No one likes doing stocktakes. However, an accurate stock count is essential to producing meaningful management information. Here are some tips on doing an accurate stocktake: Have a hard copy of your stock list – A list grouping stock items by Category, then listing Stock Items in alphabetical order makes it relatively easy to look-up… Read More: Taking Stock »
Following on from the “What is Menu Engineering” Post: A “Puzzle” is a menu item that is classified as profitable but not popular using Menu Engineering techniques. This begs the question: “Why is this menu item not popular? How can we transform it into a Star?” In many cases engaging tactics to transform a Puzzle… Read More: Menu Engineering, Managing Puzzles »
1. Did you get what you paid for? The first and most obvious tip is to check that you get everything you paid for. Often this is as simple as doing a quick count and checking items off against the delivery note or invoice. While this seems obvious, take a look at your practices and… Read More: 5 Tips for Receiving Stock »
Following on from the “What is Menu Engineering” Post: In the previous post we took a look at the Menu Engineering process. Menu Engineering provides an objective method of classifying menu items. In this post we look at tactics for managing menu items classified as “Dogs”. Dogs are low profit and not popular when compared… Read More: Menu Engineering, Managing Dogs »
Here’s a link to an Excel model I put together to assist with the Menu Engineering process. Menu Engineering Model The model includes all the formulas to automatically classify your menu items based on popularity & profitability and is easy to use and extend (assuming basic Excel skills). Please leave a comment if you found… Read More: Menu Engineering Model »
Engineering is not a term used frequently in the context of the food industry. Simply put “engineering” is about appling technical, scentific or mathmatical knowledge to get a desired outcome. Menu Engineering is about taking a more structured approach to building and monitoring a menu. There are two key measures required for Menu Engineering: the… Read More: What is Menu Engineering? »
In 1955 a study on the impact of lighting levels on productivity found that workers became more productive, no matter what changes were made. The mere fact that the employees were being monitored was shown to impact behaviour. I’m not suggesting we turn our kitchens discos by fluctuating the lighting levels. However, focusing on an… Read More: The Hawthorne Effect in the Kitchen »
Ultimately there are only two ways to make a food business more profitable: you can increase sales or reduce cost. In a depressed economic environment increasing sales is challenging. The followng tips are proven methods of reducing food cost: 1. Measure It “You can’t control what you don’t measure”. Regular stock takes provide a basis… Read More: 10 ways to Reduce Food Cost »