting a business is daunting; sustaining it more so. So many businesses crash due to unexpected problems or limitations, and the same fate has befallen many restaurants. Restaurateurs have to be visionary, understand their marketplace and adjust accordingly.
For example, Bazinga Cafe was struggling and couldn’t figure out why. The place was small, and cute had a fun theme and was providing good food.
They hired A2Z Restaurant Consulting who changed the name to Big Bang Burger NYC. They changed the menu, and the decor, and made some changes to the kitchen process. In their first 2 weeks after relaunch — according to the owners — sales increased by 5x’s their best sales week previously.
Yes, opening a restaurant can be very tasking. Some who have ventured into the restaurant business have experienced failures due to: inaccessible locations, poor restaurant management, and even food that doesn’t meet up with the expected taste of customers. After all, customers are fickle — they can love you one minute and then with the slightest thing write you off.
To prevent mistakes that new restaurateurs make, event, it is imperative and very advisable to get a restaurant consultant from a very reliable consulting firm. They’re not cheap, but there is a reason for that — they can help you be profitable, so what it that worth?
What A Restaurant Consulting Firm Does
What is a restaurant consultant?
A consultant is a professional adviser that works as an advocate for their clients, finding the flaws and helping them to achieve better results. Restaurant consultants help to realign menus, operations, branding, and promotion. Even POS systems, decor, and staffing.
See more about restaurant consultant services here.
They also help to provide professional knowledge and expertise, drawing from their experience. Consultants also streamline processes and better use resources that can help improve performance.
Advice, vision, and education are key elements of what a restaurant consultant brings to its clients. Moreover, they tell you what you need to know, not only what you want to know.
A consultant educates you on how to commercialize your idea into a well-thought-out business plan. They educate you on ways to grow your business and reduce costs. They also advise you on how to manage your funds to curb mismanagement and common mistakes.
Finding a perfect location
Customers won’t come to your restaurant if it has a poor location. No customer has the time to try locating an inaccessible area. However, a consultant can help find a perfect and accessible location for your restaurant by doing a feel dive research and feasibility study. You can have a great concept and a great location that doesn’t fit one another. So you need both
Providing excellent customer services
A consultant will ensure that your venue provides the best services to customers. They will even devise the operating handbook for your staff. First impressions they say leave a lasting impression. When a customer is treated well, they would love to come back to your restaurant more often because of the good services rendered. A consulting firm can help you find and train the right staff to achieve the high standard you should want to reach.
Branding
A restaurant consultant also assists in branding and design. Most times, the branding of a company is its identity, the image that will be remembered about it, and one that will be memorable. When a restaurant has the right logo, name, signage, and interior, customers remember it better and are attracted to it, and sometimes”fall in love” and want to return and bring their friends.
Management of funds
It may seem like business 101, but poor management of funds can crash a restaurant in no time. Spending too much on staff, on food, and not pricing food accordingly can sink a restaurant. The devil is in the details.
To run a restaurant successfully, you should be able to spend money wisely. With the help of a consultant, you can balance the amount of money being spent and earned.
Organization
A lack of organization in a restaurant can lead to endless problems. However, the consultant helps in scheduling inventory, staff, and negotiating down vendor contracts — all to squeeze out the highest profits and productivity. They can also help you to organize your cash flow chart. A strong process is paramount.
When hiring a consulting firm, be sure to review what they’ve done, and get their insights into your business. The right consultant can make you successful, the wrong one can take any bad situation and make it worse.