Restaurant Operations

1. Interested Topic:

The latest trend of food operation in US: Food Truck

A food truck is like restaurant on wheels. It has several distinct advantages over a traditional eat-in restaurant. A food truck can go to where the customers are. It has pretty low overhead, compared to a restaurant, and requires far less staff. However a food truck is still a business that requires a lot of work and attention- especially in the first couple of years. Food truck owners put in long days and have similar problems as restaurant owners, such as slow seasons, bad weather, and sluggish economy. Read on to find out how you can start your own food truck business.

Time Required: Two Months or More

The way to start operating a food truck restaurant

 

1.Find out if a Food Truck Business is Legal.

2. Find out Where You Can do Business. Assuming your city or town allows food truck businesses, next you need to find out where you can do business. Depending on local ordinances you may not be able to park in the busy downtown area. Before you set up shop in a busy tourist area or business park, make sure its legit.

3.Choose a business name. Okay, you now have a solid plan for where you are going to sell your food. Now you can do fun part- decide on a fantastic food truck name.

 

4.Write a Food Truck Menu. You will also have to decide if your menu will be the same every day or rotate with daily specials.

 

5.Find Financing for Your Food Truck Business. A used food truck can cost between $20,000 - $40,000. A new food truck can be as much as $100,000. If you are looking for a truly economical way to start a food truck business, consider a food cart. An ice cream or hot dog cart may not be the most glamourous option, but it certainly the most feasible for many peole.

6.Stock Your Food Truck. Even if you land a modestly priced used food truck, you will still need to make sure it is going to meet your particular needs. If you plan to serve hot food, such as pizza, French fries or other fried foods, you will need a oven and fryolator. If you plan to sell pre-made sandwiches, then you will need ample cooler space

 

7.Get the Word Out About Your Food Truck Business. The good thing about a food truck is that it's a rolling advertisement on wheels. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do some advertising and marketing of your business. Social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter are perfect for building a good customer base. You can twitter in the morning where your food truck is heading, to let followers know ahead of time

 

8.Create an Emergency Fund. Be prepared for the unexpected by having some cash set aside.

9.Have Clear Goals for the Future. Maybe a food truck business is step one toward owning your own restaurant or full service catering company. Decide where you want to be in a year, five years, 10 years. Having clear goals for your food truck business will help keep you motivated and focused.

2. Forecasting and food cost control process for the restaurant:

 i.            Forecasting

(a) Sales forecasting

The sales forecast should show sales by month at least for the next 12 months. First, the restaurant has to develop a unit sales project by forecasting unit sales per month. It would be easier to forecast by breaking things down into their component parts, like sales, price/cost per unit. Secondly, we have to use the past data to make projection for future. We have to do it every month to ensure a more accurate forecasting.

 

(b)Food cost forecasting

Forecasting could be used for ordering food and supplies, etc. For instance, it may estimate the necessary ordering quantity, so we have to calculate the quantity of food needed. To determine the amount of food needed, the ‘yield’ factor for each food item is known, is the amount of sales yielded by a unit of food. It could be sales per pound in the case of meats, or sales per bag of apples, etc

ii.            Food cost control process

(a) Menu Planning & Standard Recipes

Each menu item should have a recipe. The recipes should include the measured portions and the standard costs for each ingredient. These recipes offer a theoretical cost to compare to the actual. This is the basis for measuring the cost of each menu item and the overall food cost.

 

(b) Purchasing Systems











Working with your suppliers to ensure you are receiving the correct specification at the correct price is critical. All the food you purchase must have a designated specification. There are many factors to consider for determining the specs for your food purchases. Considering the recipe and cooking method are the essential elements. It’s time to compare and negotiate with suppliers when you have determined your specifications Purchasing is vital and must be supervised by management team ora senior level staff member. Improper purchasing may lead to serious issues from product shortages to excessive waste.

(c) Receiving Process

It’s vital for the manager or senior level staff member to check the deliver for accuracy. Each case must be counted and spot checked for proper weight and quality.

 

(d) Preparation Process















It’s vital for the manager or senior level staff member to check the deliver for accuracy. Each case must be counted and spot checked for proper weight and quality.

(d) Preparation Process

The production process requires the use of a system to track what has been ordered and delivered. In most restaurants that will be a POS system. If no POS system is used an order pad will be used. Each order pad must be accounted for and allocated to your food servers. Missing order copies are clear indication of theft. Another key to control and tracking of expenses is to document remakes, waste, promotions, employee food and other items that are not served to the customer. These can add up to a significant expense if not controlled. Following recipes and the use of portioning tools such as scoops and scales will also help deliver consistency for the customer and control costs.

(f) Inventory Cycles

A physical inventory count weekly or monthly is needed to determine actual food used during the timeframe. In many cases you may decide to count expensive items daily or even by shift. Whatever your frequency of inventory it’s absolutely critical to take an accurate inventory to produce the cost of sales numbers that are derived from it.

(g) Accounting & Reports

The processes above with a proper accounting process will generate the reports needed to determine if expenses are in line, and if they are not where to look to fix the problem.

Small amounts of waste and or theft on a daily basis add up to significant dollars over time. That’s why it’s critical to have a system in place for management to execute.

3. Trends:

Offering Discounts and Coupons

Consumer loves to bargain, especially during the economy rebounds or down turn. By using the discounts, it helps to attract the consumers to eat in your restaurant. They would think it may worth to try with the discount.

Social Media for Restaurants 

Social-media based marketing for restaurants continues to grow and evolve. More and more people turn to the internet for information about where to eat, like the “Open rice” to find restaurant. Along with name, address and phone number, there are oodles of sites dedicated to customer reviews for restaurants. Social marketing sites like Facebook or Twitter also provide channels for us to promote specials and events and reach your target customers with little cost.

 

Public Health Concerns

Recently, restaurants are being pressured to create healthier meals with smaller portions. People are more concern about the health nowadays. In response to public demand, many restaurants now offer smaller portion sizes and healthier food options on their regular menu. It would be more suitable for the request for the customers. 

Reference:

http://www.chef2chef.net/articles/in-the-fire/street-food-trend.html

https://canadianrestaurateur.wordpress.com/tag/spoilage/

http://restaurants.about.com/od/restaurantconcepts/a/Restaurant-Operation-Trends.htm