7 Places You Should Never Park Your Food Truck

Pay attention to the rules of the road to avoid parking issues with your food truck.

Congratulations on your food truck. You’re ready to wow your customers with your delicious food and your cleverly designed truck.

While you may know about a few prime locations to park your food truck, do you know what places to avoid?

In this article, we look at seven places you should never park your food truck. 

Don’t Park Here

Each town, city and county has specific zoning regulations, and it’s important for you to know what they are. For example, you want to learn about the commercial and non-commercial zones of your city.

Even though you are mobile, unlike the brick-and-mortar restaurant, there are limits to where you can park. (tweet this)

Here are seven places you should never park your food truck:

1. Don’t park in “no parking” zones. Pay attention to the posted signs and obey the parking restrictions in regards to stopping, loading and parking.
2. Don’t park in a food truck park if you haven’t paid to lease the spot. This is a quick way to get a fine and earn the anger of other food truck owners.
3. Your food truck service window shouldn’t be facing the street, and you should always park your truck facing the sidewalk side. Not only are you likely to break the law, but you want to keep your customers safe by offering your food facing the sidewalk side of the street.
4. Check your city’s laws for restrictions, but you should never park your food truck outside a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Why? You might be breaking the law, and it’s not using the best judgement. Many cities require you to park a specific distance away from a restaurant (500-600 feet is normal).
5. Never park your food truck on private property without the owner’s permission.
6. You also want to check your city’s metered parking rules. Some cities prohibit food trucks from parking in metered spaces, while others allow it with some restrictions.
7. Finally, you should never park your food truck near a fire hydrant, bus stop or cross-walk.

Now that you know the seven places you should never park your food truck, let’s look at some of the places you should park your truck.

Do Park Here

You’ll find that the ideal location for your food truck depends in part on your menu, your city and the traffic in the area. (tweet this)

Generally speaking though, these are the top four spots to park your food truck:

1. Park on the street outside large office buildings, the downtown area, schools, parks, bars and shopping centers. Think about your target customers to decide which street to park your truck on.
2. Food truck parks can be ideal. While it seems counter-intuitive to park amidst your competitors, this can be a good marketing strategy. Whether it’s a permanent food truck park or one at an event, you’ll find that customers like to sample food from many food trucks. Be sure that your truck and your menu stand out to attract a crowd.
3. Park at a festival or event. This is a great way to boost your audience and gain a following for your food truck.
4. Set up at a business or office park. Office workers are always on the lookout for something new and interesting to eat.

We’ve looked at where not to park, and we’ve discussed some places to park, now let’s look at one of the most difficult tasks associated with food truck parking – parallel parking.

Park with your service window facing the sidewalk and away from traffic.

Parallel Parking Tricks

Parallel parking a food truck challenges even the best drivers. Yet, it’s a vital skill, especially if you are parking your truck in a busy metropolitan city, or even a small tourist town.

Parallel parking your truck means fitting it in-between two already parked vehicles on the street. You have to back in which makes parking the oversize vehicle quite challenging.

Check out these tips for easy parallel parking:

• Check your mirrors to make make sure there isn’t any oncoming traffic.
• Turn on your signal, indicating you are getting ready to park.
• Stop your truck next to the vehicle that is parked in front of the spot you want to squeeze into.
• Leave two-three feet between your food truck and the vehicle parallel to you.
• Check your mirrors again and start backing up slowly.
• Turn your wheel towards the curb.
• Once you are halfway into the space, turn your wheel back in the opposite direction to line up your food truck with the curb.
• If you hit the curb, don’t worry. Go forward and leave the parking space. Start again, making sure to start turning your wheel earlier to line up your truck with the sidewalk.
• If you’ve made it into the space – terrific. Now, adjust your position either to the front or to the back to make sure you are evenly lined up with the vehicles in front of you and behind.
• Check to see if your truck is about six-eight inches from the curb and parallel to it.
• Set your parking brake, and get ready to serve your customers.

