Restaurant restoration practices and methods

¶ … Restaurants are typically characterized by great customer service, unique product offerings, and an enjoyable environment. In the past, our restaurant has suffered substantially on all of the above mentioned fronts. Now, it is imperative that our restaurant correct many of the issues that have plagued performance in the past. These issues include employee moral, customer service, proper marketing, health violations, and product quality. It is management's aim to improve in all of these categories in an effort to increase our future earnings prospects.

How to improve the current situation:

In general, restaurants are considered commodities in some respects. As with their more traditional counterparts, commodities can be easily substituted and have low switching costs. Restaurants are no different in this regard; customers can easily switch from one restaurant to another with little or no barriers. As such, it is imperative that restaurants maintain a substantial relationship with their customers in order to create repeat purchases. These repeat purchases will subsequently build brand loyalty on the part of the consumers. This brand loyalty can easy be destroyed as evident with our current restaurant situation. As of now, our restaurant has numerous health and cleanliness violations that will have an adverse effect on future profitability. These violations include, roach infestation, rat infestation, leaky roof, sewage backup, improper food storage, improper labeling of cleaners, and leaky pipes. These violations are unacceptable in regards to business practices and must be properly addressed to preserve the future profitability of the business. In addition; we must also properly address the issues of customer retention, employee satisfaction, food quality and overall restaurant presentation. What ensues, are methods in which we intend to improve the overall negative publicity and sentiments regarding our restaurant. By implementing these corrective measures, we believe we will properly position ourselves for future profitability and subsequently better earnings growth.

First and foremost we must fix the immediate violations that affect our business. In order to properly engage in this activity we should consult with both employees and management. Employee input serves two purposes in this regard. First, employees usually provide the best means of corrective measures as they are present during day-to-day operations of the business. Additional, they traditional have a more intimate interaction with loyal customers and the instruments used to service them properly. With their insight, they can provide a thorough and complete analysis of possible area of omission by management. Secondly, by empowering employees with decisions that my effect their work environment; management can indirectly influence employee satisfaction. With higher employee satisfaction and moral, employees will subsequently be more productive. More productive employees are thus more profitable employees. In addition to consulting employees, management must also reward and recognize employees with above average behavior. Simple recognition, can often improve both employee moral and employee sentiments towards their job function.

In addition to resolving the immediate violations present with the restaurant. Management must also alter the overall company culture and corporate environment. In order to effectively do so, management must communicate its vision, goals, and objectives to all stakeholders involved. By communicating this vision, management can ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the new objectives and the importance of each. In essence, management is enlisting others in a common vision by combining common aspirations (1). Through this means management creates an ideal image of what he believes the organization can become. Through this vision, he can then get other employees excited about future possibilities. Further, by becoming aware of the new objectives employees are better positioned to provide innovations and services that better align with the overall corporate objectives.

It is not enough to simple explain restaurant objectives and their importance, but management must also lead or model the way for subordinates to follow (2). This is important in regards to customer and employee satisfaction. By modeling the way, not only do employees perceive management's goals and objectives, but these objectives are reinforced by their behavior. As such, employee can clearly decipher and implement actions that align themselves with company accepted behavior.