Why Hiring a Consultant Can Save you Thousands of Dollars

Why Hiring a Consultant Can Save you Thousands of Dollars

Increasing profits and improving operations can be an intimidating task for small food and beverage business owners.  Hospitality consultants are the industry experts who assist restaurateurs and café owners by boosting revenue and increasing their brand awareness in the marketplace.  With the current restrictions affecting most cities in North America, and the extremely competitive nature in the field – a consultant is needed now more than ever.  A restaurant business consultant will help you fulfill your potential and bring your vision to life.  Here are a few reasons why and when you should hire a food and beverage consultant for your locale:

Opening a new restaurant, bakery or cafe

If you’re creating a new establishment, then the first thing you need to do is develop a unique concept.  Even if you’ve worked in the industry, you are going to need someone who can assist you with the creation of a general concept for the restaurant and the finer details that help bring that idea to life.  New concepts are big risks, and even the greatest idea might fail because of the so many challenges that can arise during the opening process.

Not profiting off your current establishment

If you already own a business and are not turning a profit, then you must make immediate changes to avoid future loss.  A consultant will be able to perform an efficiency audit and offer a fresh set of eyes and outside perspective on your business.  They can help identify shortcomings and provide a plan of action to rectify crucial mistakes that are costing you money.  From over-scheduling and over-spending in labor, employee mistakes, inefficient procedures, or even having the wrong team – there are any issues that could be holding you back. 

Lack of industry knowledge despite some experience

If you’re a chef, transitioning into a restaurant owner, ask yourself: how well can you see the big picture and cover all aspects outside of your expertise?  Being able to cook well is crucial for survival in the food industry, but the business side of things is even more important.  If you’re inexperienced with the business aspect of the hospitality world, get a consultant that has the business acumen and can compliment your skill-set. Hiring someone as a consultant also offers up cost-savings in the long term of not having the overhead of a full-time Manager/Director of Operations that you must pay a salary and benefits.  Pinnacle consulting will work with you so that you can use your strengths as a foundation for your restaurant, bakery or cafe to be built and expanded upon.

Not using your area to its maximum potential

Some locations you visit are drastically different from others.  For instance, a café with no foot traffic or residential houses/condos in the area will be hard to turn a profit.   Similarly, if you rely on students for your target customer, but are not near schools – you must find and attract those customers with marketing, an addictive menu and great customer service.  The location you’ve chosen is just as crucial as these details of products, your team and your menu pricing.  A hospitality consultant will analyze what your area needs and wants, plan around that and assist with marketing efforts to your local target guests!

Lack of Unique Selling Position

Your product must stand up against the competition.  Are you looking to be more affordable than the competition, different or offer a better customer experience?  Choose one or two and go strong with that.  Find your unique selling position in the market and weave that through all you do!  A jack of all trades is a master of none, which means a specific concept and a recognizable style are essential to a restaurant’s success. If you try to appeal to everyone, you may risk being encompassed by other businesses with a niche specialty.  You should be able to explain to your guests what your café, bakery or restaurant is all about, concisely displaying where your greatest strengths lie while providing an enjoyable atmosphere.  If you can’t do this, then your business isn’t aiming for its target audience well enough. We can help you identify and reinforce your unique strengths and opportunities while ironing out potential issues.

Desire to expand

Let’s say you’re doing well as an owner and want to expand by opening another location. Expert consultants can help with this as well.  By building a solid foundation of procedures, training and policies – we can help build your business into multiple units and/or franchise operations.  We can help find your optimal locations, assist with menu development, create operating manuals for employee training, and many other services.

Operating a hospitality business can all be an overwhelming process.  Also, finding the time to plan your expansion can be a daunting task when you are wearing all of the hats of your business.  We can help develop your team and help you delegate the right tasks to work ON your business, and not get stuck working 24/7 IN your business. 

Overall, a hospitality consultant can help you open, grow, scale, or improve your business while saving money, time and wasted efforts.  Email us today to schedule your free consultation with our experts.  Morgan@hospitalityconsulting.co