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No one likes to work if they don’t have to – admit it, you don’t either, no matter how dedicated you are to your store or restaurant. So, if you want to make sure you’re making the most of your time while still making the customers happy, you might want to invest in time saving pieces of equipment. Call bells, door chimes, and timers are a great way to ensure that everyone gets what they want, as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Call Bells for Everyone
While the idea of hearing a chime for you is going to cause you to sigh anyways, having a call bell on the front counter of your restaurant will help you still attend to back of the house details, but also to be there for the customer in an instant. Simply place the bell out whenever you are going to step away from the front part of the restaurant and then move it out of sight when you’re readily available. You might also want to keep the bell up front as a way to signal other employees about orders. Two rings for a food order, one ring for a drink order, etc. This way, you’re not shouting at the employees you need (even if you want to).
Door Chimes Herald Business
As you are sweeping up another pile of crumbs from a table, you might step away from the front portion of your store or restaurant. Instead of making the customer wait until you see they’ve arrived, you can add a few chimes to your front door to alert you that someone came in. Sure, it’s going to get confusing when people leave that way too, but you will at least be alerted to the possibility of work to be done. You can install simple wind chimes or you can find an electronic system.
Timers Let You Know When It’s Done
Timers that are placed around your heated food will help you remember when to check the temperatures of the foods and when to replace them. Since there are certain food-borne germs in food that sits around for over two hours, you can set the timer to remind you when it’s time to put out something fresh. Just set the timer when the food goes out, labeling the timer to remind you what it means.
From call bells to door chimes and timers, your store can be efficient and safe. And you can do as little work as possible.
Call Bell
Sometimes people want to go where everybody knows their name. And they’re always glad they came, so why not make sure they’re drinking right with special touches like half-yard ale glasses? Instead of simply offering customers what they already expect, doing above and beyond the normal bar gear is going to get you noticed with the younger crowd as well as the seasoned drinker. Here are some easy ways that your bar can make an impression with all of the drunks. And designated drivers, of course.
Sturdy Glasses are a Must
If you’ve ever been to a wild and rowdy party, you know that things can get out of hand pretty quickly. Instead of worrying about every glass that’s on the tables, you might want to invest in a half-yard ale glass set that comes with its own holder for extra assurance. Plus, it looks really cool on the tables. You might also want to choose weightier glasses for ‘on the rocks’ drinks so that it’s harder for them to break, should they fall out of anyone’s hands. Some people like to use plastic cups to help ensure that their glasses stay in tact, but these look cheap and really aren’t creating a cool mood. You’re not opening up a frat party, after all.
Nibblers are Always Appreciated
The good news about drunk people is that they’re pretty happy with anything you put in front of them. Pretzels, party mixes, and peanuts are great things to have on the bar as well as on the regular tables as freebies – and they don’t cost you a lot of money either. If they’re really salty, they’re also going to make people feel thirstier, and that’s going to lead to a higher tab. You might also want to pop small bowls of popcorn or serve salsa and chips to help keep the party going.
Make the Music Loud
At your bar, you will want to turn up the volume on your sound system or your televisions to make sure that people don’t feel like they’re talking too loudly as they drink. Self consciousness and drunk don’t normally go well together, but just to be safe, turn up some faster paced music and make sure the game is loud enough for everyone to hear. A quiet bar is an empty bar.
Whether you choose to serve everything in half-yard ale glass sets or not, know that turning your bar into a success is actually an easy thing to do – once you understand what your customers want: booze, food, and fun.
Half Yard Ale
Are you ready to think about giving a cooking class?
Whether you’ve opened up a restaurant or you simply want to earn some extra cash, those cooking skills you’ve honed could be your ticket to success. While your friends and family have bee reaping the benefits of your cooking for years, maybe it’s time to turn your kitchen into your new office. You can start finding out if your family and friends were just being nice by teaching a cooking class. With this experience, not only will you meet others who enjoy cooking as much as you do, but you will also begin to see how far you can take your skills.
What Can You Cook?
If you’re going to teach a cooking class, it’s best to teach something that you know a lot about. If you get up in front of everyone and try to teach them how to roll sushi, but you’ve only done it once, you’re not going to look like an expert – you’re going to look like a fool. Find something that you can cook and cook well each and every time. It doesn’t have to be anything really exotic either – a lot of people don’t know how to cook a decent chicken breast meal. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with this particular dish that you want to cook, then you can move onto things that are more complicated.
Fun things to each include:
- Pizza making
- Chinese dishes
- Baking and pastry making
- Candy making
- Family dishes you can make quickly
- Holiday dishes
- Sushi
Where Can You Teach?
Many restaurants and community centers have areas where you can teach a cooking class to others – all you need to do is ask. If you already own a restaurant, taking students back into the kitchen is a great way to drum up business for your place, while also giving them the backstage pass to your inner workings. If all else fails, you can also cook from your home – though things might get a little more crowded there if you don’t have a lot of space.
What’s the Point?
Teaching a cooking class is about more than just using a ramekin to show off the spices you will use; this is an opportunity to learn how to teach others and how to interact with others in relation to cooking. You can use it to advertise a cookbook you’ve written or the restaurant that you’re planning on running. Advertise your class in the local papers and online to see what kind of response you get. Chances are good that it’s going to be worthwhile to everyone. And don’t forget to charge for this. Everyone should pay a fee to offset your food costs as well as your time. Money for doing what you love – now that’s a tasty combination.
Cooking Class - Photo Courtesy of WestIslandGazette.com
