Running a restaurant is hard; this is not news to most people. It requires long hours, a lot of responsibility, and wearing many hats. You’ll find yourself being a chef, dishwasher, mechanic, accountant, customer service representative, advertiser, food photographer, designer, inventory expert, and manager, among other things. At times it will be totally manageable, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming. What do you do when it feels like your only option is running for cover?
Thankfully, you do have a few options to help you out. Here are just a couple:
- Take care of business – Get back to what matters most
As mentioned, running a successful restaurant does require wearing many hats, but getting bogged down by menial tasks shouldn’t be one of the things causing you stress. Find an assistant, software, or other technological solution to take some of the pressure off. Inventory management software can save you the trouble of manual ordering. Another person in the kitchen can help you fix appliances, prepare food, or clean up. Reachify can help empower you to take control of your restaurant’s phone system so that you can focus on what really matters – serving delicious food, creating memorable dining experiences, and growing your business.
- Minimize interruptions – Get your priorities straight
When you set a task for yourself as a restaurant owner, you will often be interrupted in various ways. Sometimes an employee will need help, sometimes you’ll need to fill in for someone who couldn’t come in to work, and sometimes you’ll need to put fires out (hopefully figuratively more often than literally). Unfortunately, often the outcome is that a lot of those interrupted jobs don’t get done. To minimize this, delegate responsibilities to others, set aside time for the tasks that only you can do, and trust your employees to handle themselves without your supervision. For example, one Reachify customer enjoyed a 40%+ increase in peak-hour revenue simply due to not pulling staff away from the food production line.
- Enhance the customer experience – Provide seamless service
When your responsibilities as a restaurant owner start piling up, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and struggle to provide the level of service your customers deserve. Because, like most businesses in the food industry, your restaurant is probably understaffed, so you are likely worried about having enough people to fill and take orders during peak times. You need to ensure that your staff has the time they need to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Make sure your staff is never doing menial things when rush meal times are coming up. Get ready for the rush of orders and use historical data to help predict what dishes you’ll need the most. Also, automating simple and common interactions allows for more time and better hospitality regarding conversations that cannot be automated.
- Stay ahead in a competitive industry – Embrace innovation for success
You might be wondering how innovation can possibly help reduce the stress you’re feeling rather than adding to it. Well, the restaurant industry is highly competitive and constantly evolving. To stay ahead of the curve and stand out from the crowd, it’s essential to embrace innovative solutions that enhance efficiency and improve the customer experience. According to a recent SoundHound study, 75% of customers expect most orders to be taken via technology. The good news is that most of the same cutting-edge technologies that allow you to get ahead also offer other benefits that help keep you and your staff on task.
- Take a break – Get away for a while
It sounds counterintuitive to leave your business when it needs you the most, but you run a very high risk of burnout if you don’t allow yourself a break. Find someone you trust to take over for you while you find a good work-life balance that is effective for you. Taking a break – even if it’s only for a day or two – can help remind you why you wanted to work in the food industry in the first place. You won’t regret it!
- Try Reachify – Bid your phone stresses a fond goodbye
Companies like Reachify offer call deflection services, which means you’ll be in control of what phone conversations you have. Let an automated system take over on simple calls that don’t require an employee, then say goodbye to missed calls and hello to a more streamlined and profitable business. Learn how Reachify can help with your phone automation issues here. But don’t just take our word for it; learn how others feel about Reachify by reading testimonials and case studies.
