“There are no staff”, are the four most commonly used words amongst hospitality managers and owners in 2022.
Unless you have influence or control over immigration then I’d suggest turning your attention to how best keep to your operations humming and your customers happy. There is always something that can be done to improve the way your hospitality venue runs. Always. And in these strange times of uncertainty and staff shortages, there are some very practical and simple things that can be done that will yield proportionally large outcomes.
Analyse. Critically analyse your workflow. From the moment an order is received, through to the kitchen and back again. Analyse it like a forensic scientist looking for clues of inefficiency. Question why things are done the way they are and why things are done at all. For example, are staff running dockets? Are chefs walking around to retrieve dockets? Are there bottle necks in service and waiting areas?
Simplify. Cut down your menu. Just narrow it down to the few things that are most popular. This reduces variability and stock requirements and naturally your costs.
Remove the items from the menu that are never ordered.
Automate. Implement some (of the many) customer self-ordering tools that are now available. QR codes, table ordering, floor staff with iPads, order-ahead, and so on. They are all viable options that will reduce your labour requirements and in many cases increase the average ticket size.
At Zii, we love hospitality. We love the game. We also love the tools of the game and have built lots of them. If any of the above resonates. Get in touch for a chat.