mistake price
15 October 2019 0 comments
New restaurants open constantly. And despite the fall in solvent demand, their halls are not empty. According to Rosstat, in 2018 the turnover of public catering enterprises of Russia increased in comparable prices by 3.7%, to 1.52 trillion rubles. At the same time, 9 out of 10 new restaurants close in the first year of operation. Often the reasons are the same. How not to invent a bicycle and not to step on the same loot? Experienced restaurants tell about their mistakes at the start of their career.
"Nobody talks about it. I attended gastroeconomic courses, specialized school, various seminars. Only in paid lessons, private consultations secrets reveal, "- Alexey Ivanov, the founder of the burger company Burgers DarkSide. Fitness trainer long dreamed about the case, in May 2019 he opened a burger in the center of the capital. A convenient location near the subway, an understandable concept and democratic prices - seemed to be a win-win. But the restaurant barely made ends meet. According to Ivanov, he made all possible mistakes of the rookie. But in time he was remembered and sought help from professional restaurants, they suggested how to get out of the crisis.
Here are 10 typical mistakes that can lead to the closure of the institution.
1. Do not budget risks
According to Gleb Marach, Executive Director of the 354 Group of Companies (restaurants in the Oco Tower: Insight, Ruski, Open Air), the main mistake of beginners is that they do not understand and cannot sober assess the risks, so they incorrectly plan the budget for the opening of the restaurant and do not lay down a period of potential loss...
"Usually the investment budget of an inexperienced restaurant expects this: if from the first day the restaurant does not start to earn money, at least it will work at zero. But this is not the case for everyone. Moreover, in the vast majority of cases it is not, "- comments Marach. According to him, the inexperienced restaurant is trapped. He has to urgently fill holes: rent, FOT, suppliers. And there is no time left for strategic planning.
It is better for beginners to use all possible options to minimize costs. It should not be forgotten that large partner companies often offer favorable conditions for starting. For example, METRO, where many restaurants are purchased, gives deferred payments and develops sets of ready-made solutions, with which it is convenient to draw up a permanent and seasonal menu, it helps to plan the budget and minimize risks. In addition, there are plenty of free online tools to promote the company and expand the base of potential customers, do not ignore them. Every year METRO holds the Day of Independent Entrepreneurs - on the website of the event you can place information about the restaurant and a special offer, which will help to attract guests.
"Nobody talks about it. I attended gastroeconomic courses, specialized school, various seminars. Only in paid lessons, private consultations secrets reveal, "- Alexey Ivanov, the founder of the burger company Burgers DarkSide. Fitness trainer long dreamed about the case, in May 2019 he opened a burger in the center of the capital. A convenient location near the subway, an understandable concept and democratic prices - seemed to be a win-win. But the restaurant barely made ends meet. According to Ivanov, he made all possible mistakes of the rookie. But in time he was remembered and sought help from professional restaurants, they suggested how to get out of the crisis.
Here are 10 typical mistakes that can lead to the closure of the institution.
1. Do not budget risks
According to Gleb Marach, Executive Director of the 354 Group of Companies (restaurants in the Oco Tower: Insight, Ruski, Open Air), the main mistake of beginners is that they do not understand and cannot sober assess the risks, so they incorrectly plan the budget for the opening of the restaurant and do not lay down a period of potential loss...
"Usually the investment budget of an inexperienced restaurant expects this: if from the first day the restaurant does not start to earn money, at least it will work at zero. But this is not the case for everyone. Moreover, in the vast majority of cases it is not, "- comments Marach. According to him, the inexperienced restaurant is trapped. He has to urgently fill holes: rent, FOT, suppliers. And there is no time left for strategic planning.
It is better for beginners to use all possible options to minimize costs. It should not be forgotten that large partner companies often offer favorable conditions for starting. For example, METRO, where many restaurants are purchased, gives deferred payments and develops sets of ready-made solutions, with which it is convenient to draw up a permanent and seasonal menu, it helps to plan the budget and minimize risks. In addition, there are plenty of free online tools to promote the company and expand the base of potential customers, do not ignore them. Every year METRO holds the Day of Independent Entrepreneurs - on the website of the event you can place information about the restaurant and a special offer, which will help to attract guests.
2. Open a restaurant without a plan
Sergey Mironov, owner of Meat & Fish Network, head of RestConsalt Restaurant Business Optimization Agency and Vice President of the Federation of Restaurants and Hotels of Russia, often faces the fact that beginners start business without a clear plan. "It 's very banal, but a lot of people don 't understand it," Mironov spreads his hands.
