How Successful Brands are Streamlining Operations to Create Efficiencies

Faster service. More attentive staff. Lower costs. 

Every restaurant today is searching for ways to do even more with what they have. 

Unfortunately, your staff can’t grow more hands or add more hours to the day, but there’s ways you can be more efficient without adding additional labor. 

We’re diving into some of the strategies successful brands are using to create efficiencies that create value and impact the bottom line.

Simplify Your Menu 

One of the bigger undertakings you can to do streamline your operations is take a hard look at your menu. Searching for things like reducing the number of items, optimize specials and sharing common ingredients can have a huge impact on how your restaurant functions. 

It’s a big endeavor, but it comes with big benefits: it can save on food cost, it’s easier on the kitchen staff and makes your back-of-house operations more efficient. 

Chuy’s recently went through this process. They had ballooned to “100 different restaurants with 100 different daily specials,” and their regular menu was over 50 items. They whittled that down to 42 and reduced their limited-time offerings to around 3 at a time. They’re also trying to use the fry station less to improve the back-of-house flow, and they’re reporting that this more focused menu is performing well. 

Improve Server Flow

A front-of-house tactic brands are employing is looking at how servers move throughout the restaurant. Remapping sections to optimize layouts, evaluating what tables servers handle and even moving table placement are all ways to make it easier for servers to service guests. 

BJ’s is deploying this method as a part of its initiative to improve pace and raise the level of service. They’ve found with this model that servers can handle more tables, managers are freed up to interact with guests and table turn was improved. They’ve found that pace and throughput are directly connected to driving top-line sales, and this initiative is doing just that. 

Adding Technology

Restaurant technology can be a game-changer when it comes to making your restaurant more efficient. Simply providing servers a handheld tablet or adding a table tablet can save time instead of running to the POS, help them cover more tables and turn tables quicker. 

Yes, it’s an investment, but it usually pays for itself in the long run.

Outback is putting technology to work for them in an effort to create substantial growth. They’re rolling out tech investments like server tablets as a way to consistently deliver great food and service to drive same-store sales growth, and they expect to build on those investments in the coming quarters. 

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Technology Can Do So Much More

Ordering and payments are just the beginning of how restaurant technology can help create operational efficiencies. Table tablets can encourage loyalty, promote LTOs and specials, even unlock new revenue streams during the payment process when guests are most engaged. Benefits like this are what truly sets Ziosk apart. 

Ziosk can also help create even more efficiencies. Drop & Pay eliminates much of the wasted steps and waiting involved in the traditional payment process. When it’s time to pay, servers simply leave the handheld tablet with the guests, allowing them the privacy to review the bill, pay, take a survey and can even sign up for a loyalty program. The server doesn’t need to be present – freeing them up to service other guests and turn the table faster. It’s a great example of how technology can help your staff do even more.  

So while your servers can’t break Olympic speed records, there’s a number of tactics you can put to work for you to streamline your operations and become more efficient.