Building systems is hard work, and it can be confusing to know where to start. Before you get into what systems would be helpful to build, here are some tips for ensuring that you’re organizing your team in the most effective way. Once you feel ready to set up systems to increase your restaurant's efficiency, lower costs, improve employee retention and customer satisfaction, and increase your profits, check out our post on Restaurant Systemization.
Top 10 Tips for Restaurant Systemization
Meet Your Employees Where They Are:
1. Understand Employee Preferences:
It’s natural to be averse to change, especially in your work environment. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re on the same page with your employees. Before making any decisions, take the time to understand how your employees currently perform their tasks and their preferences.
2. Open Communication:
Engaging in open and honest communication with your team not only encourages them to be part of the solution-finding process, it will also smooth over the transition process. Listen to their concerns, suggestions, and feedback regarding proposed changes, and involve them in discussions about how to improve existing practices.
Let Your Operation Shape Your System (Not the Other Way Around):
3. Adapt to Your Business Needs:
Create systems that align with the specific needs and dynamics of your restaurant. Your system should be flexible enough to accommodate the unique aspects of your operation.
4. Avoid Overcomplication:
Don't force your operation to fit a rigid system. Instead, design systems that enhance and streamline your existing processes without unnecessary complexity.
Build a System That Will Replace You:
5. Scalability:
Design systems that can be easily scaled and replicated. This ensures that your restaurant can function effectively, even if you can’t be physically in the building to manage them yourself.
6. Clear Documentation:
Document every aspect of your operation, from procedures to decision-making processes, so that someone else can step in and follow these guidelines.
7. Delegate Responsibility:
Assign specific roles and responsibilities to employees who can manage critical aspects of the business in your absence.
Put the Customer at the Center of Everything:
8. Customer-Centric Approach:
Make customer satisfaction a top priority. Build systems that prioritize consistent, high-quality customer experiences.
9. Feedback Mechanisms:
Establish feedback channels for customers to provide input and suggestions. Use this feedback to improve and refine your systems continually.
Focus on the Important Numbers:
10. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
Identify the most critical performance metrics for your restaurant, such as revenue, cost of goods sold (COGS), labor costs, and customer satisfaction. Focus on these KPIs, without getting distracted by overly complicated reporting. Use them to make informed decisions and adjustments to your systems.
Now jump into Restaurant Systems for actionable options for systemization!