Is it time to change your menu? Some establishments choose to change the menu seasonally, others monthly, and others irregularly. In many instances, change consists of incorporating new limited-time offers. Here are some important menu factors to keep your restaurant competitive and increase your profit margin:

Does your menu lack variety when compared to your competitors? Consider adding any specific items that competitors successfully offer that are not part of your menu. If you can develop dishes that compare to competitors signatures, you may be able to draw in some of their customers.

Is there a menu item that we should have but don’t that is key to our concept? Explore the menus of other establishments that serve your cuisine. Are they offering ethnic dishes that would fit well with the theme of your menu? With the new emphasis on health in dining, maybe it’s time to expand your offerings of lighter fare.

Once you’ve decided what menu changes are necessary, it’s important to take into account operational considerations that can make the change easier and more profitable.

-Will your kitchen equipment be appropriate for the new items?

-Does the new menu item follow a similar prep process to items you already prepare?

-Does execution require special steps that will slow down your kitchen?

-Will the new item require any special ingredients not currently purchased?

When it comes time to put the changes in print, Serv-U offers menu jackets and high quality menu paper in a variety of designs. If you are testing out special, limited-time offers, menu clips are a great option to debut the selection to your customers. Menu development is an important process—positive changes will impress your customers and generate growth to your bottom line. 

A new wave of healthy habits inspired by holiday overindulgence and New Year’s resolutions sweeps the nation each January. Diet season is in full swing, something that many in the foodservice industry see as a customer deterrent. The key to drawing the crowds to your door during this time of year is catering to their calorie counting. Here are some tips on restaurant equipment to rev up your post-holiday profits.

Salads are an obvious menu selection for those with a health-conscious New Year’s resolution. Take advantage of this by incorporating a salad bar into the flow of your restaurant and advertising the healthy selection available. Mobile food and salad bars are an eye-catching addition to attract customers. If a stand-alone food bar seems like a design challenge, Serv-U also offers a variety of tabletop food bars. Portable buffet bars allow for easy loading and unloading.

Stock your salad bar with insulated drop-in ice pans to keep the produce crisp and appetizing. These pans can be frozen overnight for ease of service. The technique keeps pre-chilled product at or below 40 degrees for 8 hours. Toppings and dressings can be stocked in round food storage crocks on the salad bar. The crocks are both freezer and dishwasher safe.

For another profit-boost during the diet season, have your chef create an in-house dressing that can be marketed as a special low-calorie option. Placing a cold crock of the homemade dressing at the end of the salad bar decreases your food costs so you can profit from post-holiday health consciousness.

Salads prepared with kitchen equipment behind the scenes and served as entrees can be profitable in a fine dining environment. While a self-serve bar is the ultimate labor-saving route, a chef-prepared salad takes fewer ingredients and energy than many other menu items, thus increasing your profit margin.

By stocking up on salad bowls, tongs and serving accessories, you can turn salad season into a profitable period for your restaurant.

How much money is your bar leaving on the table? For the bar owner, over pouring of liquor with a free flow pour can result in a huge loss in revenue. Today we are going to discuss one low cost change that you can make which has the potential to increase consistency and profit; that change is adding measured pours. Let’s quickly review the numbers pouring from a measured 1 oz shot out of a one liter bottle:

When you reduce over pouring with a measured spout you can increase the number of drinks the bartender can serve by an additional two to four drinks per bottle. Considering the average number of liquor bottles in a bar, the impact using a measured pour spout will have on long term profitability is easy to see.

In addition to the revenue increase, you are increasing the quality of your customer service by ensuring that each customer is treated equally and consistently on every drink. The drinks won’t be too weak one night and too strong the next. This will hold true on busy nights when the staff can’t pay as close of attention as they normally do or on the first night of a new bartender.

You can find measured pours here at Serv-U in the bar supplies section and are available in a wide range of measurement sizes, colors, and collared & uncollared. If you have addition questions, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or click the picture of the customer service representative at the top left corner of each page of the site to launch a live chat.

