Restaurant Business is tough..!! But if you have that passion and zeal to break the boundaries it can turn out to be a successful venture that will earn you money, a lot of money.
But the question is how to analyze your business success? “ CAN LEAN SIX SIGMA IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY?”
A lot of people are still into the dilemma that lean six sigma is something dedicated to manufacturing industries which is not at all true.
Service Quality is that one important factor which can leave a long lasting impression on your customer. The efficiency and effectiveness of a quality service will play a major role in determining the competitiveness and profitability of a restaurant.
The Makeover Of a Restaurant Using Lean Six Sigma
This technique will help an organization to cut out the unnecessary steps and retain only the process that is necessary. A lot of Six Sigma tools such as 5S, the team charter, Pareto Chart are available that can help a restaurant identify and eliminate the necessary defects. Amongst all this DMAIC methodology is one that not only helps restaurants to minimize the defects but will also improve the quality and productivity which can also be improved using Restaurant billing software.
In a restaurant management system industry, something which can cause a big loss is the long waiting time either for the seat or for the food, often caused due to poor communication between the manager, wait staff, and the cleanup crew. “Time is money” each minute wasted can cost one customer.
If you are serious about implementing the Lean Six sigma than it should be followed from tip to toe. It is the team leader job usually the one with a Six Sigma Black Belt or a Master Black Belt to mentor the team and assign them the tasks for which they are the best fit. A better communication will allow the cross-functional team to fix poor processes along with improvements in customer satisfaction and team efficiency hence improvement in performance management system.
A Six Sigma efficient kitchen, waiting room and the dining area will reduce wait time and will provide customers with an experience they might never forget.
A Lean Six Sigma restaurant will…..
Improves the order accuracy
Implementing a simple practice such as repeating customer orders can play a great role in reducing errors. If you are operating a fast food channel, an investment in an order screen can be like a cherry on the top as the customers can assure that their orders have been entered correctly. At a simple dining, restaurant servers can be trained to simply repeat each customer order- especially if they are not jotting it down.
Improves Quality
Good quality can be ensured by using packaging that will keep the food hotter and improve customer satisfaction. Supply and demand should be directly proportional as this will help reduce the waste. For diners, the time between the meal prepared and served to the customers should be as minimum as possible and this is something that should be strictly adhered, to improve the overall quality.
Reduces Errors
If there is a team working from the time the meal is ordered until it reaches the customer table will ensure that the meal is prepared correctly and on time before it leaves the kitchen. Standardized procedures will make sure the food is delivered steaming hot on the table.
Improves the effectiveness
Based on the type of restaurant, the level and focus of effectiveness may vary. Besides food quality, the six sigma technique of DMAIC will help to create more effective sales and marketing strategies. Access to real-time data will make a huge difference in your marketing strategy because you know you are targeting the right audience. You will be able to measure the results and immediately take necessary actions if any issues comes up.
More profits
Running a restaurant means trying your best to keep inventory and waste under control and Six Sigma technique is something that can rescue you here. The Six Sigma proven methods will provide you with necessary tools to keep the waste and inventory under control. By analyzing data, you can know the exact amount of inventory needed to produce the menu for a Saturday night versus a Sunday Brunch. Each item wasted in a restaurant directly affects your profits. Fortunately, we have the Six Sigma Techniques that will help to measure, analyze and the reduce the waste as much as possible.
A Smart way to test the new products
When you add a new product to your menu card you will be excited to see how the customers are responding towards it. This can be done using the data analysis technique of the Six Sigma which will help you determine whether a product has earned a spot on your menu through higher sales and increased profits.
If you are running an Italian Restaurant the metric function would help you to test the feasibility of adding a Red Sauce pasta versus white sauce to your menu.
Continue the improvement with Six Sigma
A lot of time we are so close to the situation where we can see the big picture, all we need is a new perspective. Six Sigma technique will allow restaurants to laser focus on things that are important and eliminate the one that are useless. This technique helps businesses to make changes to the industry without impacting the workforce. So if you are the one who wants to give a complete changeover to its restaurant process than lean six sigma is that one-stop solution. Happy serving.
