Restaurant Business Plan

Social Media Best Practices for Restaurant Managers and Employees

Article by Gopopcorn

Business owners tend to understand the importance and value of time and money, and so the question of, “Why should I invest money into this?” is a common one. With little or no change to spending habits of customers within the past couple of years in B.C. (according to StatsBC), it’s a harrowing task to spend more money on creating awareness. Even more so, getting your employees involved.However, there are many examples of companies integrating their employees into their social media training. JetBlue teaches the basics of social media through JetBlue University. Southwest Airlines employees are encouraged to blog and communicate with customers through their “Nuts About Southwest” blog.Having proper training and implementing a social media policy in the work environment will not only build your credibility and trust with your customers, it will enhance the culture of your brand- encouraging employees to be active and open doors to their creativity and ideas to help promote your brand. Your employees are the front line of your business. At the very least, it is important for them to be kept up to date on the latest social media initiatives (your promotions/deals). Imagine the frustration of having to explain a particular restaurant promotion that you saw on Twitter to a clueless server. Also, have you ever asked your server to recommend a dish? By giving customers their honest opinion, it helps build trust around the business. But imagine the server answering that question through Twitter, which often has an audience of hundreds, if not thousands.Enable your business to be transparent. Customers will eventually see how you operate, but why not lay it out for them – that you are easily approachable through all streams of conversation. People are more inclined to try out new things when recommended by someone they know. Let yourself become that someone they know and trust. Provide instant feedback by being readily available on these networks.Let me reiterate – give your employees a chance to speak out. Give them the resources, do very little roping in and give them the chance to help you build your brand. This builds your relationship with your fellow employees, who can become brand ambassadors, and help you accomplish even more than through traditional top-down initiatives.Finally, it boils down again to “Why should I invest?”. Think of Twitter or any social media network as word-of-mouth advertising. You have your existing customers and your potential customers. Your existing customers are talking up your brand and it’s not costing you a single penny. It is important to keep in the loop and engage with these customers even if it’s a simple thank you. These are your loyalists and in part, the online ‘street team’ to your marketing initiatives.Here are some statistics of the power that social media has on brand decisions:53% of people on Twitter recommend companies and/or products in their Tweets, with 48% of them delivering on their intention to buy the product. (ROI Research for Performance, June 2010)The average consumer mentions specific brands over 90 times per week in conversations with friends, family, and co-workers. (Keller Fay, WOMMA, 2010)90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know; 70% trust opinions of unknown users. (Econsultancy, July 2009)

About the Author

http://www.gopopcorn.ca/bloginfo@gopopcorn.ca

Buy Chinese Restaurant Supplies at Wholesale Prices

Article by Thomas Young

Running a Chinese restaurant is a big challenge. Once you are through with the basics of setting it up, there is the job of attracting customers and keeping them interested. Authenticity is important as people come to a Chinese restaurant looking for a special ‘Chinese’ experience. So it matters a lot as to where you get your supplies. It is also essential that they are reasonably priced. Online stores are a great option when it comes to buying Chinese restaurant supplies at wholesale prices. Reliable dealers maintain a wide range of these products, most of which are sourced from suppliers based in China. Buying in bulk would help restaurants to get what they need at reasonable rates.

Quality Restaurant Supplies

Cooking and serving authentic Chinese means using the right kind of cookware and ingredients. For instance, Chinese woks distribute heat evenly and are important for preparing stir-fry dishes. They can even be used to deep fry. Non-stick woks reduce the use of oil. The essential Chinese supplies that all Chinese restaurants must have are:

• Chinese woks• Soy sauce packets• Chinese soup pails• Duck sauce packets• Chopsticks• Fortune cookies• Bamboo skewers• Chinese to go boxes• Food pails

Quality Chinese food pails are a preferred option to meet the take-out needs of customers. Attractive takeout boxes imprinted with the traditional pagoda design with or without handles are widely available. Take-out boxes without wire handles allow the customers to microwave the food without even removing it from the box. On the other hand, to go boxes with wire handles are not microwaveable, but they are easy to carry. These exclusive food pails are ideal for both cold and hot food.

Soup and deli containers play an important role in Asian restaurants. Restaurants should stock compostable, biodegradable soup containers and deli containers to serve soup take-out needs. High quality plastic soup containers come with safety lids to prevent spillage and leakage. Made of clear polypropylene plastic they ensure that the hot food stays delectable. They are safe for use in microwaves, freezers and dishwashers.

