Restaurant Process Approach for Restaurant Management

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process approach

process approach

In pursuit of excellence a restaurant owner will grapple with various aspects of the restaurant management. The use of restaurant process approach is strategic choice a restaurant can make. The article attempts to make you understand the what is a process and the various parts of a process. The article highlights the importance of process as a tool for excellence over other methods.

Mango Kurry, kitchen and restaurant consultant in Mumbai can help you to map your restaurant process.

The article is based on guidelines given on process by ISO 9000 bodies.

Introduction

 

A restaurant creates an experience. To  make it happen a set of interrelated activities work at the same time. A restaurant process approach can allow you as the owner to take an interdepartmental view of the business of restaurant management . In a sense action of one person in a department A affects another in department B.

 

What is a restaurant process?

 

A process is a set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs into outputs. These activities use resources like people, material. For effective restaurant management its prudent to have a process approach.

 

Eg food production process

Inputs : these refers to requirements specified. This could be in a restaurant requirements resources like specification of materials. Inputs are man, material, method , machine and environment.  Ask yourself at each stage what are the requirements specified or whats the criteria that this activity is done correctly.

 

Outputs: this is the outcome desired. Inputs refer to requirement specified and outputs requirements satisfied. A 130 gram chicken is specified (input) to get a customer satisfied with portion size ( output).

 

Interrelated activities Some of the activities are purchasing, receiving, storing, pre prep, cooking, holding, plating , serving.  Note how these activities run from purchase, to different parts of kitchen, to service.

 

A process always has an owners and has a customer. The customer is an owner of the process of the start of a new process and has another customer. In a sense, the owner must satisfy the owner who may be an internal customer. The internal customer will then become an effective owner of new process and satisfy the external customer.

 

A process is measured for both efficiency and effectiveness. These scores can be both at input stage or output stage. How do you measure the quality of customer experience? Has the service department fulfilling the requirements of the process? How is kitchen fulfilling the food safety requirements?

 

Why are process approach relevant in a restaurant?

The process approach will give restaurant owners tools and insights to control the activities across various departments to achieve desired results.

 

Its not just the control of one process but how it interacts with another process. How does purchase interact with food production, how does food production interact with service, how does service interact with maintenance, how does billing interact with service. How to carry out marketing?

 

If a restaurants owner gathers information on each of his process and get data to measure the effectiveness  and efficiency of each process, and he can hope to improve customer experience and reduce the stress or waste within the organization.

 

Process can be reviewed by internal or external audits.

1. Process for managing a restaurant

2.  Process managing resources for restaurant

3..  Process for monitoring and measuring results in organisation

4..  Process for realisation of the product or meal experience.

Restaurant Process for managing a restaurant

This refers to the top management role in a restaurant. This part of restaurant management reside with you the restaurant owner.  As a restaurant owner, your role to determine the policy, goals and objectives. Your role to review these goals in quarterly or annual review. Restaurant owners role of providing resources, create forecasts and  communicating with your team. As a part of your action plan you may need to review the competition or plan promotions.

Restaurant Process for managing resources

Each generic process needs resources, read as, man, material, machines and environment. Process 1,3 and 4 resource needs planning and delivery. As a restaurant owner, how does one ask for resources, who approves them. What is the forum.

Restaurant Process for monitoring and measuring results

The idea is to be data driven. Who compile information. Who use what system to generate reports. What’s the quality of purchase, training, customer satisfaction.

Restaurant Process for realisation of the product

This is what the customer buys. In our case food and beverage. How and what we do to make it happen. In a restaurant this would consider with bar, service and kitchen.

Departments versus Process

Departments are organised vertically and process horizontally.  Doesn’t purchase impact everyone? The quality of maintenance impact the quality of service and production and thereby the customer. The  impact on food safety are impacted by purchase, housekeeping, maintenance, service, kitchen.

Conclusion

A process approach can help you the restaurant owner for better restaurant management and to be in a greater control over the destiny of your restaurant. It can enable you to bring about improvement in the way your organisation does business. You will recognise that customer dissatisfaction may be because of poor quality in distance department. You will be data driven and your solution will validate your data.

If this interests you, and you need help, then contact Mango Kurry.

As a restaurant consultant Mango Kurry can help you to identify your process and set up tools to monitor and control them.

To your success!

 

About the author 

Sartaj S Bedi

With 20-year restaurant industry expertise, offering insights and expertise in strategy, operations, and quality. He employs a holistic approach to guide clients towards strategic success.

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