Ayman Assi Shares Tips For Running A Successful Restaurant Business

Owning a restaurant has been on a lot of people’s wish lists. Now we might not have a genie to grant our wishes, but we do have successful restaurateurs – who are more than willing to pave ways for the enthusiasts so the youth can also conquer its dreams like them.

Ayman Assi, a British-Lebanese entrepreneur, runs one of London’s favorite Mediterranean restaurant Beit El Zaytoun and has shared his secrets to accumulating success in the food business.

Here are his tips for all the aspiring restaurateurs:

Have the big three

To run a successful restaurant, Ayman suggests planning ahead and extensively research about your location, your concept, and your chef. These three play a vital role in determining whether your business is going to be successful in the long run or not.

If your location is accessible, it will attract customers automatically. Similarly, if the concept is unique, it is going to fascinate the guests. The chef – goes without saying – is the single most important factor controlling if the food lives up to customer’s expectations and how likely they are to recommend your restaurant to their friends and family, in turn, increasing your market and recognition.

Train your staff

After you have handpicked your chef and decided upon the concept, the next big summit to conquer is: staff. You must train your staff to be courteous and have exceptional management skills. Their behavior will set the first impression, guests are going to have about your restaurant. So it is imperative they dress well and display the highest courtesy and respect to the guests.

You should also pay attention to making the staff happy and content. Offer them market competitive salaries, work holidays, and work incentives to keep them motivated about their job.

Marketing

After having suffered from a great loss due to a failed restaurant, Ayman learned the significant role marketing plays in making or breaking your business. He stresses on creating a robust marketing strategy to make your restaurant more known among the masses. This could mean strong social media engagement or consult with digital marketers and alike. After all, a restaurant is a business of showmanship.

Customer is the king

There will be times when your customers might feel dissatisfied or neglected with the service and food and lodge complaints or negative feedback about their experience. Ayman emphasizes on taking the criticism and feedback with an open mind and rectifying their issues. You can appease them by offering a free meal or a discount of that sort.

Keep you Inventory in check

Your inventory consists of all the materials required to prepare the dishes. Organization of the materials, restocking them promptly and updating the material cost with respect to market cost help diminish your chances of significantly increasing inventory cost. Ayman suggests investing in a proper inventory management system to avoid any nuisances.

As a restaurant owner, Ayman reiterates that while seeing your business flourish is one of the most gratifying feelings, one should always stay open to criticism and keep enhancing the ambiance and cuisine so that customers can have a finer and more rewarding experience every subsequent time they visit.