Preparing for Your Restaurant's Grand Opening
June 1, 2017Starting a restaurant is an adventure, especially with the Grand Opening.
There will have been months of planning, preparation, purchasing and hiring for your grand opening. When you finally have everything ready, your grand opening is a big deal. If everything is perfect, your grand opening will leave a lasting impression on your prospective customers. Start early and put in place a rocket solid plan. The following tips should come in handy.
- Create a feasible plan for your grand opening
Have a workable plan for your opening day. Set a date on your calendar and ensure your best hands are on deck to dish out a great experience for your customers. Take note of upcoming events around your restaurant. If possible, schedule your opening to coincide with an event that will bring hungry customers to your area, setting the stage for a massive turnout. Ensure you and your employees know what you’ll be doing on opening day.
- Invite friends and family to a pre grand opening
Invite friendly faces to experience an exclusive pre-opening. Ask your friends and family to provide feedback on their experience – both what they enjoyed and what could be improved. This will give you an assessment of your readiness and performance before a grand opening to the general public.
It will also allow you to identify unforeseen issues and make adjustments to ensure your restaurant will run smoothly before the big day. Pay attention to how your team works together, the quality of the food and the level of service. Coach your employees to help them correct any problems they encounter during the grand opening.
- Get the word out of your grand opening
If you don’t tell people your grand opening, you can’t expect them to come. Marketing is a key aspect of your business, so employ multiple advertising methods. Social media is an inexpensive and effective way of raising awareness among your target market. Print attractive flyers and signs that will attract the attention of passers-by. A new restaurant opening is a newsworthy event, so get local media involved – it’s free exposure!
- Go to your customers.
Why wait for your customers to find you when you can go to them? Setting up a stand at a festival or your local market is an excellent way to get people to try a bit of your fresh culinary taste. If they love what they taste, they will want to come to your restaurant for more on your grand opening! Remember to use this opportunity to hand out flyers and invite people to attend your grand opening.
- Don’t skimp on training before a grand opening
Your employees should be well-trained in everything from the menu to the company’s mission. Make sure every server has the menu memorized and is able to suggest dishes to your customers during your grand opening. If you have an electronic order system, staff should be well-versed in how to use it. A strong system of communicating orders is also essential to the efficiency and effectiveness of your restaurant. All your employees should know the mission of your restaurant; this creates a sense of loyalty and team spirit.
What’s in a Cooking Pot, How to Choose the Right One?
As a restaurant owner, your cooking needs might vary. Did you know that a good quality pot can greatly improve your cooking experience, while also improving the quality of your cooking? This cooking equipment is a very important one that cannot be done away with...
5 Things Every Restaurant Owner Should Do Before Buying Used Kitchen Equipment
Equipping your restaurant properly can cost a lot of money, so buying used kitchen equipment is the go-to choice for many restaurateurs. Buying used kitchen equipment for a restaurant is a bit different than buying used equipment for your home, however. You will...
Top Restaurant Technology Trends in 2018
When looking to buy restaurant supplies, you want to be on the leading edge of technology trends. This will keep your kitchen running smoothly. Let’s take a look at some of the most recent trends in restaurant supplies technology. 1. New Payment Options Who would...
5 Different Ice Shapes and Why You Should Care About Them
Ice makers are very popular in the restaurant and foodservice community because they eliminate the need to buy ice every day. And of course, adding an ice maker to your collection of foodservice equipment means you will always have ice on hand when you need it. An...
Pulping and Grinding: A Starter’s Guide to Reducing Commercial Food Waste Costs
For most restaurant owners and managers, the expenses involved in making meals are always under careful consideration. Water is needed to prepare, cook and wash food; power is necessary for food prep, cooking and cooling, and so on. However, how many of us consider...
Choosing the Right Milk Cooler: Cold Wall or Forced Air?
In a restaurant, milk is an essential to have on hand for coffee and other café-style beverages, for serving with kids’ meals, and as a key ingredient in many recipes. Keeping your milk properly chilled can be difficult without the proper restaurant equipment....
How to Choose Your Next Commercial Meat Smoker
The movies that connect with us on a personal level are the ones that linger in our memories forever. Anyone who has used a commercial meat smoker knows that they have a huge influence on the taste of a meal. You need to have just the right kitchen equipment to get a...
Are High Speed Ovens Too Good to be True?
You might have heard a few of the bold claims that foodservice equipment manufacturers have been making about high speed ovens, but they can’t be possible, right? Cooking three times as faster as regular ovens? Five times as fast? Fifteen times as fast? It may seem...
Choosing the Right Food Storage Containers for Your Restaurant
Choosing the right kitchen supplies will make a difference in your restaurant. Whether it is heavy duty kitchen equipment or food storage containers, each piece of equipment plays its own important role. Today, we are going to talk about how to choose the right food...
Tipton’s Guide to Perfect Poultry Trussing
Do you ever truss birds in your commercial kitchen? Trussing is a fantastic cooking technique because it makes poultry cook faster, look more attractive and taste better. If your commercial kitchen prepares poultry, you don’t want to miss these trussing tips. Trussing...
How to Eliminate Excess Condensation in Your Kitchen
Is your commercial kitchen getting steamy? If so, you could have more than just an uncomfortable working environment on your hands. Excess moisture in your commercial kitchen can result in the corrosion of equipment, the development of mold, and even damage to your...
The DIY Guide to Your Restaurant’s Own Garden
Stocking your restaurant supply with your own home-grown herbs and produce can truly bring your dishes to life. When it comes to food, everyone knows there’s nothing like homemade and home-grown. Having your own culinary garden, however large or small, can help you...
5 Reasons a Meat Grinder Will Set Your Burgers Apart
The more you do to prepare your foods in-house with the right kitchen equipment, the fresher and more flavorful your dishes become. There are all sorts of restaurants offering fast-food style burgers, but some diners are looking for the real deal. A fresh, juicy...
Pest Preventions to Implement in Your Commercial Kitchen
Restaurant pests: it’s something that few people want to think about. Like it or not, pest management is an essential consideration for every commercial kitchen. Offering food, shelter and water, the unprepared commercial kitchen naturally provides everything pests...
Choosing the Right Material for Your Cooking Equipment
Kitchens are very unique to their chef. Just like a car mechanic has a toolbox unique to them, so is the cooking equipment in a kitchen. And over time, the same cooking equipment become a natural extension of the chef. What tools are you using in your kitchen? It...