Food franchises are gearing up for more customers. Here are 4 ways they can prepare.
With Memorial Day quickly approaching, franchise restaurants are bracing for their busy season. From April through August, franchise restaurants, ice cream shops and cafés will see an increase in foot traffic. While this boost is great for business, it can be overwhelming, too. Here are four ways to keep up.
1. Keep Popular Items in Stock
An increase in foot traffic inevitably decreases inventory. Few things annoy customers more than going to a restaurant and being told that their favorite menu item is sold out. Imagine going to an ice cream shop and the most popular flavor isn’t available. Franchise business owners can avoid this by tracking what’s selling the most. This will help with ordering inventory and ensure customers get what they are craving.
2. Hire Quality Seasonal Staff
With school on break for the summer, many teens will be looking for seasonal work. Consider hosting a community recruiting event or posting your job listing on social media to reach this group (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, ect.) A customer’s experience is only as good as the staff makes it, so hiring enthusiastic and reliable seasonal employees is essential to the success of your business during the busy season.
3. Emphasize Training and Benefits
While seasonal workers may seem eager and excited in the beginning, teens are often unreliable and hard to retain. To engage workers, many restaurant owners offer bonuses and rewards. Proper training also goes a long way to decrease turnover. Comprehensive training on procedures, policies, and more sets clear expectations from the beginning.
Workers also stay longer if they are treated like valued team members. Team-building activities, community service projects, and more are great ways to get employees involved and excited. Also, before scheduling shifts, find out employee preferences and accommodate when possible.
4. Open Communication is Key
Open communication is important to everything in life, especially in business. While this can seem impossible in a busy restaurant, miscommunication can have disastrous impacts on business. To foster a culture of open communication, have an open door policy and be approachable so employees feel comfortable coming to you with concerns and feedback. This will help improve the business and make workers feel more comfortable.
By following these tips, food franchise owners can have an enjoyable – and profitable – busy season.
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