SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

Hospitality is a very relative term in this century, the degree of skill, service delivery and quality, time management and worthiness of cost depends on individual potential, thought process or strategies of the Management of the organisation and ability to lead people by Leadership.

Today’s customer is well travelled and with offers pouring through all travel websites choice is enough and comparable, thus demand is more. The customer is well aware about writing a review on any hospitality related website like Trip advisor etc, and gain brownie points if the review is in minus scale, as everyone from the down line manager to top management would agree on giving some complementary on the guests next visit. By doing this is the Guest always right or are we the hospitality professionals right by offering freebees is the question, which will not have a satisfied answer until customers start rating restaurants and hotels differently.

                                                     

 Hotel chains are trying to survive with low average room rate but occupancy has to be 100% at the end of it the clientele does not matter and further guest expectations vary and service standards tend to vary and the cycle continues.

On the other hand are the hospitality professionals skilled enough to understand delivery standards, educational institutes do not empower them with the practical knowledge required by the industry, there’s always a need to bridge the gap which is mostly done through Hotel Learning and Development department.

The biggest challenge is to maintain high standards and hire the right Management and team, Defining Management Goals and to strive together to achieve the same would be team work, The guiding light towards the Goal is the management Team, a professionally strong management team would not really worry with guest reviews but concentrate on developing the team towards best practices which would dramatically effect employee performance and build a Brand.

Running a successful food business involves some crucial aspects beyond the obvious concerns of location, type of cuisine, rent and utilities. What matters most is your food, your staff and you, at the personal level. If done the right way, your restaurant will thrive and stay on top.

Here are three critical factors that will propel your restaurant to the next level above the competition:

1. A strong food identity.
Your food is your identity. You first must portray yourself in a very definable way to your customers so they can equate you as the "go to -- fill in the blank with your cuisine." Failure to define yourself is a huge mistake when trying to separate yourself from your competition. For example, there are a bunch of Italian restaurants out there, which means there has to be something about your food that makes it stand out if you're offering Italian cuisine.

How can you make your food kick-ass?

·         Uniqueness. Get people's attention with original dishes. If you can make traditional dishes just 10 percent better, you'll have an inspiring and stimulating palette your customers will get excited about.

·         Go local. Get some local farm fresh produce. Not only are you bringing in very fresh ingredients, you are supporting the local economy. Customers will take notice.

·         Don't be cheap. Spend the money on a chef. I don't care if you obtain the best ingredients in the world, without a seasoned, proven chef, you are doomed. Make the wise investment and hire someone great hands.

·          Stand-out staff.
You need to hire people who have a passion for the industry, a sense of urgency when handling customers and a willingness to be part of your team. The service experience is right up there with food when it comes to the top two elements to a magnificent dining experience. They need to be working in sync because if they are not, you could end up with Yelp reviews that minimally praise the food but ruthlessly criticize the service. Your customers want to not only eat good food. They want to be treated like royalty.

How can you be kick-ass with your staff? 

·         Create a process. Create employee manuals containing your processes and procedures, and ensure they are updated regularly. This gives your staff a way to succeed as a unified team moving in the same direction. There is nothing worse than attempting to manage a bunch of individuals trying to do the same thing, each in their own way.

·         Train them well. Your staff has to know their job. Ensure your staff gets thorough book training on procedures along with on-the-job training complete with food tasting and menu education. Basic training should also include job shadowing a veteran staff member. Don’t stop there. Expose the staff member to other job roles, which will allow for position flexibility in case someone can't show up for work and leaves you hanging.

·         Solicit their feedback. Stay communicating and more importantly, don't stop listening. Give real-time feedback and think of yourself as a coach to your team. You don't have to portray yourself as almighty. Look beyond your ego and start putting your people first.