The pandemic has been difficult for the hospitality industry. Now that restaurants are re-opening there’s an opportunity to go “back to basics” and revamp their operation for operating in a post-pandemic world. Businesses are choosing to go back to basics — to strip down their offerings and services to the essentials. This is a chance…
In March this year, I was fortunate to attend Hostex 2020 and to launch our new product KOUNTER. Aimed at anyone looking to improve their stock taking, particularly bars and restaurants that count so many different items, but that is not the subject of this writing. I often wonder what the reception would have been…
Preparing your restaurant for opening after lockdown is necessarily fraught with concerns. How do you best keep your customers and employees safe in a Covid-19 world? How do you access the latest industry recommendations to ensure you’re in compliance? What are the risks you’re still facing in your geographic location? With a careful plan in…
Each new year provides a new opportunity to dive headfirst into a new set of strategic plans for your restaurant. What can you do to make your establishment truly stand out in a notoriously competitive industry? Here are 20 simple tips to make this year a good one for your restaurant: 1) Embrace Delivery According…
We have 10 tips to prepare your restaurant for the holiday season! Since 2019 has been a particularly challenging year for the restaurant industry, how you finish the year may well lead to how you start the next. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the year to end, get stuck into some holiday promotions…
It is worthwhile to remind ourselves that marketing is the only function in a business which consistently directs resources towards growing sales by adding and retaining customers, increasing the amount each customer buys, and forcing the business to look at what its customers want, not what the business wants. As such, it is the ‘oxygen’…
This month’s article is by guest blogger and international speaker, Mike Said, who describes himself as a “Marketer, Public Speaker, Committed Dad & Part Time Adrenaline Junky, just doing what I love!” For branding strategy, market development and restaurant consulting, contact Mike at www.mikesaidwhat.co.za “If it wasn’t for the customers, the suppliers and the…
July 20th 1969 and man first walks on the moon. For those who have suffered the highs and lows of owning a restaurant, there can seem no tougher job. In fact, John F Kennedy said (and I paraphrase) “No single [sic] project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important [sic]; and…
I am often asked how I am able to get great service from wait staff when I go out. Let me assure you it is not because they have my picture posted on the notice board under “Big Tippers” or “Point Of Sale Guy”. It is because after almost 20 years of working in and…
10 hard hitting truths about owning a restaurant in South Africa can be summed up as follows: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly… The Good 1) Restaurants continue to be a labour of love for most who own them, and the passion can be felt the moment you walk in the door. Although not…