Dining Out: How to Operate a Profitable Restaurant and Keep Your Customers Coming Back

By Sharon Suffolk

Eating out has gone downhill. What has happened to our culture in the way we dine out? What happened to old fashioned customer service and customer satisfaction? In this book, the goal is to open your eyes, not only as an owner of a food establishment but also as a customer. The author uses her 50 years of restaurant experience and eating out all over the world to show you the little and big things that could be killing your business. She has seen it all and notices everything, from the first impressions of your restaurant’s outside entrance, to staff training, to the noise level and the kitchen. She truly understands the customer’s perspective in dining out, and explains how to fix the mistakes you could be making. Whether you operate a food truck, a 5-star restaurant or anything in-between, this book will show you how to run a welcoming eatery that will have customers lining up, coming back, and telling everyone about their great experience with you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sharon Suffolk
• Release date: Feb 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310928826

Sharon Suffolk

Sharon Suffolk has loved dining out at various types of restaurants all her life, and has traveled the world for many years tasting varied cuisines, from local food trucks to fine dining restaurants in Bali, Singapore, Australia, Monte Carlo, Rome, London or a private luau on the beaches of Hawaii.She is a self-taught gourmet chef and has 50 years of experience in the restaurant business, including waitress, bartender, hostess or selling to the restaurant industry. She wants to bring back old-fashioned customer service, cleanliness and class to dining out. She believes you don’t have to settle for less just because times have changed, and has a passion to help restaurant owners improve their profitability by meeting her high standards. Sharon is a married mother of three, a grandmother of six, and has lived in Michigan for 30 years. For the past 10 years, she has owned and operated Good Boy Events, a Michigan based event production company. Owning/operating a restaurant or organizing a Marathon, they both take the same amount of energy and passion.

Book preview

DINING OUT

HOW TO OPERATE A PROFITABLE RESTAURANT

and Keep Your Customers Coming Back

Sharon Suffolk

DINING OUT: How to Operate a Profitable Restaurant and Keep Your Customers Coming Back

Copyright © 2016 by Sharon Suffolk

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

Limit of Liability: While the author and the publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representation or warranties with respect to accuracy or completeness of the content of this book. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Consult with a professional when appropriate.

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Introduction

How to operate a successful restaurant? You might say, It’s easy, I’m doing it right now. Really? So many owners have their heads in the sand. They are blinded by the everyday, mundane chores, duties, and obligations that it’s difficult to see what is happening around them.

You say, I have plenty of customers. Even some repeats. The sad thing is, they come because you offer the best of the worst in most cases. They will settle for less than adequate food rather than drive to another town for great food or great service. I’m one of those customers who has been settling for mediocre food and service so that I don’t have to drive ten or fifteen miles for dinner. However, I’m to the point that I no longer can do this without speaking out.

Thus the purpose of this book. With over fifty years of experience as a waitress, bartender, and gourmet cook, along with traveling the world and dining in the finest of eateries, I feel that I owe it to you to publish this book. I hope it will make a difference.

Contents

Welcome to my Place

The Outside

The Entrance

Inside Your House

The Table

The Staff - Impressions

The Staff - Training

The Ambiance

The Kitchen

The Food

Different Types of Establishments

Improve Operations to Satisfy Your Customers

Let’s Sum it up

1

Welcome to my Place

I decided to write this book in hopes that what you are reading will make some sense to you and will motivate you to change your mode of operation. Many times it’s just a few adjustments to the building, the interior, the staff or the menu. In some cases, it’s all of these. Take the time periodically to analyze your home away from home. Most likely, you are there more than you are at home.

In this book, I’m going to share with you some very important things that will make your restaurant a better place to dine--an enjoyable place with great food and amazing service. Plus, a profit center. Of course, your first thought is, How? I have a great place now. What can I change that would make things better?

It doesn’t matter what you are serving. It does matter how it’s done. You are probably saying, I have a great staff. Think again. There’s more to a business than having decent food and someone to serve it. I have been to some extremely old establishments that had great food, but the atmosphere was so bad