If Diners Go On A Budget, Can Restaurateurs Be Left Far Behind?
Budgeting | October 6, 2009 at 1:14 amThe economically bad times have compelled food enthusiasts to put their cravings on a backseat while savings took precedence. Those amongst us who cannot resist the longing of the taste buds could not stop ourselves from visiting restaurants even during these hard times. Only thing we did was to control our temptations and eat less, less frequently. The restaurateurs on the other hand, have tried their best to attract us by giving huge discounts and attractive offers which many of us availed. But restaurateurs are also as vulnerable to the bad economic conditions as their customers. Therefore, they too have devised ways to cut down upon their expenditures.
According to Labor Department statistics there are about 678,000 professionals from different industries who are putting a scanner on extra expenditure of money and are trying their best to cut costs on wastage. Kevin Molls, CEO National Restaurant Consultants, is a foodie who believes in budgeting out on excess expenditures in his restaurants. For example, he wont’ serve you ranch dressing daily. You’ll get to eat it only once in three days. This will save up the preparation time by 15 to 18 minutes. Ingredients are also substituted to cut down on dish costs. Did you know marinara sauce sans olive oil was cheaper by $17,000 annually for a restaurant group? Iced tea is fast replacing soda.
The $566 billion restaurant industry is one of the worst affected in the present times. According to Dean Small, Synergy Restaurant Consultants, Laguna Niguel, Calif, “A lot of restaurants are bleeding. In some cases, they’re hemorrhaging.” In past recessions the restaurant sales might have dropped by only 20 percent but in the present massive one, the sales have dropped by 50 percent. Restaurants are trying their best to make their cost cutting measures opaque to their customers so that people enjoy the food and ambience as before. These changes will really not make a difference to you as a customer. You might have to use recyclable napkins, bamboo furniture and disposable straw cutlery . They are a plus for
the environment too.
A lot of wastage takes place in the restaurant kitchens. There may be instances of waiters mouthing food here and there apart from, their scheduled quota and cooks wasting substances with wrong estimations. If you cook more than the ordered amount or arrange more than the standard quantity for a particular plate you are wasting money. Also the work efficiency of the chefs is matter of concern. If they take a longer time for preparing; they are wasting fuel or not cooking to the right extent. All this is strictly supervised. All this cuts down from 25-34 percent of the costs. Well, you might not like the idea of getting lesser to eat for a given price. But since the difference is very small, you’ll not mind it. Think from the point of view of the restaurateur. Even he’s got a business to run, hasn’t he?
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Yes, restaurant owners are affected by recession too and we should think from their point of view too.