Controlling Restaurant & Food Service Operating Costs

This book deals specifically with ways to reduce operating costs that are primarily management-controllable expenses. Controlling the operating costs of a restaurant is a constant management task. One needs to balance labor, food and liquor costs against sales and quality in order to make any sort of realistic profit. Improvements in technology and management techniques allow smart restaurant operators to keep operating costs within the boundaries needed to generate a profit while still providing their customers with the level of service that they need to generate repeat business. The food service industry is in a state of constant change, particularly due to the nature of pricing fluctuations and rising labor costs. A restaurant manager must be prepared to develop and monitor costs in all controllable areas to maintain profitability. Some costs you just cannot change. These are the fixed or semi-fixed operating costs, which include such items as minimum wage rates, tax rates, rent, permits and fees, insurance and real estate taxes. Fortunately, many costs can be reduced considerably, without reducing quality or efficiency. Some of the controllable and flexible operating costs include purchasing, receiving, storing, food preparation, repair and maintenance, advertising, serving methods, staff training, food and beverage cost controls and accounting. As a restaurant operator, you will often find that your bottom line is manipulated by outside circumstances. Armed with the information in this book, you will final actual tips that produce profitable results, without consuming all of your time in unnecessary research or, worse, experiences of painful trial, risk and error. This book is partof the new series from the editors of the Food Service Professional Magazine. With 15 books on the most relevant food service subjects, theses are the best and most comprehensive books for serious food service operators available today. These step-by-step guides on specif