There are usually multiple issues within a restaurant that drives away customers and profits. Successful restaurant owners know when to call for help. They know that something or someone is out of control and they are unable to rein it in by themselves. A restaurant consultant can find the problem area or areas and help fix them. However, a restaurant consultant cannot fix a problem restaurant by themselves. They do not have superpowers or a magic wand. They bring vision, experience and viable ideas to the table but it is up to the owner to implement the changes for his or her restaurant to be successful.
Be Part of The Solution not the Problem!
Too many times an owner’s ego blinds them to the fact that they may be the problem of a failing restaurant. Sometimes genuine solutions, presented by the restaurant consultant, are never used because it involves a change in the owner’s way of management, so the restaurant stumbles down the path of failure and the owner now puts the blame on the consultant. As an owner with a problem restaurant you must be open to new solutions even if it may change the way you have been doing business for years. If the way you were doing business means that you are failing then why wouldn’t you change for the better? A good restaurant consultant is there to make you profitable not to make you look bad. It may be painful for you to hear some of the reasons why you are failing but you need a diagnosis before prescribing a cure. Listen to the problems from a neutral point of view and accept them as facts. Once you understand the problems the quicker you can provide solutions.
Focus on Your Solutions
You must remember that your restaurant consultant’s primary goal is to make you and your restaurant successful again. Sometimes the solutions can be hard for you to hear. For example, you may be asked to stay out of the dining area or kitchen to let your manager do the job they were hired for. They may ask you to fire a long term employee and friend who has been detrimental to your operation. These would be tough choices for anyone in an ownership to make but they must be made. Keeping your eye on the goal of success and off your fragile ego will turn your operation around sooner.
Be a Team Player
A restaurant consultant is part of your management team. They cannot work successfully alone and without your support. They are not exterminators who come in kill the bugs and leave. They will provide you with a list of solutions which need to be implemented by you. For example, if the consultant observes an idea for improving a particular procedure on the line in your kitchen, he can suggest it to your cooks but unless it comes from you, the owner, it will never be utilized. It is extremely important that all of the solutions are filtered through you and are implemented by you. This way the staff knows that you mean business. You need to work with your consultant as he is working for you in your best interest. His efforts need to be supported with strong restaurant accounting of restaurant bookkeeping service.
