http://www.profitablehospitality.com Your hospitality and restaurant management goldmine | ProfitableHospitality.com en-us webmaster@profitablehospitality.com http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1613.cfm If you're tired of all the talk about 'tough times' (even if sales are down), let's focus on the many advantages you have in your local area, or because of your independence. Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1611.cfm If you're accountable for the performance of a food operation, you need to know all about how the kitchen works and move in that space confidently and without apology. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1604.cfm Customers are ever-more suspicious of hype, and can learn a lot about your business before they even visit. Consumers find the 'real business' of hospitality endlessly fascinating, so give them information to feast on. Leave the hype and BS to your competitors. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1603.cfm There's a batch of new skills needed by modern managers, plus better ways of handling the essentials: sales, staffing and expenses. Here are some of the key qualities that take a manager from just a 'supervisor with keys' to someone with a bright future. Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1602.cfm Whether it's wine, beer, spirits, juice, coffee or soft-drinks, there are plenty of ways to check and improve the performance and profit-margins of beverage sales. Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1600.cfm Ever had your staff talk and act like spoilt children? Understanding 'the games people play' at work (often unconsciously) can be a key to improving relationships and reducing stress. It applies to all ages, not just teens and twenties. Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1599.cfm The key to increasing mid-week trade is to create a special reason to visit. Not just because the food and drinks are cheap, but because the value is fantastic or we get 'special treatment' that's not available on busy Friday and Saturday. Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1598.cfm A tough economy can make us act in risky ways, especially around price and value. Make sure these two fundamental errors don't undercut the profit strength of your entire menu or beverage list. Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1594.cfm One of the most powerful KPIs is the exact value of Sales per Customers - the Per-Head Spend. But many operators only make an 'educated guess' and fail to identify critical weaknesses. Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1584.cfm Sometimes a single figure reveals a fresh insight about how your business is performing. Everyone reads basic POS results and 'Z' totals, but here are some others that can be obtained with a little more digging - the potential for improvement may be surprising. Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/members/1585.cfm The latest training tips and methods for hotel, restaurant, cafe, culinary, club, bar & waiter trainers and educators. Links to useful training sites, culinary resources, food & beverage information, chef training, waiter training and online training. Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/members/832.cfm The service is becoming much better known, but most people don't know about these 'insider methods' for finding new business and sales opportunities - check these 10 great examples - easy to setup and use. Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1582.cfm Good talent is always hard to find. But they're out there, and you need to use the most effective ways to find and attract them. Double-check your recruitment processes so you don't miss out when there's a job vacancy. Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/members/810.cfm Here are promotions, menu suggestions and a raft of ideas to make this a marketing event that doesn't just fill seats but also creates a new, regular and loyal clientele throughout the year. There are also great ideas for including all the singles - no-one needs to feel left out! Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1579.cfm Seriously - can we talk? Two techy things that bale up so many people and cause lots of grief - the first one is annoying to you, and second annoys lots of other people, including customers who want to give you money. Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1578.cfm Rising food, fuel and energy prices. Plus endless political arguments - they all make operators and customers anxious. Start the year with a focus on 2 key areas: direct supply costs and the customer experience. Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1575.cfm It's been a challenging year, and you've tried to keep smiling while customers feel nervous and uncertain. There are many ways to 'build in the fun' so it doesn't depend on having a comedian at the bar. Sun, 16 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1574.cfm Most people who commit fraud against their employer are not career criminals. The vast majority are trusted staff who have no criminal history and don't even consider themselves lawbreakers. So how does the problem arise? Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1568.cfm Are your functions and event offers designed for tight budgets? Easier, shorter and better value are the words that make customers happy - use this checklist to rework your offer for a much more competitive market. Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1565.cfm When money's tight, nothing should stop a customer making a purchase. But sometimes we make it hard for them - now's the time to remove any bumps or irritations that stop people spending whenever they want to. Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1564.cfm The challenge is to keep up with new information, time pressure, demanding customers and constant communication. Here's my list of tools that keep Profitable Hospitality efficient and on top of a fast-changing industry - how many will you find useful? Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1555.cfm To fix cost problems, you need figures that are easy to find, easy to interpret, and make sense to the people they affect. Managers need them to benchmark rostering and hiring decisions. Staff need to understand the productivity that's expected, and how they contribute to the business. Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/members/1556.cfm These days, everyone's a critic and there's no escaping online comments on review sites and social media. Use these sample responses to give firm and prompt replies to criticism and feedback - you will gain the respect of staff and customers. Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1551.cfm You've got a business and staff to protect. There are many opinions, plus legal and leadership issues, but the problem will arise and managers can't avoid handling it. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1548.cfm Even with high unemployment, the supply of qualified workers is limited. Do you interview applicants you once ignored? They need more coaching and supervision - an added responsibility for middle managers. Clearly written systems and diagrams are essential. Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1547.cfm We asked a bunch of members for their 'instant facelift' ideas and received some great suggestions. Most cost time, not money, with an extra serve of energy. Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1542.cfm Downtime is when staff cost nothing for the extra tasks you give them. That time of the day or week when you're fully staffed but there's a shortage of guests. How can you make it more productive? Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1540.cfm Before you go spending on expensive promotion, check that you've covered all the small, personal promotional items within your 4 walls. You could double your business if everyone came back at least once! Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1534.cfm What happened to the lunchtime customers? They're stilll around, but their needs have changed. Here are the core strategies from smart operators we've talked to in the last 12 months. Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1532.cfm Most customers don't think of price first. Step One is deciding on an area/type of food or bar/theme etc, then for Step Two they start checking the details. Value is a combination of Quality, Quantity, Convenience and Price - make sure your offers tick all 4 boxes. Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1531.cfm Quieter times can be an opportunity for managers to improve their skills in key areas of staff management. Use this list as your Agenda for improvement. Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1530.cfm One of the main problems with waste control is the lack of useful data to know where the main problems lie. If you want to reduce waste, check these pressure points to see where improvement is needed. Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1528.cfm No-one wants good staff leaving, but if it's going to happen, let's make sure it's organised and with plenty of notice. They're more likely to do it the right way if they know what you want. Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1524.cfm It's time for a shake-up - start a quick campaign to reduce costs and boost efficiency. Staff are expecting the boss to take this seriously, so strike when there's an opportunity (like bad economic news) and eliminate lazy ways, waste and inefficiency. Mon, 20 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1477.cfm How you handle their spoken or unspoken questions will either strengthen the relationship or undermine it. There's plenty to worry about in the economy - your warmth and honesty will be very welcome. Mon, 30 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1328.cfm As well as staff training, we need 'customer training': firm and friendly guidance so they're less unreasonable or forgetful. Be too firm and they go elsewhere; be too soft and you're running a zoo. Sun, 22 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1305.cfm Good managers aren't usually walking the streets looking for work, and there's a lot you can do internally to raise the skills and standard of your existing supervisors, chefs and managers. Sun, 15 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1304.cfm If your sales have been battered by discounting, now's the time for some careful rebuilding of menu and service prices. But if you just chase (and attract) people who want the cheapest, this article is not for you! Sun, 08 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1297.cfm Given the rivers of cash that flow through most bars, hotels and restaurants, it's surprising how weak the internal controls are, expecially with small operators. Use this list for a quick audit of your systems. Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/members/1301.cfm In the southern hemisphere, July is cold, and 'Christmas in July' is growing in popularity. It can provide a good boost to a month that's often quiet. Christmas decorations, music and food arouse strong, positive emotions for many of your customers - have fun with this. Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/members/1233.cfm Learn first-hand from interviews, stories and examples of food trucks on the road - satisfying customers, handling competition, making good food, coping with the weather and dealing with food safety, hygiene and zoning regulations. Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1294.cfm Customers want fresh, not stale; happy, not gloomy...right now we all need to find new angles to keep a smile on people's faces. Here's an easy method that works every week. Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1283.cfm How can you use the current downturn to make permanent improvements in the way you manage your people? A crisis can be an opportunity to make big changes - don't waste the opportunity! Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1289.cfm hold_ tease c Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1288.cfm hold_ tease c Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1287.cfm hold_ tease c Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1280.cfm With smart 'future-watching', you can adjust capacity to reflect the level of expected business. When you avoid surplus staff and unnecessary preparation, profits will increase considerably. Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/893.cfm In November and December some businesses do 30% of their sales for the year. Here are 12 great ways to use the season to boost sales and grow your customer base. Many of the people who enjoyed parties and events with you will come back in the new year. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1278.cfm Look around: most of your customers use Facebook for personal communication, so being in the middle of them online makes a huge amount of sense. Recent design and feature changes allow you to get even more out of the site, and closer to your customers. Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:00 -08 http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/1276.cfm Tough regulations and the employer's Duty of Care are here to stay. If you're doing the right thing, let's take advantage of your hard work and standout from competitors who are trailing behind. Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 -08