Bamboo skewers are essential when it comes to barbecuing meat and vegetables. Chopsticks play an important role in this food culture. Bamboo and wooden chopsticks are a popular choice in Chinese restaurants. They have matte surfaces, do not conduct heat, and make it easy to hold the food. Bamboo steamer sets are another must-buy for these restaurants. Chefs use the tiered steamers to steam vegetables, fish and chicken.

And then there are the fortune cookies. These delicious, crispy, crunchy cookies are served as dessert in many Asian restaurants. They come with a single fortune and a set of six lucky numbers, and add a special touch of charm to the dining experience.

Large Inventory of Premium Supplies

Most reputable online restaurant supply stores maintain a large inventory of premium Chinese restaurant supplies. You can browse their inventory and source the supplies for your restaurant after comparing features, brands and prices.

Affordable Prices and Attractive Discounts

Established distributors work directly with Chinese suppliers of restaurant products, and offer Chinese supplies that excel in quality. Besides providing their customers with branded products at wholesale prices, these dealers offer attractive discounts for volume purchases. Moreover, they provide convenient, free and prompt product shipment facilities for purchases that exceed a specific amount.

Purchase from an Established Distributor

Restaurants looking to buy the quality Chinese restaurant supplies at wholesale prices should take care to select an established online supplier of restaurant supplies. With a wide range of online resources available, it is now easy to locate a reliable distributor. Using search engines, web-directories and the yellow pages would help you to get in touch with leading distributors. Newsletters, articles, blogs as well as forums are the reliable resources when it comes to locating the right suppliers.

About the Author

At Roundeye Supply we stock a wide variety of chinese restaurant supplies at wholesale prices. We are the leading chinese supplier in the United States where you get the right product at the best possible price.

Buy Quality Wholesale Chinese Restaurant Supplies

Article by Thomas Young

Restaurants and foodservice businesses specializing in Chinese food need a steady supply of different kinds of Oriental products. Customers visiting Chinese foodservice stations expect authenticity, and so the quality of products you use in your restaurant is important. To buy quality Chinese restaurant supplies at wholesale prices, your best option is a reliable online supply store. Most online distributors of restaurant supplies source the products directly from leading wholesale Chinese suppliers. As they have less overhead costs compared to local stores, they can supply what you need at affordable prices.

Wide Spectrum of Products at Wholesale Prices

Chinese restaurants are different from other restaurants in terms of food as well as in terms of the way it is cooked and served. Cooking processes like sautéing, chopping, stir-frying, and steaming requires special equipment. To meet their regular food preparation and serving needs, these restaurants have to stock premium-quality Chinese supplies including:

• Chinese soup pails• Chopsticks• Fortune cookies• Food pails• Bamboo skewers• Chinese to go boxes• Soy sauce packets• Chinese woks• Duck sauce packets

Buying these products from local stores can be expensive and also a time consuming process. On the other hand, getting your Chinese restaurant supplies from online stores allows you to get them at wholesale prices. Most distributors of restaurant supplies maintain an extensive inventory of products from leading brands. Browsing the product catalog of reputable restaurant supply stores and comparing the various brands, features, specifications and prices is the best way to ensure quality supplies.

Branded Products at Attractive Discounts

Online restaurant supply stores also offer you the convenience of placing orders from the comfort of your home or office. You get all you need from one place. Shopping online enables you to save the precious time, effort and money that would be otherwise needed for physically going from store to store. Purchasing from a reliable online restaurant supply store also ensures the following advantages:

• Facility to place bulk orders• Branded products • Choose from an extensive and updated product inventory• Convenient payment options • Affordable pricing: products can be purchased at wholesale rates• Considerable discounts for volume purchases• Free shipment options for purchases that exceed a certain amount

Select an Established Supplier

To buy quality Chinese restaurant supplies at wholesale prices, restaurants and foodservice stations need to locate an established supplier. Browsing online directories and the yellow pages, and looking up articles, forum discussions and blogs would provide sufficient information about reliable distributors. Shortlist a few and then choose a supplier that can ensure timely delivery of authentic products at budget-friendly prices.

