Restaurant management and follow-up

Running a restaurant is like running any other business, but with its own particularities. Good day-to-day management can be complicated in the long term. The key to success: comprehensive management and impeccable follow-up. There are many effective solutions available to you, as well as software and applications.

What is good restaurant management?

The restaurant industry is subject to specific regulations, particularly from a safety and food hygiene perspective. First and foremost, the success of perfect management and monitoring lies in the application of HACCP standards. This term stands for “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points,” which enables vigilance by identifying steps where there is a risk of contamination.

The seven principles of the HACCP system are as follows:

Hazard analysis
Determination of critical control points (the well-known CCPs: Critical Control Points)
Establishment of critical limits
Implementation of a monitoring system for control measures at CCPs
Determination of corrective actions to be implemented when a given CCP fails
Application of verification procedures to confirm that the HACCP system is working effectively
Maintaining documentation where all procedures and records related to these principles and their implementation are kept (traceability)

Secondly, proper restaurant management involves effective stock control. Inventory must be closely monitored so that all products are recorded and classified through stock sheets. Regular checks between theoretical and actual stock are essential. A regular inventory of your stock will allow you to:

Avoid waste
Prevent shortages and ensure you can meet demand
Avoid lost sales
Avoid tying up working capital

In parallel, establishing a detailed purchasing procedure and managing your relationships with suppliers will significantly impact the optimization of your economat. Depending on the size of your restaurant, recruiting or training a stock controller responsible for procurement and stock levels will ensure rigor and flawless monitoring. This key role can also improve your establishment’s profitability by negotiating the best quality/price ratio with suppliers.

Finally, focus on payment processing, as it is closely linked to revenue. It has been proven that fast and convenient payment will positively impact the customer experience and your service staff. They will have more time to focus on service. A comprehensive commerce platform such as Lightspeed is also recommended. It will help you manage your establishment’s operations by providing better analytics. You’ll have real-time insights into what’s happening. With detailed reports on all your sales and dishes (the best sellers and those that are less popular), you can consult with the chef and make necessary adjustments to your menu if needed. An intuitive software will also reduce the risk of order errors and increase your profit margin.

Our best practices

It is clear that technology is changing the way we work and can be a real lever for managing, personalizing, and automating workflows.

To facilitate the implementation of your food safety plan within your establishment, you can use customizable tools such as the E-pack hygiène. These tools simplify HACCP procedures and enhance food traceability.

There are also stock management tools that can be used alongside to anticipate production based on your recipe sheets. These tools allow you to:

Digitalize your product price lists
Calculate profitability for each recipe
Generate supplier orders based on planned production
Manage and value your stock from an accounting perspective by analyzing stock turnover rates and flow times

Additionally, many applications have emerged in recent years, such as Too Good To Go, which connects food businesses with consumers to offer unsold goods at reduced prices and fight food waste. This digital solution can, to some extent, optimize perishable food stocks. Similarly, apps that manage click-and-collect services are also becoming more common.

Finally, many POS systems now exist that can sync with your stock management tools. You can also integrate your table layout, reservation lists, customer profiles, and loyalty programs. It’s recommended to ensure that the POS software you choose is compatible with your existing equipment, especially your Electronic Payment Terminal (EPT).

The company Sunday offers a solution connected to your POS system that allows customers to pay directly via their phones using a QR code, with the ability to split the bill as they wish and leave a tip for your staff.

Don’t hesitate to ask your vendors for training for your team. They can provide valuable advice on using all the features of their tools effectively.

The support we offer you

Quality management and monitoring is an essential step in maintaining your establishment’s service standards over the long term. That’s why, in addition to technological tools, it’s important for our team to offer our customers high-quality, personalized follow-up throughout the season.

The Ducasse Conseil project team will visit your restaurant a few months after it has reopened and launched new recipes, to observe the service and kitchen and analyze the overall customer experience. Following this observation work, the chef consultant will give you all the recommendations you need to implement corrective actions and perfect the customer experience.

You’ll have all the keys you need for perfect management and monitoring of your establishment.

Have a project in mind?