The 4M Questions All Restaurant Managers Should Ask

What’s the difference between a subpar and good restaurant?

Experts suggest that it’s the management.

Excellent restaurant managers ask critical questions concerning the menu, market, machines, and money. But they don’t just ask the right questions, they seek objective answers and take the right action.

If you are a budding restaurant manager, answering these questions objectively will help you maintain focus on the fundamentals of great service, attract and retain the best staff, keep the customers coming, and sustain a healthy bottom line.

Menu

The menu is the life spring of any restaurant. It determines the staff, the equipment, and the client base. Different foods require different skills and expertise in preparation, different equipment, and even storage. 

If you want to build an excellent kitchen, there are certain things you have to keep in mind. Listed below are a couple of questions to ask yourself as you are setting up the kitchen:

● What are the main dishes on the menu and how much do you expect to be serving each day or each shift?
● What commercial cooking equipment in Singapore is best suited for cooking the meals? Also, consider other prepping and storage equipment that you will need and if one machine can perform multiple tasks. 

● How much will you invest in your menu? 
● Will you use pre-processed foods or handle the entire food preparation process in the kitchen?
● Are the main dishes on the menu suitable for outside catering?

Market

The market is your target niche of clients. The right way to reach out to this specific group of clients, in other words, is to customise your restaurant and products to meet and exceed a certain niche in society. 

● What are my target customers’ preferred foods and drinks?
● How big is this market?
● How much are they willing to pay for the products and service?
● How is the competition and how can your outfit differentiate itself from the competition?
● What is your competitive advantage?

Machines

Commercial catering and cooking equipment in Singapore is a significant investment for any restaurant. You need sufficient research and planning before you embark on purchasing or leasing equipment for your restaurant. As you are conducting the research and planning, you can consider these questions:

● What is the square footage and shape of your kitchen?
● Do you have a professional layout of the kitchen and restaurant that maximizes on the efficiencies of the equipment?
● Is it better to buy new or used, or to even lease a piece of equipment?
● Does the capacity of the equipment match the restaurant’s operations?
● What power do the appliances use and can you cut them down?
● What maintenance costs do you incur and can you reduce them?
● What’s the life expectancy of the equipment and the kind of warranties you have on the equipment?

Money

Gaining and maintaining are two important things to keep in mind when handling your financial operations. 

Restaurants operate on slim margins and you need to keep your finger on the tab. If you are not making money or maximising on profits, you will soon close shop. So, ask yourself the following critical questions regarding your restaurant’s money:

● How do you handle records-keeping and financial reporting and are you up to date?
● What strategies can you employ to keep expenses down, such as staff costs?
● Are there instances of food wastage or other resource pits that need to be plugged?
● Are you compliant with regulatory requirements? 

Operating a restaurant is never an easy job. However, there are ways to make the job simpler and profit without much hassle.

Just keep in mind these questions as you go about your daily operations, take the right steps slowly, and you will set your restaurant up for success.