CORE Profit Strategies

A key ingredient for success is consistency. You don’t need to be the best, but you need to be consistent in your quality.

 

In past articles, we looked at how consistency and quality were impacted due to cooking techniques based on ideal situations and equipment rather than reality. In this article, we will talk about how poorly laid out and unorganized work areas lead to not only inconsistent or poor customer service and quality, but also to dissatisfied employees and turnover.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and the service and food were fantastic? Then, on your next visit, your experience is completely different? It may not have been bad, but it just wasn’t the same. A key ingredient for success is consistency. You don’t need to be the best, but you need to be consistent in your quality.

In the previous two editions of CORE Profit Strategies, we covered the evolution, resistance to, and benefits of centralized production areas. This leads us to how to successfully implement or reimagine your production kitchens. In this final article on production kitchens, we will first look at some of the common challenges you will face. Afterward, you will have the full story that leads to the key principles of operating successful and efficient production systems.

Most people that work in large kitchens and operations appreciate and understand the value that the three major production areas provide the operation. When properly developed and managed, they can produce significant cost savings, address a variety of labor challenges, and dramatically improve quality/consistency.

Whether you have production kitchens in place, are considering them, or wonder how you can incorporate some of the principles into your operation, it is important to understand the resistance, benefits, and challenges you may already have or will face.

Many years ago, kitchens were divided into several specialized sections. Whether it was a small restaurant or a large multi-unit kitchen, the positions were pretty much universal. As technology advanced, these kitchens started to amalgamate. Sections such as the entremetier station became part of the saucier, and the stillroom joined the garde manger team, to name a few. Today in many large kitchens, there are three production areas that have stood the test of time: the Saucier, Garde Manger (cold kitchen), and the Pastry shop.

There is no question that having a great menu, friendly, knowledgeable employees, and appropriate décor, furnishings, and ambiance are must-haves when it comes to being successful. However, no matter how great you are on your best day, it matters how great you are every day. No matter how good everything else is, if there is one thing that can ruin a great business, it’s inconsistency.

In the past, restaurants that were in high-traffic locations and/or did not rely on repeat business did not have to worry about this as much because there was an endless supply of new customers. Now, with the many sites for posting reviews, there is no escaping the wrath of a customer who did not have a great experience.

To the untrained eye, food and beverage operations may appear to be relatively straightforward. Although each process or aspect of the operation is easily identified, to be successful you need to know how the processes and systems work together. The misconception about the complexity of operations may very well explain the low success rate.