Getting Ready for Tax Deductions and the New Year

Just a quick reminder for everyone to start the New Year off right:

     Before the end of the year, spend some time knowing what tax deductions you can take so you can pay less on your yearly tax return and keep more of your hard earned money.

     Get ready now to perform your year end inventory list too. Document everything you have left in all your coolers, your dry storage and pantry areas, your beer, wine and liquor too. All of these items must be on a list with the value of each item and then totaled up. Your account will need these figures as they are considered profit to your business. You bought them, own them and just didn't sell them - it's a tricky and sticky part of being in the restaurant industry and any business for that matter. You'll get better each year and not overstocking items just before the New Year since it must all be counted.

     If you need commercial equipment for your restaurant, this is a great time to buy it for the tax deduction you'll get as well as you'll have the best equipment to give your customers what they want. Do you need a commercial espresso machine or other commercial cooking equipment? Find it right here with our fair and honest reviews that will help you save money and get the best products that work. We're adding to our equipment reviews all the time.

     Use these tips and more ways we help you make money in the restaurant industry by following along with this blog and our posts. Bookmark it with your favorites so you'll know each new post we add.

     Happy New Year everyone, thanks so much for reading, we love your comments and questions so keep them coming and let us all know your challenges and successes.

     Cheers!

Year End Tips for Restaurants - Reflecting on Goals

Happy Holidays in your restaurant!

You're no doubt busier than ever with the Christmas season in full swing and only days away. You've planned and decorated, marketed and trained and the New Year is upon us all. It's time to reflect on goals you've made in the last year and look forward to new goals to help you get ahead. Are you ready for what

Handling Food Safely

One of my biggest concerns in the restaurant industry, and your own home as a matter of fact is handling food safely. As a chef for 30+ (yes, I've been at this business all my life and I'm getting up in age!) I've always watched, trained and taught this subject to everyone that's ever worked for me. From the dishwasher to the servers to the prep cooks and chefs in my own business and others I've worked for, everyone needs to pay attention to how to handle food safely. From wearing our favorite powder free gloves, to food handling signs and using color coded cutting boards we'll share our favorite products too.

Use my Top 6 safe food handling tips

November in your Restaurant Business. It's Turkey Time!

November is Turkey Month and Happy Thanksgiving month in the USA and you should be ready in your restaurant to help your customers with the most delicious meal of the month! We'll share our best tools of the trade to cook lots of your amazing turkey recipes and to create beautiful tables for your guests. The sooner you start to plan for all the busy days of November, the more business you will book.

If you open your doors for business on Thanksgiving Day, don't be surprised at how busy you'll be! You'll find lots of customers that do go out for dinner on this holiday either with their own families or because they have no family in town or just don't want to cook! This is also a great month to show customer appreciation with a sweet and thoughtful thank you gift - it's the month of Thanksgiving! Check out our favorite ways to thank our customers here.

You'll have several choices in setting up your own menu from a sit down Thanksgiving dinner to creating a beautiful holiday buffet for your guests. Either way, Thanksgiving is a holiday to make special

Wow, It's Autumn already!

You might not be ready for it but, the calendar says it's the fall season already. Here's what we're up to and some of these ideas might help you too.

   * Start marketing for the upcoming banquet and holiday season. Really, it's never too early to let people know about your banquet spaces for their office parties, family gatherings, reunions, anniversary parties, birthdays and weddings. Make flyers to post in your restaurant, add a message to your credit card receipts, create your own business cards with a discount if booked by a certain date. We love these business cards that are scored for easy tearing and we buy in bulk so we always have them on hand and use them

Free Restaurant Advertising Ideas

We have some great free restaurant advertising ideas here for you! You'll want to let customers know about your new business or your business that has seen a decrease in business and may not have thought about your advertising budget yet. Advertising can be very expensive and a necessary evil to help your bottom line. There are so many other things you need to spend your hard earned money on, especially in a restaurant, so how do you get the word out? We share our best ways to advertise that are free, easy, little maintenance and that work to let customers know about you and your business.

