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Evaluating your signature item’s impact on your business success Every great chef, restaurant owner or operator searches for signature food items to help distinguish themselves from their competitors. The goal is to draw more foundational guest to their establishments. If word gets out that your restaurant has a one of a kind signature meal item that’s worth the trip, get staffed for success. In the desire to out shine their peers, chefs will use whatever recipes and talents they have to create these signature items even if they don’t make much business sense. This is when an owner must find a peaceful balance between creativity and business. Evaluating the raw product cost of a signature item is one of the first steps in evaluating whether or not an item is a good business investment. Other and sometimes more important considerations must be accounted for as well. One is prep assembly time also known as prep labor, and the other is the item’s menu mix or popularity. The raw product cost of a signature item can be very attractive but labor production and menu mix may not support its place on your menu. Your menu character and clientele base are critical in launching this item’s success. Many times in order to get an edge on the competition, a chef will make item assembly complicated requiring many steps, involve abstract ingredients and require many chef hours to build their creation. An owner must be aware of this and keep a watchful eye on a signature item’s evolution onto the menu and beyond. It is at this point that you must ask: will this item draw guests into my restaurant? I observe many restaurants in this rut because their chef appears married to a signature item. Use your business sense to make the right decision to cut your losses and move away from the signature graveyard. Evaluate product mix on low selling signature items frequently. Survey guests who order these items to see if this item is really what drew them into your restaurant. A guest may have just felt like trying something new. Ask these guests if they would be bothered by not having this item on your menu. If the answer is a resounding yes, you may have to factor this into your decision. Keeping your business agility requires that you foster a chef’s creativity but do so with healthy dose of skepticism. Encourage your chef to keep developing these creations but also train them to be more business conscious. Finally, be careful not to shuffle items on or off your menu too frequently unless you feature specials. Core menu stability is the hallmark of a successful restaurant. Finding the right signature item is the key to distinguishing yourself from the crowd. In the end, having the right signature item, profitability and guest satisfaction keep your business flourishing. |
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Copyright 2008 Restaurant Consultants International, LLC |
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