Who knew that a menu could control your thoughts?  It turns out that it can, in a way.  It can be used to suggest items, and often, the suggestive power of a carefully crafted menu actually works.  A blog on the Baltimore Sun’s site examines the power of menus to lead customers to exactly the items the chef hopes they’ll order.  One of the sources for the post is an in-depth look at menu design by Restaurants USA from 2000, no less relevant today.  Both are an interesting read, and in the end, you can see how this kind of “mind manipulation” is actually a win for both parties.  The chef highlights the signature dish or the dishes with the highest profit margin, and the customer gets a menu that is attractive, easy-to-read, and acts as a guide in the decision-making process.

According to Restaurants USA, the average increase in revenue from a menu redesign is between 2 and 10 percent.  That in itself might just be reason enough to give your menus a second look.  Feeling inspired?  Take a look at all the menu-making options available at Serv-U, and if you’re thinking of adding food photography to your new menus, make sure to dress up each dish with attractive plating, from melamine dinnerware to fine china plates.  Questions?  Just call us at 800-797-3788 or click the picture of the customer service representative at the top left corner of each page of the site.

Looking for ways to improve your bottom line?  One oft-overlooked and perennially important area of money management is the prevention of employee theft.  QSRMagazine’s website is currently featuring a helpful article on the topic, and the article makes some important distinctions.  For example, not all employee theft is straightforward and malicious.  In fact, such activities as throwing out things that could be saved or reused—are a sign that an employee simply isn’t clear on some of your policies.  Discussion of what constitutes stealing is essential to curbing it, as is an explanation of how theft of all kinds affects the business and all of the staff.

Besides regular training and discussions, there are tools to help monitor losses—from bar inventory scales to office depository safes and security cameras.  What methods do you use to prevent employee theft?

Today, a quick roundup of some extreme restaurant marketing in the news lately:

1)    An upscale NY eatery is giving away meals to promote its new menu choices.  (As we noted in a blog post last week, reworking your restaurant’s menu can be a margin-boosting decision.)

2)    T.G.I. Friday’s is offering a “buy one, get one free” deal.

3)    For the savvy eater, some UK restaurants offer coupons online.

4)    Even Starbucks is adding “value meals” to their menu.  (Ok, maybe that’s been done before and doesn’t really qualify as “extreme,” but Starbucks?  Really?)

5)    So-called “occasional” restaurants are popping up.  Many make regular changes to their décor or implement other near-theatrical gestures that they claim draw diners for the “adventure.”

Add your own ideas for "extreme" restaurant marketing in the comments section below!

To wrap up our series of blog posts about improving your bottom line, I’d like to cover a few extra ways to save your business money—and increase your profits.  One is through creative menu-making.  With food costs in flux, many restaurateurs are finding this to be a good time to rework their menus, featuring high-profit and value-oriented items in the most eye-catching locations.  Changes in menu offerings and prices often lead to renewed customer interest and higher profits.  Rather than outsource your menu-making, though, make your own menus with quality menu paper and protective menu jackets.  Making your own menus also allows you complete control over the finished product.  If you’re looking for a way to offer seasonal items or daily specials, consider inexpensive table tents; use them to keep your food inventory in check and reduce spoilage.  Write-on signs are another good choice for featuring a particular dish for a limited time.

Besides revamping your menu, it’s always a good time to reenergize your employees.  The foodservice industry isn’t suffering the labor shortages more common in years past, but it is still important to invest in keeping your managers, cooks, and wait staff at the top of their game.  An essential tool in brushing up on skills or retraining staff is a collection of specialized foodservice training books and manuals.  In fact, with “poor service” often named the #1 consumer complaint about dining out, training your staff to offer the best service possible is a way to differentiate yourself from your competition.

You can give new life to your seating, too, with replacement furniture parts.  In these economic times, it is often more cost-effective to replace the necessary parts rather than purchase new.  For example, a barstool with a worn seat can get a fresh look with a slip-on seat cover—at a fraction of the cost of new furniture.  Even if you’d just like to test out a new décor, barstool covers and replacement seats allow you to make the transformation at a minimal cost.  At Serv-U, we carry replacement seats for wood furniture, upholstered seats for metal barstools, barstool swivels, slip-on barstool covers, metal barstool frames, chair glides, table base plates and columns, and even upholstery by the yard.

