Use Restaurant Management Resources to Your Advantage

By Jose L Riesco

Management in general is a multifaceted approach. You must be able to oversee all elements of the business and have a general ability to do every task beneath you. Ideally, you should have some experience in actually doing each one of the jobs over which you have responsibility, but if not you must be able to step in at a moment's notice. In the food industry, a managerial role is even more complicated and restaurant management resources are well researched.

When you have overall responsibility in a food and beverage position, you must understand that you have many additional responsibilities that you might not ordinarily expect to find in the business world. If you are in overall command of the entire organization you allocate time to projects, staffing, logistics, marketing, finances and a whole host of other areas beneath. This can sometimes be overwhelming, but restaurant management resources are available to help you get everything in a proper perspective.

Product related costs can be some of the most challenging for anyone in restaurant management. This will normally decide whether you make a good profit or operate at a loss and you need to be sure that correct portions are allocated and that you receive the supplies on time. Don't rely on employees beneath you to have the same perspective as it is not their responsibility to ensure that cost management is adhered to. It is up to you to set strict guidelines for them.

A busy restaurant will set its own challenges with regard to the handling of food and drink, but a whole host of other products and supplies are essential to the smooth running of the operation. If only one small item is out of place, it can have a significant effect. Ensure that restaurant management resources cover adequate inventory control and the staff understand how important it is to be frugal with product usage and that you should neither be overstocked nor under stock.

Time management is crucial for managers at all levels and if you're in charge of an eatery, this is especially so. One of your biggest challenges will be coping with problems that come up on a regular basis and there will be many of them. You will have to be skilled at putting out fires and somehow building this time into your already busy schedule appropriately.

Remember, that even though you will be pulled in all directions as the owner and manager of a restaurant, you must still be efficient. Whatever programs and projects you have opened, must be completed and one of the biggest skills you learn will be the art of delegation. Never be a micromanage, but always be willing to allocate tasks accordingly.

One of the more important things that you can do when you are starting out as a restaurant owner or manager is to make sure that you spend particular emphasis at the outset in selecting the right staff. The business will rise or fall according to the quality and ability of your staff, as when the chips are down, you will have to rely on them to work on their own initiative from time to time.

When you are starting out in the food business, you really need to seek out as many restaurant management resources as you can to help you focus. Turn to those who have been there before you, to help you to prioritize. - 29954

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