The hospitality industry is famously competitive, with many new restaurants going under in their first year of business. Whether you’re in the process of starting a new restaurant or you’ve been running an established venue for years, it’s important that you keep on top of your business and try to avoid these classic mistakes wherever necessary:
Health and safety – Restaurants and hospitality venues are legally obliged to abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which stipulates the level of care they must provide for their staff and customers. Failing to take adequate health and safety measures could see your business shut down and result in compensation payouts for injury, amputation claims or even death. Always remember that kitchens are potentially hazardous working environments, so take the necessary measures to ensure that your staff are safe. Similarly, always follow safe food handling procedures to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and customer harm.
Not prioritising finances – With the hospitality industry experiencing rapid decline, it’s never been more important to keep on top of your finances as a restaurant owner. Despite this, you should never hold finance as your main priority. A profit-focused establishment is less likely to connect with customers than a friendly restaurant that provides top-quality service from the heart – by making sure that your food is delicious, your staff are happy, and your customer service is on point, you should see a natural positive correlation in profit.
Ignoring customer feedback – No matter the size of your business, customer feedback is an essential tool for growth and improvement. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in the hospitality industry is ignoring the feedback you receive from your patrons. While negative feedback can be hard to take, taking this on board is key if you want to keep customers happy, satisfied, and involved with your business. Take customer suggestions and adapt your service to accommodate these, whether that be lowering prices, adjusting portion sizes, or putting more sharing options on the menu to combat customers’ spending less.
Hiring the wrong team – Efficient hiring is a must in any business but hiring the wrong team can be particularly catastrophic in the hospitality trade. This is due to the fact that restaurants often rely on relatively small teams, who may have to work under stressful conditions in customer-facing roles. How well your chefs, hosts, and waiting staff work together can make or break your business and directly affect the culture and atmosphere of your restaurant dining room. By ensuring that you hire carefully, you should be able to make new employees feel welcome, reduce staff turnover and provide a superior standard of service.
