While opening a catering business is one the most highly in demand and most lucrative ventures, still, it should come to mind that this could also cost you a substantial sum if you don’t know how to save money on food cost, as well as, in other aspects of your restaurant’s business. So, even if your restaurant’s revenue increases every now and again, there’s still that slim chance of boosting profitability, unless, of course, you implement cost-cutting ways without downgrading your cuisines’ taste or the service that you offer.
Read on and find out some of the most practical yet highly effective food control cost tips that you shouldn’t miss.
Get Everyone to Practice the Smart-Food-Cost Principle
Management guru Peter Drucker said that “What gets measured gets done!” Whether you’re running a small catering firm or a restaurant with dozens of employee, make sure to implement a culture of efficiency. So, the way you do things around has to focus on getting things done well and fast, while making sure that smart food cost management practices are performed whether you’re shopping for the ingredients, cooking food, or serving a guest at an event. That means, wherever and whenever, it’s a must to live the smart-food-cost principle.
Monitor Waste
Remember the saying “You can’t control what you don’t measure”? This best applies to your kitchen. Spend some time to observe the many waste-generating practices and be snappy to act upon them. But how do you monitor your kitchen’s waste?
Know ways on how to make the most out of your ingredients so you can minimize waste and start increasing your business’ profits. This includes peeling fruits and vegetables the proper way, picking the best but cheapest meat cuts for soups and broths, and using all the parts of fish, meat, or chicken.
Control Portion Sizes
Be aware of your portion size, since this is the most common money-wasting aspect in a food business. It’s just like this, you either have to serve too much or keep serving in different portion sizes. So, if you are planning to serve beef steak, make sure to weigh every piece so that each guest gets his fair share of the cuisine. If you are catering a buffet dinner, make sure that the slicing fits one-serving size, precutting pies and casseroles. Meanwhile, see to it that you have staffs to serve the guests with more high-end cuisines, like lobster tails and fillet slices.
Cut labor costs
For board-room meetings and small corporate gatherings, a wait staff may no longer be necessary. Remember, labor can eat a huge slice on your revenue, so if you can do something to cut this down, especially for a gathering of 20 people or less, than, that’s a huge savings for your business’ part.
Control portions
If you think you’re going to save with a buffet meal, think again. While huge sit-down meals are thought of as costly, buffets and food stations don’t necessary mean you can save more, since you also need to invest on nice, durable linens, utensils, and an awful large amount of food.
Get a Catering Software
Catering software providers, like Better Cater, are happy to help up-and-about catering firms to boost not just their income but also control their businesses’ food cost. Catering softwares have been hailed for streamlining the task and expense of caterers, helping them run their businesses in a smoother and more efficient manner, easing a caterer’s task because most catering softwares can actually perform crucial tasks, from food pairing and accounting to general management and inventory of supplies.