If we asked you to define what business you work in, you’d probably say the “restaurant” or “hotel” or “bar” business. And do you know what? You’d be wrong! That’s not the business you’re in. We’re in the business of retail sales, not the “quick-service,” “restaurant,” “bar,” or “hotel” business.
A restaurant or bar is not merely a “place to eat or drink,” but rather a building designed to accommodate, facilitate and promote the retail sales of food and beverage to customers through service. We provide service as a way of making sales to those customers. The restaurant or bar is a physical space. Our business is designing and using that space to make sales. Why do you think we call our restaurants “stores”?
Once the analogy between foodservice and retail sales is understood we can then differentiate between what we do and what we should be doing. First, we begin by making a distinction between our business’s function and our goal.
- Our function as a business is to acquire and maintain customers.
- Our goal is to be profitable.
If you agree with this, you must ask yourself: “How do I successfully manage my business’s function every day so that we will make money? The answer is quite simply: TRAINING.
Get More Restaurant Management Tips
The restaurant management section of our blog is dedicated to helping you meet your leadership goals. Check it out!