Parallel parking your food truck takes patience and practice. Spend some time on side streets before you hit a busy downtown area to get a feel for the size of your truck before parking at a high-stress time.

It’s a good idea to have another person around when trying to parallel park to indicate if you are on the right track or not and advise you of oncoming traffic.

Final Thoughts

With the food industry estimated to be worth more than 985 million dollars by 2019, the competition is fierce.

To be successful, you not only have to have a great truck and delicious food, but you have to stay on top of the regulations to stay out of trouble.

Every city has specific rules, and you want to familiarize yourself with them before parking your food truck.

You can usually find all the information you need from your city or county clerk’s office.

Use your common sense and pay attention to posted parking signs and the rules of the road, and you should be able to avoid the seven places you should never park your food truck.

Do you have a mobile-friendly website to advertise your daily food truck locations? If not, we can help!

We build responsive, mobile-friendly restaurant websites with dynamite online menus. Contact us today for your free website consultation. We are here to help you update your website and stand out in the crowd so you can stay ahead of your competition and grow your positive online presence with your food truck website.

floridagirlindc via Visualhunt /  CC BY and Roman Kraft

 

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Looking to grow your executive network? Here’s what I’ve learned over 15 years.

I still remember the early days of networking, before LinkedIn existed to help organize your professional life. When you’re fresh out of college, networking typically means going to happy hours, checking in with former classmates, and keeping in touch with mentors from your summer internships. But it’s the people who decide to go above and […]

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Delicious Thai Dishes That Are Really Good For You!

Authentic Thai food is known to be really fresh and healthy. Using natural and fresh ingredients with lots of beautiful herbs, spices and vegetables. Thai dishes simply tastes amazing!

Healthy Thai Food: 21 Delicious Dishes that are Actually Good For You!

Is Thai food in Thailand healthy? That’s quite a complicated question, mainly because there are so many different Thai dishes available in Thailand, ranging from processed, greasy, and sweet, all the way to fresh, spice filled, and vegetables galore… Read more at EatingThaiFood.com

Peanuts, fresh vegetables, Pad Thai, noodles, curries… whatever mood you’re on, most Thai restaurants have it. If you’re craving for some good and healthy comfort food, maybe try some amazing Thai food.

No such thing as too much Thai food

Sweet, salty, sour and spicy. Thai food has it all. Although Thai cuisine centers around these four main flavors, it offers an endless range of dishes. With curries, salads, noodle plates and rice, Thai food can be go from sweet to brutally spicy. This is especially true for local Thai establishments… Read more at The California Aggie

Thai Street Food – Thai Fish Markets – Thai Street Food

Bangkok is one of the world’s best places to eat Thai food and street food. Also, there are many restaurants as well as street vendors cooking and selling Thai food that it can be difficult to find the really good ones. What we are trying to find are the places that serve authentic and delicious food, where the Thais actually love to eat… Watch it here

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Delicious Thai Dishes That Are Really Good For You! syndicated from http://www.thaispices.com

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Trending BBQ Restaurants For 2017

Ribs are an All-American favorite treat.

What makes great barbecue, and why do the majority of people love it so?

In this article, we look at trending BBQ restaurants for 2017. But first, let’s look at the reasons behind our love of barbecue.

The BBQ Craze

According to one source, the mix of fire, smoke and meat is incredibly tantalizing to most Americans. The food itself is delicious, and the eating of it often reminds people of a cozy, family gathering.

The craze for BBQ is going strong all over the country. But, why? Let’s look at the history:

• Travelers from Haiti to the American colonies first introduced the word, “barbecue,” to settlers. At that time, it referred to the grilling rack, and soon after, to the meat.
• By 1773, barbecue meant any time people were gathered socially, and it involved roasting an animal.
• By 1931, the term was used to describe any meat cooked on coals.

Barbecues have long been a draw for the deliciousness of the food and the social gathering itself. (tweet this) There’s an innate camaraderie that comes about when people share BBQ together.

