“After many years of running successfully, another restaurant closed its shutters permanently”. How many times have you come across this statement in the newspapers? As a restaurateur, does this statement hit close to home? Or could it be that your restaurant too, is going through a similar phase?

Even if your restaurant isn’t going through any trouble right now, it may go through a tough patch sooner or later. This is the harsh reality of the hospitality industry. So, how do you, as a restaurant owner, manage such a situation?

Here are a few simple, yet effective restaurant management tips that will help your restaurant through tough times:

1) Meet customer expectations: If your restaurant is positioned as a fine-dining restaurant, then your customers should expect a dining experience that is truly elite. Also, not heeding customer queries / complaints can put patrons off from visiting your restaurant in future.

2) Communicate effectively: From your staff to your customers, you are interacting with a variety of people daily. What you say is as important as who you say it to. Specify clearly what action you want your staff to take while they perform their duties, as well as address whatever concerns your diners may have at the earliest.

3) Invest in Marketing: You don’t necessarily need a large budget to do this. Billboards and print media can be fairly expensive, so it is critical to understand your restaurant’s target audience and advertise accordingly. Take advantage of social media, possibly one of the quickest and most cost effective platforms to spread the word about your restaurant.

4) Hire an experienced restaurant manager: While you as the owner may not always be able to stay up to speed with everything that goes on in your restaurant, having a manager take charge can be effective. A restaurant manager’s duty is to ensure your restaurant runs smoothly and to direct the staff to perform their everyday tasks efficiently.

5) Innovation is the key: Know what your competition is up to, and always make it a point to update your menu regularly. A stagnant menu and practices that are out-of-date will directly affect the profit-making ability of your restaurant.

Dubai, in recent years, has seen a surge of new restaurant openings. This is due to the fact that Dubai is a popular destination for restauranteurs, as well as diners looking to try new and exciting cuisines every day. As such, most restaurants find it hard to survive in the competitive market and end up bleeding cash for a few years, before finally being pushed to shut down. The few basic tips we have listed above aim to help you avoid such a situation for your restaurant.

At Ribbon Consulting, we can assist you with this and much more. We offer turn-key restaurant consulting and management services to create unique and profitable businesses, all over Dubai.