According to him, this is the case. The aspiring restaurant says it will open a beer room. The idea is simple: sell cheap beer and snacks. Then the expert specifies whether the rent is high. The entrepreneur agrees that the high, but he is convinced that the hall for 40 seats will be filled. Next question about turnover. The beginner restaurant expects to reach 10 million rubles per month with a small average check. But the simplest calculation shows that the declared results can be achieved only if the restaurant is scored 24 hours a day.
"Most of the restaurants open and only then realize that with their calculations it is technically impossible to earn. None of the beginners can calculate a real budget for opening a restaurant. Sit down and it is normal to prescribe everything, to seek help from specialists, "- sums up Miranda.
3. Invent bike
According to Gleb Marach, restaurants have recently often said that it is necessary to be trendsetters, to learn new concepts and platforms. But practice and statistics show: if the niche is not occupied, there are reasons for it. And most likely, there is no demand in this niche.
"Conditional example: there are no Czech tertels in Moscow. You realize it 's a great product. It 's going to be cool, it 's going to be new, nobody did it. But most likely, smart people who were in the Czech Republic already thought about it, and the restaurant is not because they did not guess, but because there is no demand, "- explains Marach.
4. Ignore Technology
Victoria Alemanova, Director of Marketing and Sales of Domino 's Pizza, notes that digitisation caught up with the restaurant segment. According to her, the growth of the share of orders through delivery can no longer be ignored - in the restaurant segment concepts that bring food to the house are in gain. But the restaurants are reluctant to rebuild the job.
5. Neglect of recruitment
Nadezhda Park, the founder of the chain of healthy food cafe "Receptor" and coffee shop "KazColor," at the start of her career was sure that the more expensive and experienced the specialist, the better he is. But in practice it turned out that there are nuances: "It is of great importance where a person worked. For example, it is not a fact that a manager from a large network in which all business processes are delivered will be able to lead a company in which processes and standards are only being formed. "
The entrepreneur hired an experienced top manager who worked as the operating director of a well-known network.
Sergey Mironov, owner of Meat & Fish Network, head of RestConsalt Restaurant Business Optimization Agency and Vice President of the Federation of Restaurants and Hotels of Russia, often faces the fact that beginners start business without a clear plan. "It 's very banal, but a lot of people don 't understand it," Mironov spreads his hands.
According to him, this is the case. The aspiring restaurant says it will open a beer room. The idea is simple: sell cheap beer and snacks. Then the expert specifies whether the rent is high. The entrepreneur agrees that the high, but he is convinced that the hall for 40 seats will be filled. Next question about turnover. The beginner restaurant expects to reach 10 million rubles per month with a small average check. But the simplest calculation shows that the declared results can be achieved only if the restaurant is scored 24 hours a day.
"Most of the restaurants open and only then realize that with their calculations it is technically impossible to earn. None of the beginners can calculate a real budget for opening a restaurant. Sit down and it is normal to prescribe everything, to seek help from specialists, "- sums up Miranda.
3. Invent bike
According to Gleb Marach, restaurants have recently often said that it is necessary to be trendsetters, to learn new concepts and platforms. But practice and statistics show: if the niche is not occupied, there are reasons for it. And most likely, there is no demand in this niche.
"Conditional example: there are no Czech tertels in Moscow. You realize it 's a great product. It 's going to be cool, it 's going to be new, nobody did it. But most likely, smart people who were in the Czech Republic already thought about it, and the restaurant is not because they did not guess, but because there is no demand, "- explains Marach.
4. Ignore Technology
Victoria Alemanova, Director of Marketing and Sales of Domino 's Pizza, notes that digitisation caught up with the restaurant segment. According to her, the growth of the share of orders through delivery can no longer be ignored - in the restaurant segment concepts that bring food to the house are in gain. But the restaurants are reluctant to rebuild the job.
5. Neglect of recruitment
Nadezhda Park, the founder of the chain of healthy food cafe "Receptor" and coffee shop "KazColor," at the start of her career was sure that the more expensive and experienced the specialist, the better he is. But in practice it turned out that there are nuances: "It is of great importance where a person worked. For example, it is not a fact that a manager from a large network in which all business processes are delivered will be able to lead a company in which processes and standards are only being formed. "
The entrepreneur hired an experienced top manager who worked as the operating director of a well-known network.
Sergei Mironov adds that he often learns about summaries in which candidates attribute merit to themselves in working with him. But in fact, they never collaborated with the restaurant.
Another important aspect in hiring staff is training. Novice restaurants rarely pay due attention to it. "A new employee came, he was put to study at the chef. The chef says: "You get up here, cook for now, at the same time and learn." No one writes a training program, no one sets tasks for him and does not write standards: that a person should give up, in what order. No one makes the decision to break up with the employee if he is not suitable, "- says Mironov. According to the restaurant, the owner of the business should understand that the unskilled employee "eats money of the entrepreneur": works poorly, as a result guests receive a poor quality product and leave the restaurant.