Now, let’s look at trending BBQ restaurants for 2017.

Archibald’s BBQ – Northport, AL

Alabama is listed as one of the most barbecue-crazed states in the United States, and Archibald’s BBQ is a big part of the reason why.

Opened in 1961, they are known for the best ribs in America. George Archibald, Sr., and his wife, Betty, started selling barbecue pork out of a cinder-block building just outside the back door of their home. The restaurant is now run by his grandson.

The Archibald’s forgo the usual low-and-slow method for just 45 minutes over a bed of hot hickory. They grill the ribs in a well-seasoned brick pit just behind the front counter, and the ribs are served in an atomic orange sauce that sends a lot of heat your way.

Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, AL

Another well-known hot spot for barbecue in Alabama, Bob Gibson started his “restaurant” in 1925 when he nailed oak planks to a large tree in his backyard and started cooking.

You choose the sauce for your meat, including a tasty white sauce that tastes as good on pork as it does chicken.

Locals love this special barbecue spot, so you know it’s a trendy location.

Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que in Kansas City, KS

Located inside a remodeled gas station, Joe’s is often regarded as the best barbecue in the country.

It all started when Jeff and Joy Stehney attended a barbecue contest. They had a great time and enjoyed the camaraderie, the food and the competition. Hooked, they bought a competition-style smoker and formed a barbecue team called the Slaughterhouse Five.

They won competition after competition, including the American Royal Invitational.

Their reputation followed them, and they started getting requests for catering. People kept suggesting they open a restaurant, but they didn’t want to rush into it.

They met Joe Don Davidson, founder of Oklahoma Joe’s Smoker Company and went into the restaurant business together creating Joe’s Barbecue and Catering in 1995 and soon after the first Oklahoma Joe’s restaurant in Oklahoma.

In 1996, the Stehneys happened on a neighborhood gas station near their house in Kansas City that was closing its fried chicken counter, and they thought it seemed the perfect spot for a barbecue joint, and a landmark was born.

The next year, the restaurant in Oklahoma was closed, they bought out Joe Davidson, and the Stehneys were the sole owners of Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que restaurants.

According to their website, their goal has “only ever been to be the best,” so they are stopping at three, very trending BBQ restaurants.

Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ in Tyler, TX

The oldest mom-and-pop barbecue restaurant in Tyler, Texas, Stanley’s has been in business since the 1950s.

From mouth-watering brisket to baby-back ribs, pulled pork and fresh-made sausage, everything at Stanley’s is worth trying.

They up the ante on the basic barbecue joint with live music six nights a week and a patio equipped with a full bar featuring Texas craft beer and American whiskeys, bourbons and ryes.

They recommend calling ahead because they often run out of everyone’s favorites!

This definitely trendy spot has been recognized as “One of the Best BBQ Joints in the World!” by Texas Monthly Magazine. They’ve also found themselves published in several books including Daniel Vaughn’s “Prophets of Smoked Meat,” published by Anthony Bourdain.

Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous in Memphis, TN

Since the 1940s, the family of Charlie Vergos has owned and operated this unique Memphis BBQ joint.

They have been serving their signature dry rub ribs in a basement through an alley across from the Peabody Hotel. While the world outside has stepped into the 21^st century, this barbecue joint looks just like it did 60 years ago.

Back when Charlie Vergos opened his restaurant by turning an old coal chute into a smoker, he realized he needed to expand his menu.

While most people thought of ribs as scrap meat, Vergos turned to his right-hand man, Little John, who knew just how to cook them. And, they created their own formula:

• Throw the racks in 18 inches from the fire
• Grill for an hour and 15 minutes
• Use a vinegar wash to keep them moist
• Make a rub based on the seasoning Vergos’ father used in a Greek chili recipe
• Add paprika for a traditional barbecue color

From then on, Vergo’s place has been the hot spot for ribs in Memphis.

