Here's What You Can Do if Your Restaurant is Under Staffed
It's no secret that staffing issues have been a huge problem for the restaurant industry since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, and studies are showing that the problem may get even worse this year. About four out of five restaurants are currently struggling with being under staffed, according to data from the National Restaurant Association. In a November 2021 survey, 77% of operators told the NRA their restaurant did not have enough employees to support existing customer demand. This applied to both full-service (80%) and limited-service operators (73%). Most restaurants wont be able to survive if staffing challenges get any worse, so restaurants owners need to get creative if they want their businesses to stay afloat. If your restaurant is under staffed, here are some changes you can make right now that will help you combat the labor shortage.
Refresh Your Business Operations
Technology has come a long way, especially in the past couple of years. There are tons of great time, money, and labor saving systems that could make a huge impact on your bottom line. You can streamline the ordering process with a system like LightSpeed so patrons can place their orders with all of their specific requests in one space. You can switch your long, tedious, and expensive oil filtration process for FreshFry Pods. You can invest in a Kitchen Display System (KDS), a digital menu board for kitchen staff helping restaurants streamline back-of-house operations. Hop on the bandwagon and use UberEats, DoorDash, OpenTable, and other popular apps. The opportunities are endless, and streamlining these processes will not only save you money when you're under staffed, but they will make your restaurant a more enjoyable place to work. That alone will help your staffing immensely.
Why Your Back of House Operations Drive Your Restaurant's Success >>
Consider a Ghost Kitchen
A market research firm recently estimated that delivery-only restaurants could be a $1 trillion business by 2030. The "Ghost Kitchens" that have been popping up on delivery apps are really just restaurants who have branched into a separate, in-house, delivery-only restaurant. Buffalo Wild Wings now has Wild Burgers. BJ's Restaurant now has Slo Roast. If your kitchen has more capacity than your dinning room because you're under staffed with servers, it may be time to consider a ghost kitchen or simply move to delivery-only.
Relaunch or Rebrand
First impressions are a big deal. If your restaurant doesn't have the loyalty of patrons who have been coming to your restaurant for the last 30 years, it might be a good idea to consider your image, ambiance, menu, and overall brand. Could your business use some fresh paint, upgraded kitchen equipment, a new name? Maybe it's time to have a new head chef come in and add some bold flavors to your menu. This season of difficulty can also be a season of opportunity if you know how to look at it the right way.