About the Author

Roundeye Supply is the top Chinese restaurant supplier in the nation servicing over 5000 Chinese restaurants. Shop for your Chinese restaurant supplies at wholesale prices from the Chinese restaurant supply superstore

If you are Be Sure To Include Industry Metrics In Your Business Plan.

Article by GAURAV786

If you are a business plan writer planning how to start a new business, you have to make some assumptions. For those assumptions to have some credibility, you should be aware of industry metrics. Unless the business you are starting is truly the first of its kind on the planet, you should be able to find some metrics based on what is typical for the type of business you are planning.

As an example, fast service restaurants likely have developed correlations between traffic and sales. There is a reason why these types of restaurants are located on busy streets. A certain amount of the cars that are passing will stop and each car that stops will make an average purchase. These three numbers the traffic count, the percentage of those cars that will pull in and the average purchase per car should give you an average sales figure to benchmark your own projections against. If you plan on stopping more cars than average or sell more to each car than average, you should have an explanation of these projections in your business plan.

Another example can be found in retail. One key in retail is to turn over inventory as often as possible. The dollar amount of inventory in your store, which may be limited by the size of your store, and the number of times that the inventory turns over, provides a reasonable projection for annual sales. Find out what the average amount of inventory per square foot is for the type of store you are planning and the number of times others in your type of business turn over their inventory. Like the previous example, if you are planning sales higher or lower than the industry averages, include an explanation of why you are planning for that difference in your business plan.

Whatever the industry, whether you are feeding beef cattle, unloading containers off ships or selling ebooks online, there are likely a few key metrics that can be used as benchmarks and probably a lot of research is being done by somebody somewhere on how to improve results of those equations. Of course, if someone is spending a lot of money doing that type of research, they are likely going to keep their findings confidential. So how does the average small business owner access these numbers

There are a few ways inexpensive research can be done. Obviously, check a search engine first and see what you can find out on the Internet. Industry associations may have the numbers you are looking for and be willing to share them. Similar business resources can be found through organizations like the Chamber of Commerce. Depending on the business, it may be as simple as asking someone else in the business. Go ask a couple of people who are managing the type of business you are entering and find out from them what the numbers are. They may not divulge the stats for their specific business, but they may share industry standards. If you are able to attend a trade shows or convention in that field, you may be able to talk to several people in the industry in a short period of time.

If you include your research into industry metrics in your business plan and explain why your assumptions are the same as, or deviate from, those metrics, it will give your assumptions and your business plan a lot more credibility than your assumptions on their own.

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About the Author

i want to become a succesful author

Cost of Opening a Restaurant

Article by Blake

Many people dream of opening a restaurant of their own. Unfortunately not many people understand the large cost associated to do so. I have read several articles about costs of opening restaurants online and none of them seem to be accurate. I have been involved in the restaurant equipment industry for over 20 years. I have seen thousands of restaurants come and go and I have constructed and supplied over 10,000 restaurant on my own. Hopefully I can help you understand what costs are truly associated in opening your very own restaurant.

Obviously not every restaurant is the same. I have designed some of the highest end restaurants in the nation and some of the cheapest ma and pa restaurants in the nation also. The price difference between these two is quite significant. Understand that not every situation is the same when reading this article and depending on your location you may be looking at much higher cost. The costs associated below are not put together to scare you out of starting up a restaurant they are just to inform you of the costs associated in doing so. Some prices may be slightly over stated depending on what type of restaurant you want to open.

Your concept.

A lot of people already know what style of restaurant they want to open and what type of food they want to serve. Putting together a restaurant menu is surprisingly a lot more work than you would think. Just because you know what type of food you are going to serve doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to have costs associated with printing menus, testing items on the menus, getting drug facts on cretin items, or even bringing in chefs to prepare a complete or partial menu for your restaurant. These costs can vary significantly so I can’t really help you here. Just make sure you have the extra cash to get through this whole process.

Finding a Location

Finding the perfect location is tough. There is so much that needs to go in to finding the perfect spot. A lot of restauranteurs believe that their great food or excellent service will bring customers to their location even if it is not in the best place or building, but this is completely wrong. You have to get customers in your doors and trying your food before they realize they like your restaurant. The more you spend on your location the better your chances are of making it. Studies show that around 50% of restaurants fail within 3 years. Location has a huge role in this massive failure percentage. For a good location expect to spend between ,000-5,000 a month or at least 0,000 if you decide to buy the building.