Famous for their pork ribs with either wet sauce or a dry rub, their charcoal-broiled lamb riblets and barbecue chopped chicken, you can’t go wrong with this barbecue joint.

The restaurant, aptly named “The Rendezvous” is an experience all on its own.  Locals, tourists and celebrities make their way down that alley and inside to explore the large menu that expands for even the most discerning of tastes.

Final Thoughts

You’ll find dynamite BBQ restaurants all across America serving up a platter of ribs, a pulled pork sandwich, moist chicken or beef grilled to perfection.

You can bet there’s no meal more American than barbecue, and you’ll find a lot of competition between barbecue restaurants to stay on top. (tweet this) Combine that with American’s love of beef and pork, and barbecue is here to stay.

Whenever a craving hits you, and you head out to your favorite BBQ restaurant, come back here and give a shout out to your favorite spot. We’d love to hear where you enjoy your barbecue.

Share your comments about your favorite BBQ restaurant below. What’s your favorite BBQ joint?

Image:  Andrew Itaga, Southern Foodways Alliance, Matt Johnson, Chris Pencis, Ron Cogswell and Dan

 

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Healthy and Flavorful Thai Cooking

Despite its challenges being a vegetarian, don’t hesitate trying out Thai food. If you haven’t yet explored this cuisine you’ll discover that it has some of the most unique and beautiful flavors in the entire world of vegetarian cooking.

Thai Cuisine

Thai food, like many other Asian cuisines, can easily be vegan. The base for the majority of dishes is carbohydrate: rice and noodles – with lots of vegetables, and no cheese, butter or milk. Meat is only a small part of the dish, so altering it will not change much of the taste and dining experience. The full flavor and… Read more at Veganuary

Most thai restaurants put shrimp sauce into their curries. Since the curry pastes mixed into each meal are pre-made, there’s really no way you can order a standard curry item from these restaurants and get them to withhold the shrimp sauce. They’ll also often put a little bit of fish sauce into the coconut milk.

Vegan Thai Food

At Thai restaurants that don’t go out of their way to please vegans, your best choice may be to special order vegetables and tofu in plain coconut milk, seasoned only with salt and lemon juice, accompanied by jasmine rice. This should reliably be vegan, and since coconut milk is so ridiculously delicious your meal will still have plenty of flavor even without the curry. Alternately, you can go super basic and ask for plain stir-fried vegetables seasoned with… Read more at Vegan.com

Miang Kham (Thai Food)

Miang Kham is Thai traditional food eat with herb and complementing water to taste sweet and salt no spicy and have fragrance from herb main ingredient is chaplo… Watch it here

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Healthy and Flavorful Thai Cooking syndicated from http://www.thaispices.com

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Using Your Website To Grow Your Business

                                                    Use your website to drive your digital marketing strategy.

Your website is the hub of your advertising activities. It is the centerpiece of your restaurant’s marketing strategy.

It is vital to your success, and it can be what convinces diners to visit you.

As a restaurant owner, you can be sure your customers are looking for you through Google search, and then they are directed to your website.

In addition, you are driving all social media, email marketing, pay-per-click ads, direct mail, and radio and TV advertising to your website as well.

So, you can see how your website is easily the center of all your marketing efforts and the driver of traffic to your restaurant.

Because of its important marketing role, let’s look at using your website to grow your business.

Leverage Local SEO

Local SEO (search engine optimization) is incredibly important to your restaurant, and it can help you grow your business. Why? Because your potential diners are searching for you online.

Consider these stats on online searches:

• Local searches lead 50% of consumers to visit their searched-for location that same day. This means local search works.
• Your restaurant address is what people are looking for most often, with this leading local searches.
• Nearly half of online searchers specify a location.
• When the majority of online searchers look for you, they’ll select the organic listings or Google Maps information because these most often contain reviews, and they want to know what others think about your food.
• Google My Business pages are essential to your success as they lead to enhanced visibility on smartphones.

