Expert Tips to Improve Restaurant Facility Management

For a restaurant to run successfully, there must be certain facilities. Also, having these facilities is not enough because you need to manage them well.

Although the facilities in a restaurant will vary depending on what you offer, the most common ones are as follows:

• Kitchen
• Bar
• Service counter
•  Buffet room
• Lounge
•  Private dining
• Parking
• Washrooms

A restaurant can have a few to several of these facilities, depending on the type of service that it offers. For the business to run smoothly, you need to learn expert restaurant facility management.

But the question on any restaurant manager’s mind is: do you outsource some of the facility management or do everything in-house?

To answer this, we shall share a few expert tips to help you manage your restaurant.

You need an equipment maintenance program

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, so it is best to be prepared for breakdowns. If this happens, you want to be sure it will be addressed immediately so that the business does not stall.

When there is a need for repairs, do you have a written down procedure for what needs to happen? For instance, if an appliance breaks down in the kitchen, who does the kitchen staff report to.

Once a problem is reported, do you have a repair person in-house, or do you have to bring in a contractor to do the fixing?

If you have a person in-house who is experienced in fixing kitchen appliances, you just need to make the cost decisions. You also need to get the replacement parts if need be, and get the appliance is fixed.

If you have pre-qualified contractor, the contract should include how often should they come to check and maintain the equipment. Routine maintenance can prevent breakdowns.

However, even if there are breakdowns, as they will be inevitable sometime, there needs to be a proper flow of information on how to get back up.

There needs to be a clear chain including whom the breakdown is reported to, and who is the contact person in the contractor company.

You need to stay on top of the state of the restaurant equipment, too. For instance, know whether the chiller is still under warranty, and what to do so that you do not invalidate the warranty.

The same applies to the HVAC unit, grease traps, hood vents, and a good deal of other equipment.

Prioritize the customer service, and experience

When opening a restaurant, the image you have in mind is that of patrons seated, enjoying their foods and drinks.

However, for the food to be so great, there is a longer chain involved in making. The behind-the-scenes plays a big role to make the patrons happy.

You need to put deliberate measures in place to prioritize customer service and experience. For instance, the restaurant manager should check with the customers as they dine. It makes the patrons feel special and cared for. This is how many of them become return customers, as they feel a special bond to the restaurant.

This is also a good way to get feedback from your clients, as well as any issues that they might raise. If there are any complaints, address them immediately. Do this by politely listening and then reach a solution that is good for the patron and the restaurant.

To know how to serve the patrons better, you need to hear their thoughts. You could create a survey, which they can take online or offline by filling a simple questionnaire. Use the data you garner from your patrons to improve how you serve them.

Outsource facility services

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant industry continues to grow. This growth is good because it means more return on investment.

But it is also bad in a way, because as you scale up, the challenge of manpower creeps in. For instance, you will need an IT department, and it might be too costly to run one in-house. Therefore, outsourcing such services might make more economic sense.

Outsourcing HVAC, chiller, grease trap, IT, and handyman needs will actually save you money. It is going to free your human and financial resources, which you can deploy to the other parts of your business. The outsourced experts take care of the specialized needs.

Hiring in-house teams to help in the equipment maintenance and upkeep could be too costly. For instance, you would have to create the space for their workstations, and factor in their payment and other benefits.

Outsourcing makes more sense since the contractor deploys people on a need basis, and they are also responsible for their safety.

Even when you have in-house employees who can do some jobs, you still need to have pre-qualified contractors. If you find yourself in need of specialized services, you will have a ready list of companies that you can reach fast.

Also, outsourcing some restaurant facility services will save you the costs of equipment. Most jobs, including floor repair, chiller, HVAC, and other facilities require specialized tools to repair, and these cost a lot of money.

Outsource washroom facilities cleaning and maintenance. The restaurant toilets, including the installation and maintenance of handicapped restroom facilities, are best handled by Grand Natural specialists.

Always plan ahead

You need to plan for repairs, new equipment, and growth ahead of time. This means that you need to stay on top of the health of your kitchen, and other facilities' equipment.

When you anticipate the problems that might occur in the near future, nothing catches you unawares. You will replace the equipment that are due for replacement before they can completely die on you.

You are also able to foresee scenarios and come up with good responses. For instance, if the cooker fails one day, you need to know what you can do to get the patrons their food on time.

Conclusion

A successful restaurant business has many facilities, and all of them must be managed successfully. The failure of one can affect all the others.

As a manager, you have to practice these two important things - delegation and creating a rapport with your teams. The second one is outsourcing, instead of handling everything in-house.

Still on outsourcing, pre-qualifying two contractors for every maintenance need. That way, if one is not available, the second one will step in to do the job.