Of course, there are times when you need new furniture.  After all, your dining area needs to be comfortable, inviting, and up-to-date for your guests.  For new restaurant furniture, you can count on Serv-U to supply you with top-quality chairs, barstools, booths, and tables at factory-direct prices.  For the best quality furniture for the price, look for Serv-U Furniture in our catalog and online.  Many styles are in-stock for immediate shipment, and our sales staff is very well versed on the details of our furniture; just call 800-797-3788 to have any questions answered.  We also have complete turnkey services if you are considering a remodeled kitchen or dining area; for details, call 800-797-3788.

In these economic times, security is critical.  Be sure that you protect your hard earned profits by using a heavy duty safe.  Depository safes allow employees to make quick and easy deposits without access to the inside of the safe.  If you have any more money-saving tips or if you have tried any of the above ideas successfully, email your stories to us at servusales@servu-online.com and we will add them to this blog.  Thank you for your patronage.

    Most businesses review expenses on a regular basis.  Serv-U reviews expenses annually, quarterly and monthly.  One of the reoccurring topics at our annual meeting is evaluating the cost and benefits of outsourcing services.  Most small to medium businesses tend to remove as many outside services as possible and manage them within the organization.  Here are a few outside services that may be cost effective to bring in-house for a foodservice operation.

      Cleaning your own establishment may be cost effective and requires little training or up front cost.  If you have extensive cleaning requirements that you are outsourcing, you may be able to reduce the level of service from your janitorial service company and bring easier tasks in house.  General cleaning, such as floors, surfaces and bathrooms require minimal training, labor and equipment costs.  Mopping equipment is a little over $100 for mops, a bucket, chemicals, and signage. The initial cost of a commercial vacuum is between $200 - $300.  Bathroom supplies, pails, towels and chemicals are all inexpensive.  If more extensive services are to be outsourced, floor buffers, traffic mats, anti-fatigue mats, and kitchen apparel can all be cleaned in house.  Bringing janitorial services in-house was on Serv-U’s list two years ago when we purchased a 65,000 square foot distribution center.  We now do all of our janitorial services in-house resulting in increased quality of cleaning, reduced costs by over $2,000 per year, and reduced building access and security risks.

      In recent years, over 50% of our local market has used knife sharpening services despite the high costs and low quality knives.  Many of those establishments use the services because they need sharp knives, but don’t have the time to sharpen the knives on a regular basis.  I have many customers switching back to in-house knife sharpening to reduce expenses.  Most respond with positive results, specifically discussing how easy it actually is with better knife sharpening technology and the benefits of having better quality knives.  The knife sharpener costs range from $200 - $400.  Knife prices have a large range of costs depending on steel quality and grips.  Please review the link below from Edlund for an actual case study.  The EDLZ-0401 was used in the study and features an accurate knife guidance system for easier usage.

      Beer line cleaning is a must to ensure food safety and beer quality.  Beer line cleaning pumps cost $350 - $450 depending on the length of beer lines.  Beer line cleaner is less than $10 per bottle.  Pumps transfer beer line clear in and out of the lines and come complete with quick disconnect hoses.  Most bars can clean their lines in about an hour and save on cleaning services.

    Finding ways to reduce outside services not only reduces cots, but allows you control of the quality of services being performed.  Many of these services can be replaced with low equipment costs, minimal training and low cost labor requirements.  If you have any tips or if you have tried any of the above ideas successfully, email your stories to us at servusales@servu-online.com and we will add them to this blog.  Thank you for your patronage.