Local search rankings can’t be underestimated as they prompt visits to your restaurant. High local search rankings translate to increases in customers and revenue at your restaurant.

Grow Your Email List

Use your website to grow your email list; this gives you access to new customers.

Email marketing is one if the most cost effective forms of digital marketing. When your customers give you their email address, they’re inviting you inside the inner sanctum of their computer – their email.

Make sure your email sign up is easy to find on all of your landing pages and that the call to action is strong.

Have a Responsive Website

To use your website to grow your business, it must be responsive to screen size. In other words, it must be mobile-friendly.

With Google demanding mobile-friendly websites in Google search, you can’t afford to neglect this any longer. If you want to grow your business, you’ve got to have a mobile-friendly site in 2017.

Get Reviews

Use your website to encourage your current customers to leave you reviews.

Then, when potential customers visit your website, they’ll see the reviews which, in turn, makes them want to dine with you as well.

Reviews are the best way to build credibility with your website audience and gain new restaurant customers.

Blog Often

Do you have a blog? Are you actively using it and promoting it?

We recommend blogging at least once a week about things that interest your customers.

When blogging, consistency is key along with providing valuable and relevant content for your diners and potential customers. (tweet this)

It’s also a good idea to share your blog posts on social media and through your email marketing to increase their reach.

Through blogging, you can create a relationship with your customers. Whether you’re writing an article about the newest set of pans you just bought or highlighting a cooking how-to video, you’re sure to establish a personal connection.

Blogging helps grow your business by setting you apart as the expert on all things food. You’ll engender yourself and your restaurant to customers, thus bringing in more revenue on a daily basis.

                                Paid advertising drives traffic to your website where you can grab them.

Dive into Pay-Per-Click

A more advanced way to use your website to grow your business is through paid digital advertising channels. This may include Google AdWords and social media advertising.

When you use pay-per-click, you serve several purposes: you can send people to your website, and you can re-target people who visited your website.

Let’s look at a few of your choices when it comes to paid digital advertising.

1. Google AdWords – You probably notice the ads at the top of search engine results pages. These are businesses who have paid for the privilege of showing up at the top of search pages. You’ll also find paid ads at the bottom of search pages. When an Internet user clicks on your ad, you’re charged, and they are taken to your website.
2. Google AdWords Remarketing – Using this tool in Google AdWords allows you to re-target website visitors with something they might find useful. These are often the ads you’ll see as you peruse the Internet. For example, if someone was on your website looking at your pizza offerings, Google may serve them an ad that features the same pizza.
3. Facebook Advertising – This is, as of right now, the most cost effective way to get your restaurant in front of more people. You can also use Facebook’s re-targeting options to grab website visitors as well. In addition, Facebook has a wealth of targeting options so you can get your ads in front of the right people. You can even target your own email list. When advertising on Facebook, you also have the option of sending ads to Instagram which is terrific for the restaurant with great photos.
   

Create Dedicated Landing Pages

When it comes to pay-per-click, you want to send people to specific landing pages.

These pages should match your ad description so people are getting exactly what they think they should be getting. Ads should match landing pages for the best success.

When creating your landing pages, they must include a strong call to action. And, they should have just one call to action per landing page.

The goal of your pay-per-click campaign is to get the customer to your website where they take your desired action. (tweet this) If they don’t do this, you’ve wasted your money.

Once you’ve earned the click, it’s up to your website to earn the business, and that starts with your landing page.

Don’t send customers to your website’s homepage through a pay-per-click campaign. Have a dedicated landing page for each campaign.

Final Thoughts

In the past, a restaurant’s website was created and left to sit. After all, it looked good and contained the right information.

Yet, in today’s fast-paced, competitive world, that is no longer acceptable.

Your website is the centerpiece of your marketing. It should be fluid, and you want to add new content to it (think blogs, downloads, etc.) on an ongoing basis.

This keeps the search engines interested and your customers coming back for more.