6. Draw up an inflexible wage fund
Another frequent staff-related error of an inexperienced restaurant is working with a pay fund. "The beginner entrepreneur, who for the first time suits people to work, cannot properly build a schedule and get the correct efficiency of his employees," - comments Sergey Mironov.
According to him, almost all restaurants have a "tear" schedule: on certain days and hours there are many guests, on others - no one or very little. Most beginners calculate how many people it takes in peak loads to have time to cook everything and serve everyone. And they hire, on probation, 20 people. And then they realize that quite a lot of time the staff is inactive. The flip side is when employees are reduced or initially taken less than they need to. Then the remaining waiters do not have time to serve the guests
7. Be inattentive to the lease agreement
According to Sergei Mironov, beginning restaurants do not carefully read lease agreements. "They leave in it a huge number of opportunities for the landlord to terminate the agreement," - warns the expert.
For example, the lessor reserves the right to change the terms of the lease due to violations of internal regulations. It may be enough for employees to leave the restaurant five times without a badge. "Or column" marketing services. " The wording is often found: "The price of marketing services may change depending on the lessor 's costs." Sounds great, but you can double your rent. They will say that marketing services have grown: they have made a concert of Timati, and you have to pay for it. They will promote their shopping center at your expense, "- comments Sergey Mironov.
Another important aspect in hiring staff is training. Novice restaurants rarely pay due attention to it. "A new employee came, he was put to study at the chef. The chef says: "You get up here, cook for now, at the same time and learn." No one writes a training program, no one sets tasks for him and does not write standards: that a person should give up, in what order. No one makes the decision to break up with the employee if he is not suitable, "- says Mironov. According to the restaurant, the owner of the business should understand that the unskilled employee "eats money of the entrepreneur": works poorly, as a result guests receive a poor quality product and leave the restaurant.
6. Draw up an inflexible wage fund
Another frequent staff-related error of an inexperienced restaurant is working with a pay fund. "The beginner entrepreneur, who for the first time suits people to work, cannot properly build a schedule and get the correct efficiency of his employees," - comments Sergey Mironov.
According to him, almost all restaurants have a "tear" schedule: on certain days and hours there are many guests, on others - no one or very little. Most beginners calculate how many people it takes in peak loads to have time to cook everything and serve everyone. And they hire, on probation, 20 people. And then they realize that quite a lot of time the staff is inactive. The flip side is when employees are reduced or initially taken less than they need to. Then the remaining waiters do not have time to serve the guests
7. Be inattentive to the lease agreement
According to Sergei Mironov, beginning restaurants do not carefully read lease agreements. "They leave in it a huge number of opportunities for the landlord to terminate the agreement," - warns the expert.
For example, the lessor reserves the right to change the terms of the lease due to violations of internal regulations. It may be enough for employees to leave the restaurant five times without a badge. "Or column" marketing services. " The wording is often found: "The price of marketing services may change depending on the lessor 's costs." Sounds great, but you can double your rent. They will say that marketing services have grown: they have made a concert of Timati, and you have to pay for it. They will promote their shopping center at your expense, "- comments Sergey Mironov.
8. Rely on oral arrangements
At the beginning of his career Sergey Miranda almost broke up with partners. Entrepreneurs agreed on certain terms, but did not legally establish the agreement. It was a year and a half, the partners began to argue, the conflict broke out. Fortunately, Mironov had a paper on which he recorded what he had agreed. Simple draft. But it turned out to be enough for the participants of the meeting to refresh the memory and reconcile.
"It became a lesson for me," - comments Miranda. Since then, the main rule of the restaurant has been:
When you communicate with partners and investors, it is important to specify all the conditions on which you have agreed, and to sign the document. Because whatever friends you are, in whatever good relationship, time will pass, and all this will be forgotten
9. Ignore customer feedback
At the beginning of his career, Gleb Marach found himself in a situation where excessive creativity slowed down the company. Ten years ago, he was the manager of a fast food restaurant on a fudcort at a shopping mall in Warm Stan. The main product is noodles in boxes. Then the direction was fresh and interesting for customers. Partners calculated everything: concept, recipe, finance, but were mistaken in the main. The restaurant was called too creative - "Lapshara." Three months later, after realizing that something was going wrong, the entrepreneurs changed their name to neutral, and the restaurant 's revenue doubled on the same day. Feedback showed that buyers did not want to associate themselves with a name that was in line with the name.
Often restaurants and a team of marketers rely solely on their preferences, without asking the audience what will have to taste it. It is necessary to spend time and resources on research: to form focus groups or quantitative surveys. Using this data, you can implement an interesting offer relevant to the market and clients and introduce, for example, new products or re-present existing ones, "- says Almanova.