Looking for Free Business Advertising? Great, we can help. Being in business for yourself can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life but, it can also be extremely costly especially if

Enjoy the summer months!

Enjoy the hot summer months in your business.

Offer your customers a place to go to cool off, get together with friends, enjoy a good meal and to unwind from a long hard day's work.

Some of the ways to achieve good business in the summer months that we use and you could try are:

Offer an outdoor dining area. People want to be outside, the season is short in many areas of the country.
Read our patio dining sets review for help on choosing the right one for your own space or Outdoor bistro sets review and take advantage of a great way to increase your customer base and make a fun place to dine. A few mix and match sets to encourage your guests to sit, eat, drink and linger outdoors will do a lot to promote your business no matter if you serve breakfast, lunch or dinner. Add some pretty and colorful flowers, insect sticks that you can add to any plant container and outdoor garden lights to add to the party feel.



                        Fun lanterns for your outdoor dining area
Create a summer menu of cool salads, grilled items, easy to eat items and don't forget

Clearing Office Paperwork

Mounds of paperwork piling up all around your work space can cause more than just stress. Today we want to tackle that clutter accumulating all around you and help you stay focused to get more done. We want you to be successful as a restaurant owner/operator so this is an important part of your job.

   Here are a few reasons you don't want to let clutter get the best of you or your office and some of our own ideas to keep it all neat and tidy!

      It's easier to lose track of bills that need paid on time in a messy office. We all know that late bills hurts your reputation with your vendors, suppliers and creditors and once you lose their trust it usually gets around to others too plus hurts your credit rating. Create a place in your work space for bills due so you'll see them and work on getting them paid on time.

With Mother's Day just around the corner, I think of my mom and my wife's mom and all they've done to inspire and encourage us to create our restaurant as a healthy, happy business - the go to place for special occasions. Moms around the world do so much for their children, they deserve special attention every day but, definitely on their own holiday. You'll want to show the moms that come to your own restaurant how much they mean to you, how thankful you are for them and offer them a relaxing day off.

What will you do for your own mom to show your respect and appreciation? We always host a special weekend of surprises when families come to dine with us. One of the top gift ideas for Mother's Day is to make reservations and take mom out for a meal she doesn't need to plan, prepare or clean up after!

Some ideas that we use

Show Customer Appreciation with a Thank You Gift!

Every day in your business you'll want to make sure to thank customers with a smile and word of thanks for their business and loyalty. There are some days that lend themselves to extra special opportunities to show customer appreciation in your restaurant such as your business anniversary, Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Christmas and Chanuka, and Customer Appreciation Days.

Here you'll find the best ideas for thank you gifts, ways to show customer appreciation and they won't break the bank but, will set you apart from your competition. Why not host a monthly Customer Appreciation Day to be unique, be different, help your customers remember you, set yourself apart from your competition! It's a win-win dining experience. Keep reading our ideas below:

Set a romantic table in your restaurant!

Set a romantic table for your restaurant guests will our simple tips that will relax your guests and help you save money. Restaurant customers want to go out to dinner at a restaurant that takes care of all the little details, offers a meal for a great value, offers ambiance and a relaxing night out away from all the hectic things they do all day like work, family and obligations. Offer them what they want and you'll find your loyal customers that spread the word about the best place to go out for a night on the town!

 Stop back for more holidays in your restaurant tips.

Taking Restaurant Inventory

At the end of each business year and prior to getting started in the new year, all restaurants should be taking restaurant inventory of all supplies, food - perishable and nonperishable and alcohol, wine and beer.

A year end inventory is necessary for your year end taxes and to start the new year off knowing what's in stock, what you sold, what you haven't sold and maybe make adjustments to your menus.

Keep your inventory sheet simple so you or your staff will be able to perform the inventory monthly and always at year end.

We like to create our inventory sheets following how we organize and store our products, making it quick work to get to the bottom line of inventory.