by Kingston Amadan

It was early on a Friday night, and already the front of the house was packed. My kitchen looked like a beehive, and as usual, my whole staff was working furiously to keep everybody happy. It’s a necessity both they and I have come to live with as a result of our setup. You see, our kitchen is entirely too small for the amount of business we get. Because of my location, which I wouldn’t give up for the world, there’s not a lot I can do about it.

Anyway, things were running as smoothly as they ever do, when one of my main refrigeration units went down. One of my line cooks came from the back and informed that we were going to lose a lot of steaks if we didn’t act fast.

Since we have no room, we formulated a plan to get the meat into one of the bar coolers until we could figure out what to do. While some of my staff was working on that, I made a call to a repair service, since I didn’t think I would be able to reach my equipment supplier on a Friday night. They told me the next time they could come by to take a look would be on Monday. In desperation, I called my restaurant equipment supplier. Luckily, he was still in the office.

I explained what had happened and he thought about it for a minute. After grilling me (no pun intended) for a while on the preventive maintenance measures I had taken with the unit, we got on the subject of coils. It seems this particular unit has a sheet of metal between two sets of coils on the rear of the unit, leaving the rear coils exposed while hiding the interior set. The manufacturer put the thin sheet of metal between the coils to act as a heat transference device, as the heat produced between two sets of coils on a commercial refrigeration unit can be pretty intense. The sheet would absorb heat from both sets of coils and help to dissipate it, since it had more surface area.

The bottom line is that we had been cleaning the exterior set of coils, but not the interior set. My restaurant equipment supplier mentioned that this was an unorthodox (yet effective) setup for the back of a cooler, so he wasn’t surprised we weren’t aware of the interior coils. He told how to remove the metal sheet and suggested I clean the interior coils to see if that might be the problem.

My GM and I took the unit out back and removed the sheet and took a look at the inset coils. They were in bad shape, having never been cleaned before (or at least no as long as I owned them). To make a long story short, we cleaned them thoroughly and tried the unit again. Within five minutes, things were nice and frosty on the inside again. I called my equipment supplier back to thank him for his help. Of course, he told me to call him first before I use a repair service for out-of-warranty equipment, which I should have done in the first place.

Having a knowledgeable equipment supplier is of the utmost importance of my business. This particular Friday night, I was reminded of that in a big way.

About the Author
Visit CPAPC for restaurant supplies and equipments

There are many ways to make a living of course, but opening a business is one of the best ways to become wealthy.

Creating a business is not easy, and opening a restaurant without a solid restaurant business plan to guide you would simply be foolish.

Adding All Of The Pertinent Information To Your Business Plan

After all, a restaurant business plan will be the first document any potential lenders, investors or partners want to see, and the restaurant business plan will also serve as an important guideline as the business moves forward.

It is therefore vital to put as much pertinent information into the restaurant business plan as possible.

Hiring And Retaining Good Employees

Some of the factors on which that restaurant business plan should focus include the business owner’s plans for finding, hiring and retaining the most talented chefs and cooks in the industry.

The restaurant business is known for being a highly competitive one, and it is important that the restaurant business plan spell out exactly how the business owner plans to find not only the best chefs but the best waiter staff, management and support staff as well.

Detailing The Type Of Food You Will Serve At Your Restaurant

The restaurant business plan should also provide details about what kinds of food the new restaurant plans to serve. Some restaurant owners will focus on a serving a wide variety of fine American cuisine, designed to appeal to a variety of different tastes.

Other restaurant owners will choose to serve a more eclectic mix of cuisines, while others will decide to focus on a smaller niche market. It is important for the restaurant business plan to be prepared to spell out this important distinction.

Getting Your Business Plan Reviewed By Professionals

As the restaurant business plan is being prepared, it is important for the would be restaurant owner to have the document carefully reviewed by a number of business professionals.

It is a good idea, for instance, to have the restaurant business plan reviewed by a qualified business attorney, as well as an accountant or other tax professional.

This professional input can help the business owner structure the restaurant business plan in a way that will make it most effective when it comes to attracting the financing that will be needed to get the new restaurant up and running.

About the Author
Shaunta Pleasant is a professional web writer and editor on business plan topics. Visit my site to learn more about writing a business plan at http://www.business-plan-made-easy.com/restaurant-business-plan.htm

By Habiba Abubakar

Without new business, your restaurant won’t be able to grow. You need a constant stream of new customers to replace those you lose as a result of customers relocating, switching jobs, or changing dining habits. Here are six strategies for getting more customers through your doors.

1. Market Your Restaurant In Hotel Rooms
Business travellers and people on holiday may not be familiar enough with your town to know where to find an excellent meal. You can give them a hand simply by doing some hotel room marketing. Talk to hotels within your three-mile radius area and ask if you can place menus and advertisements in their rooms and lobby area. Some hotels have a “Nearby Attractions” list which they provide for their guests. You can ask to be added to the list. When guests get hungry and start trying to figure out where to eat, you’ll be one of the first restaurants to come to mind.

2. Form A Strategic Alliance With Event Venues
After a concert or sporting event, people are hungry and want to eat. Remember that people sometimes travel a long distance to come to these events, so they don’t want to travel home on an empty stomach. One venue in the United States showed a nearby restaurant’s advert on all of the venue monitors between concert acts. After the concert was over, that restaurant was packed with concert goers. You can do your part by promoting upcoming events of that venue at your restaurant.

3. Enter Contests
One of the biggest ways to get some media attention and, therefore, to attract new business is by winning a contest. For example, enter your chef in a cooking contest. Read restaurant publications and browse the Internet to find out about any contests you may be able to enter. If all else fails, create your own contest and invite local restaurants to participate. Then, even if you lose, you’ll still generate great publicity and get new patrons in your door.

4. Sell Gift Certificates
Your loyal customers may want their friends and family members to give you a try. Provide them with your gift certificates, so they can buy these as presents for loved ones. A gift certificate allows the recipient to try your restaurant completely risk-free since they usually don’t have to pay anything for the experience. Plus, each gift certificate serves as a referral to your establishment. Make sure your gift certificates come in flexible amounts so that buyers have the freedom to decide how much to spend.

5. Give Samples Out At Busy Locations
Send your food on the road if you really want to lure in new customers. Go to locations that have a lot of human traffic, such as shopping centres, supermarkets, parks, etc, and offer samples of some of your most tasty food to everyone that passes by. When they stop to take a sample, give out a menu, business card, or a coupon so that they’ll know exactly where they can go in order to taste more of your scrumptious food.

6. Offer “Happy Hour” Specials
At the end of a hard day, many workers want to relax and unwind before heading home, so invite them to your restaurant for some “happy hour” specials. Drink specials and low-price finger food buffets are both good ideas. You could also have Frequent Diner cards for happy patrons so that after so many drinks they receive a free drink or a discount on their meal if they decide to stay for dinner. Inform all local businesses about your offer.

Copyright © 2004 Habiba Abubakar and Emprez. All rights reserved.

Habiba Abubakar, a.k.a. Restaurant Marketing Diva, is the author of 40 Proven Strategies For Attracting A Continuous Flow Of New Customers To Your Restaurant. Habiba helps restaurant owners and managers who are struggling to attract more customers and are finding it hard to build customer loyalty. Be sure to sign up for your FREE copy of her revealing report, FOUR Things You Can Do To Skyrocket Your Restaurant’s Profits In 90 Days or Less. Just go to http://www.emprez.com.

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