10. Do not consult experienced restaurants
"Most aspiring restaurants do not have special experience and knowledge in this field. They believe: I know how to cook, all friends like it, have money. Why not open a restaurant? It is rather dreams of a harmless old age: the restaurant will work for me all my life, I will rest, and it will bring money, but in practice not quite so, - Alexey Ivanov tells. According to the entrepreneur, the restaurant business has a halo of ease, beauty and joy. But in practice it 's hard work that requires an entrepreneur to dive 24/7. There are many nuances and pitfalls in it, so there is no need for an experienced mentor.
It is necessary to consult with more experienced colleagues. Find for money mentors who will tell you all this, will show, will give contacts of suppliers who know the kitchen from the inside, - Ivanov advises
It was mentors who told him in due course how best to organize the process, shared supplier contacts and helped minimize risks, which helped the burger get out of the crisis.
"I will do it myself - the most common mistake of the beginner restaurant. It 's impossible to do everything well. Often beginners from ignorance invent the wheel. To avoid this mistake, it is necessary to look at the experience of colleagues, "- agrees Nadezhda Park.
You can meet an experienced restaurant at various events. For example, the METRO retail network annually holds MEGUSTRO and METRO EXPO events, where you can declare yourself, attract new customers, learn new industry innovations and exchange experience with old restaurants. "The market is becoming more open. Many interesting events are held. More and more opportunities to get acquainted with the opinion of other speakers, to study stories of successes and failures. Why didn t go, where they lost money - it saves from a huge number of mistakes, - Gleb Marach notes.
At the beginning of his career Sergey Miranda almost broke up with partners. Entrepreneurs agreed on certain terms, but did not legally establish the agreement. It was a year and a half, the partners began to argue, the conflict broke out. Fortunately, Mironov had a paper on which he recorded what he had agreed. Simple draft. But it turned out to be enough for the participants of the meeting to refresh the memory and reconcile.
"It became a lesson for me," - comments Miranda. Since then, the main rule of the restaurant has been:
When you communicate with partners and investors, it is important to specify all the conditions on which you have agreed, and to sign the document. Because whatever friends you are, in whatever good relationship, time will pass, and all this will be forgotten
9. Ignore customer feedback
At the beginning of his career, Gleb Marach found himself in a situation where excessive creativity slowed down the company. Ten years ago, he was the manager of a fast food restaurant on a fudcort at a shopping mall in Warm Stan. The main product is noodles in boxes. Then the direction was fresh and interesting for customers. Partners calculated everything: concept, recipe, finance, but were mistaken in the main. The restaurant was called too creative - "Lapshara." Three months later, after realizing that something was going wrong, the entrepreneurs changed their name to neutral, and the restaurant 's revenue doubled on the same day. Feedback showed that buyers did not want to associate themselves with a name that was in line with the name.
Often restaurants and a team of marketers rely solely on their preferences, without asking the audience what will have to taste it. It is necessary to spend time and resources on research: to form focus groups or quantitative surveys. Using this data, you can implement an interesting offer relevant to the market and clients and introduce, for example, new products or re-present existing ones, "- says Almanova.
10. Do not consult experienced restaurants
"Most aspiring restaurants do not have special experience and knowledge in this field. They believe: I know how to cook, all friends like it, have money. Why not open a restaurant? It is rather dreams of a harmless old age: the restaurant will work for me all my life, I will rest, and it will bring money, but in practice not quite so, - Alexey Ivanov tells. According to the entrepreneur, the restaurant business has a halo of ease, beauty and joy. But in practice it 's hard work that requires an entrepreneur to dive 24/7. There are many nuances and pitfalls in it, so there is no need for an experienced mentor.
It is necessary to consult with more experienced colleagues. Find for money mentors who will tell you all this, will show, will give contacts of suppliers who know the kitchen from the inside, - Ivanov advises
It was mentors who told him in due course how best to organize the process, shared supplier contacts and helped minimize risks, which helped the burger get out of the crisis.
"I will do it myself - the most common mistake of the beginner restaurant. It 's impossible to do everything well. Often beginners from ignorance invent the wheel. To avoid this mistake, it is necessary to look at the experience of colleagues, "- agrees Nadezhda Park.
You can meet an experienced restaurant at various events. For example, the METRO retail network annually holds MEGUSTRO and METRO EXPO events, where you can declare yourself, attract new customers, learn new industry innovations and exchange experience with old restaurants. "The market is becoming more open. Many interesting events are held. More and more opportunities to get acquainted with the opinion of other speakers, to study stories of successes and failures. Why didn t go, where they lost money - it saves from a huge number of mistakes, - Gleb Marach notes.