So, take a look at your site today. Ask yourself how you can use it to grow your business. What do you want your site to do, and how will you use it? These questions can propel you to growth and higher revenues.

Do you have an online website that’s attractive to your customers and site visitors? Your restaurant needs a responsive, mobile-friendly, interactive website. It’s the ideal way to highlight your restaurant while appealing to your customers.

At Restaurant Engine, we build responsive, mobile-friendly restaurant websites. Contact us today for your free website consultation. We are here to help you update your website and stand out in the crowd so you can stay ahead of your competition.

Image:  Igor Miske and Katlyn Giberson

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Mapping the communities of tomorrow requires a hard look at the topographies of today. Mike Carnathan, Project Director at Neighborhood Nexus, synthesizes big data into visual stories that chart the social, political, and economic conditions across the city of Atlanta. Part data miner, part cultural cartographer, Carnathan creates demographic maps that local leaders, advocates, and […]

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Hiring Front Of House – What To Look For

Hire right the first time to maximize your hiring.

Your front of house staff, basically anyone who has contact with your customers, is vital to the success of your restaurant.

In this article, we discuss hiring front of house and what to look for. First, though, let’s define the front of house in exact terms.

The Front of House

Your front of house staff is your forward-facing team. These are the folks who greet and serve your customers on a daily basis.

When hiring front of house staff, you are usually looking for bartenders, servers and hosts, and sometimes bussers and barbacks. In addition, the restaurant manager is an often-overlooked member of the front of house team.

Front of House Employee Characteristics

The front of house staff members should have similar characteristics including:

• A friendly attitude
• Good customer service skills
• Adept at handling customer complaints
• Service oriented
• Comfortable meeting and greeting new people
• Able to multi-task with ease
• Team player
• Smart and able to learn your menu including your beverage selections. This may be different depending on your restaurant type. If you are a fast-casual restaurant, your learning curve might not be as steep as if you are a fine dining restaurant.

When it comes to hiring, you want to look for people who are friendly, fast learners, flexible, patient, organized, accurate and fast on their feet. (tweet this)

Working at the front of your restaurant isn’t for everyone. It requires a special set of skills and a people-oriented person.

While experience is a plus, it isn’t a necessity as you can always train the right person.

Next, let’s break down each front of house position to help you know what to look for when it comes to each specific job.

The Host

This is the first person your customers come into contact with. Your host or hostess can set the tone for your diners’ entire experience.

When looking for a new host or hostess, you want to hire an easy-going person who is friendly, respectful and gregarious.

You want to hire someone you trust for this position because they are the “door” to your restaurant. In addition, it’s hard to directly supervise your host as you are busy doing other things away from their area.

If your host’s job is to handle greeting customers, take reservations, seat diners, answer the phone and handle complaints, look for someone who can multi-task without getting frazzled.

Your host should be able to handle a fast-paced restaurant.

The Server

The waiter or waitress has the most contact with your restaurant guests and as such, can be solely responsible for your customers’ opinions of your restaurant. (tweet this)

Servers not only have to take orders and deliver food, but they must be well-versed in customer service.

You want your wait staff to be comfortable in front of people, well-spoken and professional. You want a team of people who are friendly, personable and great communicators.

This group of people must be able to multi-task and move from one table to another with ease. They should also be able to handle a fast-paced, constantly moving restaurant.

Consistency is what you’re looking for here so you can be assured your wait staff delivers excellent customer service throughout their entire shift.

When it comes to customer service, it’s important that you train your staff on an ongoing basis. You want them to know how to handle a multitude of situations with grace, empathy and ease.

Everyone front of house is important to your success.

The Bartender

Working as a bartender is no easy task. The ideal candidate for this position has many of the qualities of your wait staff, but they must also have an excellent knowledge of your restaurant’s drinks and how to make them.

Like the wait staff, your bartender should be friendly, outgoing and attentive. He or she should be able to meet the needs of your customers – like refilling near empty drinks – before your diners realize they need a refill.

You also want this person to be able to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment.