Restaurant Equipment

Now this is where I can really help you. I have been a new and used restaurant equipment dealer for over 20 years. The first decision you have to make is if you want to buy new or used equipment. I generally suggest that if it is your first time building a restaurant, especially with such a high failure rate, you try to find equipment that is slightly used. You can save over 50% on equipment that has been taken off of a showroom floor if you decide to buy slightly used. The big expenses you are going to look at are what type of power you have to run into the building to power your equipment, a walk in cooler, then hoods and fire suppression. If you have to run three phase into a restaurant that only has single phase this may cost up to ,000. A good sized walk in cooler/ freezer combo box new runs around ,000 installed but you can find them used for closer to the ,000 area with installation. Then hoods depending on how large of a hood you are looking at and if you need a makeup air system could run you between ,000 and ,000 new and ,500 and ,000 used.

Then you need to take into consideration your actual equipment. The average new restaurant we have supplied for standard equipment is around ,000-60,000. But we have supplied restaurants that run as high as 0,000. Here is where you can save a ton of money by buying used. If you wanted to go with a slightly used package you could look at spending around ,000-40,000. I have never build a restaurant using only used equipment where the customer has spend more than ,000 on used equipment. Also remember custom stainless steel in your kitchen for corners, behind hoods, tables, and counters. Plan on spending around ,000-10,000 here. And to think that other articles I have read believed that you could put a full restaurant together for ,000 or less!!! If you want to find the best deals on new and used restaurant equipment be sure to check out the free classifieds at http://RestaurantEquipmentListings.com.

Build Out

Remember that you have to hire someone to come in and make your restaurant look like a restaurant too. Keep in mind that you have general contractors, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and several other workers to hire. Plan on spending at least ,000 for build out for your restaurant if it was perviously a restaurant and significantly more if it was not. Also keep in mind that you need to buy restaurant furniture like booths, tables, and chairs. Depending on how many you are looking at seating you should expect between ,000-20,000 for new booths, tables, and chairs new. Used boots are significantly less expensive so if you wanted to take this route expect something closer to ,000. Great general contractors, equipment dealers, technicians, and other restaurant service workers can be found on the free classifieds section on http://RestaurantEquipmentListings.com.

Advertising and Signage

You have to make sure people know you are out there. So how much should you expect to spend on your advertising and signage? Well advertising is completely up to the owner but I would spend at least 0 a month. This will get your name out so people at least know where to find you. But you need to look at an initial ,500-10,000 on just signage and branding for your restaurant. You need signs that say your name everywhere you can get them. The more you spend here the better known your company is. TV and radio commercials always pay off!!!

Cost of food

Remember that you have to order food before you can ever make any money. There is a saying in this business that goes if its made out of dough you can make dough. This means that your margins are much greater when you make your own product from scratch. If you buy your food from venders like US Foodservice or Sysco you are going to have significantly smaller margins. I can’t help you here very much because the range of how much you are going to spend a month on food is so large. Expect at least ,000 per month if you are buying your food form a food source.

Employees

Hiring employees is extremely expensive also. If you wanted to hire a 3 employee staff, this would be an extremely small restaurant, including the restaurant manager expect to spend around ,000 a month on labor. The average restaurant requires quite a few more employees.

Total Costs

Expect to spend no less than ,000 just to open your doors at a small time restaurant. That is assuming you get your equipment at a great price and rent your space. I have build restaurants where the budget was well over ,000,000 with land and building though so keep in mind what type of restaurant you want to open and where the location will be also.

Hopefully the figures listed above don’t scare you out of opening your very own restaurant. Several personal friends of mine have opened restaurants and later sold the franchise for multi millions of dollars and a very close friend sold his concept just a few years ago with six restaurants for over ,000,000. When you look at that these costs are quite small. I wish you luck in any business venture you plan on taking. Remember if you need to find restaurant equipment or restaurant services visit http://RestaurantEquipmentListings.com.

About the Author

Blake has been involved in the restaurant industry for over 20 years. He has seen restaurants come and go as times get better and worse. He has personally been involved in over 10,000 restaurants that have been constructed or needed equipment. Blake is also the owner of the restaurant equipment classifieds and services site http://RestaurantEquipmentListings.com.