Have you performed a restaurant audit lately? I’m not talking about about an accounting audit, (although that’s not a bad idea either), but rather having a consultant take an unbiased look at the key brand components of your operation. A restaurant brand audit is a great opportunity to get an objective analysis of the customer’s experience, management performance, operations, menu item mix, physical plant and more. Many restaurant owners lose perspective because they get caught in the vortex of operational minutia. A restaurant audit is an affordable exercise that all owners should perform in order to regain perspective and realign their brand, food and customer’s experience.
The information contained in an audit can help ownership and management strategically plan for the future. Let’s face it, running a restaurant takes a lot of hard work and long hours. Therefore leveraging your restaurant resources to the fullest is paramount. Wasting time and money on actions that do not augment your brand, the customer’s experience and put more dollars in your till are just that, a waste. Audits reveal beneficial data that can help to identify product and service inconsistencies, customer disconnects, special events or promotions that are actually interfering with your core message rather that bolstering it.
I recently had a client who was spending $1,000 a month on live music entertainment in an effort to increase bar sales. The music was great but his liquor sales remained flat. Upon a restaurant audit it was clear that his customer base consisted of mostly families, kids and working professionals who did not respond to the music promotion with increased bar spending. Audit data in had the owner reallocated his promotional dollars towards programs that directly resonated with his core client base, i.e.; new farm-to-table menu items, kid’s menu and a wine and craft beer promotion. Ultimately he was able to increase sales because he better understood his customer and their needs.
Audits can also flush out the bad apples among your staff. You know the type, those employees who seemingly tow the company line while ownership is present but put on a much different guise when left alone. One client had who we all thought was a stellar assistant manager. She contributed positively in line ups, manager meetings and staff trainings. She responded in all the right ways to questions regarding company policies and procedures. However an audit revealed that this assistant manager was the first to take a “smoke” break, leave tables un-bused, hide out behind the bar and generally have a nonchalant attitude when the restaurant was hers to run. Thanks to an audit she was sent on her way by the restaurant owner.
Restaurant consultants are well equipped to perform audits given their experience and knowledge base. They can save you hundreds of dollars by identifying important customer touch-points that miss the mark. Typically audits can cost between $500 and $5,000 depending on the scope of work. They should address all brand and concept components including; menu item mix, food quality, customer experience, staff performance, interior and exterior atmosphere/cleanliness, ownership presence and performance, special events and customer base demographics, website, phone etiquette, etc. A good restaurant consultant can tailor a plan that fits most budgets and needs.
Todd Semrau has been driving force within the Atlanta restaurant industry for over 15 years. His firm, Urban Eats Consulting Group focuses primarily on developing and re-tooling restaurant concepts and brands at all levels within the hospitality industry.