Interview Questions

We’ve gone over what to look for when hiring for the front of the house. Now, let’s look at some interview questions for possible new hires.

Before you interview your candidate, make a list of the qualifications you’re looking for. Then, make a list of interview questions based on the answers you want.

Here are some possibilities to get you started:

• Tell me about your greatest strength. With this question, you are looking to know what makes them right for your job. Push a little and find out why they think they are suited to your open position.
• Describe your greatest weakness. You’re looking for honesty and transparency here. Everyone has a weakness, something they’d like to improve upon. If your candidate can’t come up with one, they probably aren’t right for your restaurant.
• Describe one of the hardest moments you’ve had in your work life and how you overcame it. If they’ve worked in a restaurant before, you want to know about this. If not, that’s okay. You are looking for how they handle and manage conflict.
• Tell me your favorite part about being a (the position) and your least favorite part. This again gives you insight into your candidate’s personality and character.

Final Thoughts

Your front of house staff is vital to your success. They represent your restaurant and can mean the difference between a loyal customer and a disgruntled one you never see again.

We’ve discussed what to look for, and now it’s time to consider how to retain them.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the employee turnover rate in the restaurant industry is well over 70%.

You’ll find there are a few reasons for this including:

• Restaurants are the largest employers of teenagers and students.
• The restaurant industry staffs according to the seasons which results in cyclical turnovers.

Yet, you’ll also find that your regular full-time employees turnover due to burnout and upward mobility as well.

So, how do you retain your front of house staff? First, you hire correctly. Second, you train them exceptionally well. Third, you treat them with the same respect you give your customers.

You are now well on your way to hiring front of house and knowing what to look for.

Do you have an online website that’s attractive to future employees? Your restaurant needs a responsive, mobile-friendly, interactive website. It’s the ideal way to highlight your restaurant while appealing to your customers and future employees.

At Restaurant Engine, we build responsive, mobile-friendly restaurant websites. Contact us today for your free website consultation. We are here to help you update your website and stand out in the crowd so you can stay ahead of your competition.

Image:  Dan Gold and Tim Wright

 

 

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The post John Rossman on How the Internet of Things Transforms Businesses appeared first on GA Blog.

10 Tips For Renovating Your Hotel Restaurant

Renovating your hotel restaurant can refresh your whole property.

If you’re ready to increase revenues at your hotel, take a look at your restaurant. This is a good place to start when examining ways to boost your cash flow and increase business at your hotel.

In this article, we discuss 10 tips for renovating your hotel restaurant so you can rejuvenate or refresh your look.

Diners today are looking for unique eating options. They want an “experience,” a place to feel exotic and out of the ordinary.

If your restaurant doesn’t provide this, you probably aren’t attracting a lot of local traffic or even your own hotel guests.

Yet, before you consider a remodel, you might be wondering just what it will cost you. The good news is that even if your budget is tight, you can make changes to your restaurant that encourage customers to dine with you.

Take a look at your budget, do some research, and make a plan for what it will take to make your restaurant shine. You don’t have to go broke. Ask yourself what your goals are and provide an appropriate budget.

Generally speaking, you can expect to spend $20,000-$100,000 depending on your remodel budget. You can always spend less, but that’s most likely just a new coat of paint.

You can also look at your remodel costs based on your square footage as provided by restaurantowner.com.

Now, let’s look at the 10 tips for renovating your restaurant.

#1: Make a Plan

Before you dive into your renovations, make a list of your goals. (tweet this)

This is the perfect time to do some market research. Visit the competition in town and decide what you like and what you don’t like.

Then, decide what you absolutely have to have and what you can live without. You might find you have a list of non-negotiable items you must have and some that you can do without.

To help you decide what’s important, here are a few tips:

• Choose high-impact elements for the best use of your dollar.
• Paint and finishes can result in a totally different look.
• Consider changing your lighting and upholstery.
• Refresh your landscaping.
• Deep clean your restaurant.
• Incorporate a feature wall for ambiance. This allows you to spend a little for big impact.

