Getting into the food business can be a tough yet financially-rewarding venture if you know how to handle things properly. It involves everything from your supply and logistics to the food you serve and the people you hire.
Even something as simple as getting the right measurement of ingredients can be a potential deal-breaker for you. Fortunately, you can look for some measuring cups in NZ to always have the right amount for the different food and drinks that you offer. Some companies supply food-grade measuring cups that are accurate, sturdy, and easy to use, so it should be a breeze for you.
Aside from just getting the right measurement of ingredients, there are other ways of ensuring cost-efficiency in your food business. Here are five tricks that you should keep in mind:
Use the power of social media for promotion
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media sites can be a powerful and cost-effective way of promoting your food business. The good news is that most of them allow product promotions for free.
Facebook, for example, has an online marketplace where businesses can advertise their products and services without paying for placement costs. If you want to reach a broader and more targeted audience, you can avail of their Sponsored Post for a few dollars.
Streamline your menu
If you serve meals, for example, it could be tempting to beef up your menu book to impress diners with your wide-ranging food choices. But is it necessary?
If your restaurant lists 100 meals and drinks, but only 70 of them are ordered regularly, consider the remaining ingredients and materials that are sitting idly in your freezers. Instead of overwhelming your customers with a lengthy menu list, why not streamline it and offer only the meals and drinks that people order?
Save by the dozen
It’s an age-old marketing and purchasing mantra that still rings true to this day. It means you’ll save big when you buy a dozen or more of the same thing than when you order just one or two pieces. If you have certain supplies or ingredients that you regularly use, why not maintain a sizable inventory on-site?
This way, you will not only have ready supplies, but you can also save on gas or delivery charges. It’s a cost-efficient and time-saving way of securing the supplies and ingredients that you need in your food business.
Practice FIFO
First In, First Out (FIFO) is a technique that has been perfected by fast-food restaurants and is one hack that you can adapt to your food business.
From the term itself, it entails using the old ingredients first over the new ones to avoid spoilage. Your kitchen staff should be trained to properly put labels on the items on when they were purchased and when they will expire. The old stocks should be used first before reaching out to the ones that have just been delivered.
Retain your people
Except for the problematic ones, you should strive to achieve a high employee retention rate to make your business cost-effective.
By retaining your staff, you won’t have to spend over and over again on uniforms, training, and other miscellaneous expenses that are associated with new hires. Plus, having an experienced crew will help ensure a high level of service quality that your customers will appreciate.
With these five tips, you should have a relatively fuss-free experience of running your food business and maintain its cost-efficiency throughout the year.
