Article

Nine keys for driving speed of service

Restaurants can become victims of their own success when high volume slows down service. Check out these tips for satisfying the need for speed.

October 17, 2014 by Brenda Rick Smith — Editor, Networld Media Group

Be careful what you wish for, restaurant operator.

That new online ordering platform you were hoping would boost sales? It worked. Orders are pouring in.

That stroll you took through the office park, handing out fliers and product samples? Catering sales just jumped.

And that delicious LTO that takes a little extra TLC to prepare? Customers are gobbling it up, and orders are piling up.

All these wins can turn to fails pretty quickly if they bog down your line and slow your service. The result could be frustrated customers forced to idle, or other customers who peel out of the parking lot when they see the line backed out your front door.

Leaders from across the fast casual segment brainstormed solutions to speed of service problems at the ninth annual Fast Casual Executive Summit in Denver.

Trying to kickstart stalled service? Try these tune-ups:

Add a second line.If space permits, it just might be worth the investment to add a second line focused on catering, carryout, or online and mobile orders. The approach is working for Pizza Rev. Orders placed online are produced using the secondary line, which also features a secondary oven entrance.

Can't afford a redesign? Consider an equipment upgrade, says John Benner, director of sales for Thermodyne Food Service Products. The right equipment can allow you to prep and store ingredients without compromising the quality of the product.

And don't be discouraged if you don't see an off-the-shelf solution to your problem.

"Give feedback to your equipment supplier," added Benner. "Let them know your needs to they can innovate."

Encourage customers to break the line. Message consistently about opportunities for customers to break the line by placing orders online, by mobile app, or by kiosk in-store.

Choose software that throttles online orders. Some software solutions govern online orders, spacing them out a bit to allow in store orders to be spaced appropriately in between.

Off-site phone orders. Use a call center to take phone orders rather than having a cashier or other front line person take calls. Orders then come in as if they were placed online or via your app.

Another advantage to moving those phone orders through a call center: because they are handled as mobile orders, customer data is captured, rather than evaporating once the phone is hung up, opening up another segment for marketing.

Tweak staffing. When a customer comes in with a large order from an office – say, a spontaneous "I'm going to MAD Greens, can I pick anything up for anyone?" type of order – one MAD Greens staffer takes that order and walks the customer through, almost like a personal shopper. Other orders can then "feather in" without stalling the line. At the end of the order, the MAD Greens staffer slides in a reminder about online ordering, which will make lunch pick up much faster and easier for the customer next time.

Pizza Rev adds a greeter with a paper menu at the door during peak times. The greeter educates the customer about products and process, so by the time they reach the front of the line they are ready to order and don't have to pause to make decisions.

Pizza Rev also moves staff from prep to the front line during peak times. Stores have set times for prep and production, then those crew members are moved to the front during lunch or dinner rush.

Review game film. Considering videotaping your service line, then speeding up the playback.

Panera used the approach to identify patterns and disruptions. The reviews led to small changes – using a larger bowl for lettuce, so it didn't run out so quickly; changing the placement of a handle on a walk-in cooler – that yielded incremental improvements in speed.

Drop upselling. Don't slow down the line by asking customers to consider upsizing, or joining a loyalty program. Focus instead on getting them through the line quickly and accurately.

Standardize naming convention.Make sure menu item names are consistent, from the menu board to the app to the POS. Inconsistent names can cause confusion, slowing the line down and decreasing accuracy.

Use table locator technology for fast, accurate food delivery.Every moment a crew members spends wandering around your restaurant, order in hand, looking for a customer, is a moment lost. Investing in tracking systems that help servers get the right order to the right table quickly improves speed of service and customer satisfaction.

Image credit: Jingoba on Pixaby

About Brenda Rick Smith

---

Brenda has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing and public relations professional. She invested most of her career telling the story of entrepreneurial non-profit organizations, particularly through social media.

Connect with Brenda Rick: