Here are some of the tell-tale signs that your restaurant needs some changes.
- You’ve spent too much money. When first opening a restaurant, it is easy to fall into the money trap, thinking you need spend more money than you have to own the best restaurant possible.
- Your restaurant has a poor location. Whether it be limited visibility, poor foot traffic, or limited parking, the location of your restaurant plays a huge role in who visits and how often. Even though it’s incredibly difficult to change your location, knowing that your location is the problem is the first step to turning to other methods of bringing customers in.
- You’ve hired the wrong staff. Your employees are the first line of defense at your restaurant. If you aren’t paying them the right salaries, or empowering them with the right tools and leadership, they will hurt your brand more than they help it.
[restrict] - Your restaurant provides a poor customer experience. Dining at restaurants goes beyond the food, and if your restaurant isn’t a pleasant place to visit, customers will not want to come back.
- Your menu has spelling mistakes. Make sure you have someone proofread your menu multiple times before printing hundreds of copies. You only have once chance at a first impression, and you want to make sure your menu isn’t want turns customers away.
- Your restaurant serves every cuisine under the sun. Customers shouldn’t be able to order tacos, sushi, steak, and pasta all at the same location. Instead of trying to be a jack of all trades aim to be a master of one or two.
- You have changed your menu prices recently, but have not printed out new menus. Your customers will notice and it reflects poorly on you as a business.
Actionable Takeaway
Don’t be complacent. Make that change.
Asking for help is often the hardest part about coming to terms with your struggling restaurant. No one wants to feel like their “great idea” turned out to be a failure, but the sooner you come to terms with the fact that you need intervention, the sooner you will be on your way to running a better performing business.
[/restrict]