#2: Outline Your Budget

The fact is that remodels and renovations always cost more than you think. For example, you might be removing wallpaper only to find some mold you need to remove.

It’s your job to manage your budget while knowing how much you’re willing to go over. The best way to do this is with a contingency budget. So, if you can spend $50,000, set $10,000 aside for your contingency plan and $40,000 for your actual remodel.

This can help you manage your budget and your priorities.

Always know the budget that you can spend and set it apart from your dream budget – the one you want to spend.

#3: Consider Revenue Generators

When deciding what portion of your restaurant to renovate, your bar and your dining room are the biggest revenue generators.

Add a bigger, more spectacular bar to boost alcohol sales since alcohol has a high profit margin.

Your bar and your dining room also can change the entire atmosphere of your restaurant attracting more local diners as well as hotel guests.

#4: Talk to Your Customers

To get an idea what might draw people to your hotel restaurant, ask your current customers and your hotel guests. Conduct an informal survey to get their feedback.

You might find, for example, that your current color choices are off-putting, or that your restaurant is too dark.

Your remodel is solely for the purpose of increasing the enjoyment of your customers, so it pays to ask them what they think.

Some things to think about include the décor, lighting, and seating. You might have a large dining room and several smaller rooms to accommodate private parties.

#5: Define Your Target Market

Along with customer feedback comes knowing what demographics you want to attract.

If you don’t know what type of customer you’re looking for, it’s hard to design a space that appeals to them.

Analyze the demographics and the trends in your area. You might be surprised at your target demographics.

For example, if you see that trendy young professionals are staying at your hotel or moving into the area around your hotel, you might lean towards a more modern, eclectic remodel.

If you notice that your hotel is filled every weekend with young families looking for a family-friendly eatery, then a more causal remodel is on your list.

Market your redesigned hotel restaurant to your community.

#6: Be Careful with Your Bookings

Your hotel is going to be noisy during the renovation. Do your best to schedule your guests’ reservations on the other side of your hotel so they are comfortable during their stay.

Do what you can to isolate your guests from the commotion.

#7: Choose the Right Contractor

Your contractor can make or break your renovation so hire the best contractor possible.

Shop around, look at reviews and make sure you are comfortable with them and their timeline.

#8: Be Hands-On

Yes, you have a contractor. But, you want to stay intimately involved with the process. This ultimately gives you control and lets you know what’s going on at all times.

Consider yourself the subcontractor so you can keep the lines of communication open and surprises to a minimum.

#9: Communicate with Staff

Your guests will most likely seek out your staff with questions and concerns. This is why it pays to keep your staff fully informed of your renovations and the progress.

You want your staff to be well-versed in the remodel so they can communicate how great things will be when it’s finished.

#10: Market Your Renovated Restaurant

A very important part of your hotel restaurant renovation is your marketing plan. (tweet this)

As you begin your remodel plans, make a marketing plan right along with it.

You can begin marketing your renovation from the beginning to maximize your efforts.

Offer locals special packages that combine dinner and a hotel stay for a night away from home. Offer hotel guests discounts on dinner.

You can push out your marketing through your website, social media, email marketing and other types of advertisements.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to increase business, then a renovation of your hotel restaurant is the way to go.

By updating and changing your interior design, you can differentiate yourself from the other restaurant competition in town.

Spruce up your image and modernize your space. This helps you attract more customers, and your customer pool is larger than you think. It’s more than just your hotel guests.

Not only does your renovation encourage hotel guests to dine with you, but it encourages locals to visit your hotel restaurant for the experience of your space, ambiance, customer service and food.

Finally, manage your budget throughout the entire process, and do have a contingency plan for the unexpected.

Have you remodeled your hotel restaurant lately? We’d love to hear about your experience throughout the process. Please feel free to share your tips and tricks with our readers!

Image: Sarah Gotze and Jung Woo Hong