Sincerely,

Chad Hemming

Vice President of Marketing


Additional Links:

Edlund: Knife Sharpeners vs Knife Sharpening Services

    Besides food waste, an issue that is top-of-mind for many restaurateurs is their labor expense.  Warewashing is one area where many foodservice operators can reduce labor costs with fairly minimal investment.  Adding a glass washer to your bar sink saves labor in several ways.  First, the glasses don’t need to be racked and moved to a dishwasher; eliminating this step also reduces breakage.  Then there’s the benefit of cleaner glasses and fewer returned drinks with dried-on lipstick or food pulp.  That’s because the bar sink glass washer’s brushes scrub off food and lipstick residue more effectively than undercounter glass washers—and at a fraction of the cost of a large warewasher.  Besides saving on labor, glass washers are easy to install, fitting into most bar sinks and requiring no special plumbing or electrical hook-ups.

    In some cases, of course, you need to use a larger upright or undercounter warewasher.  In those instances, you can realize savings simply by upgrading your glass racks.  Carlisle’s Opticlean Newave TM glass racks have all the durability of standard glass racks, but they hold 20% more glassware.  That means fewer loads are necessary, and that saves you money on the labor, detergent, and water/electrical costs of running the dish washer.  The curved design of the Newave TM glass racks also holds the most popular sizes more securely than standard racks, reducing breakage.  To find out if a Newave TM glass rack will fit your glassware, give your Serv-U sales associate a call at 1-800-797-3788.  For standard glass racks, just locate your glassware here on www.servu-online.com by using the search function in the top left corner of the screen.  The matching glass rack will be listed as an accessory at the bottom of your glassware’s product page.  Getting the best glass rack for your drinkware is important to reducing mechanical shock and breakage, so don’t hesitate to call with questions.

    For a relatively small investment in a quality food prep machine, your kitchen can prep food at 3 to 5 times the rate of hand cutting fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and meats.  You’re also assured consistent, professional-looking cuts every time without all the wear and tear on your hands.  While automatic machines are available, manual food prep machines work very well at a fraction of the cost.  Many machines even perform multiple tasks.  A great example of this is the King Kutter TM (REDK-6003 and REDK-6004); for just $113, you get a manual food prep machine that can shred, string, julienne, grate, slice, and chop fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.  And there’s a machine for just about any task.  A quality wedger can be had for under $200, and can be used to wedge potatoes, lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and more.  There are some automatic food prep machines that require a larger up-front investment, but carry significant advantages, such as a potato/vegetable peeler (the UVXK-1000, $1340).  It has a 20-lb capacity, and peels vegetables faster than by hand and with little waste, great for high-volume peeling.  Similarly, for some applications, only a high quality food processor will do.  Though they run between $900-$1500, plus blades, food processors work extremely quickly and effectively on all manner of food product.

    Most diners never see the back-of-the house, but that’s where you can make strategic investments to achieve more consistent plates and better labor efficiency.  Investments in glass washers, glass racks, and food prep machines can all bolster your restaurant’s bottom line.  For more information about the benefits of these items, see our additional links below.

Additional Links:

Bar Maid: Why Glass Washers?

Are your diners cutting back on “luxury” foods?  That would be a shame, especially with dining out itself becoming more of a luxury for some Americans.  But there is one traditionally higher-end food item that has managed to avoid skyrocketing prices: lobster.

Newsweek reports that the price of Maine lobster has effectively withstood the tougher economy.  If you’ve been reluctant to increase your menu prices, this could mean a better margin with lobster than some other dishes.  For ideas to add lobster to your menu, try searching the food blogs in our blogroll.  (If nothing else, you’ll get caught up on food gossip and get creative ideas for other dishes!)

If lobster just won’t do, there’s another simple way to save money on food: grow your own.  Of course, there’s only so much you can do, but as a restaurant blog on Allbusiness.com points out, “A simple task- harvesting our [own] tomatoes, cutting basil from a garden, snipping mint from a window box, or plucking squash flowers from those zucchini vines can often add more joy to the day- both for yourself, and your customer- than you would imagine.”

If not for profit, then why not start a little herb garden for “joy?”  The author also rightly points out that many budding chefs are starting to use home-grown ingredients in their restaurants, a sign that this trend may be here to stay.