AboutJeffrey Summers Expertise I am the Founder & Owner of Restaurant Coaching Solutions, Inc. We have experience on any topic related to the restaurant & hospitality industry - from Menu R&D, Menu Engineering, Marketing Strategies, New Store Openings, P&L Analysis, Lease Negotiations, Staffing, Policies & Procedures, Building & Design, Site Location, Branding, PR & Promotions, Multi-Unit Development, and any other area effecting the operation of your business. Check us out on the web for more information at www.RestaurantCoachingSolutions.com or call us toll free at 877-535-2324.
Experience I am the Founder & Owner of Restaurant Coaching Solutions, Inc. We have experience on any topic related to the restaurant & hospitality industry - from Menu R&D, Menu Engineering, Marketing Strategies, New Store Openings, P&L Analysis, Lease Negotiations, Staffing, Policies & Procedures, Building & Design, Site Location, Branding, PR & Promotions, Multi-Unit Development, and any other area effecting the operation of your business. Check us out on the web for more information at www.RestaurantCoachingSolutions.com or call us toll free at 877-535-2324.
Organizations The National Restaurant Association Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association's mission is to represent, educate and promote a rapidly growing industry that is comprised of 925,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets employing 12.5 million people. The Society of Hospitality Management The Society for Hospitality Management is an education and professional development association and organization serving the hospitality industry. The SHM is a network of hospitality professionals committed to the education, training, and professional development of employees at all levels in the industry. Through training and educational programs, products, and services, industry professionals grow personally and professionally and in the process improve the performance of the properties and companies they serve. The Gerson Lehrman Leisure & Lodging Council The Gerson Lehrman Group Councils are global networks of executives, physicians, scientists, engineers, attorneys, and other professionals who deliver expertise and decision-making assistance to businesses, governments and investment leaders from around the world. The Professional Business Coaches Alliance The Professional Business Coaches Alliance is a knowledge sharing and peer coaching organization that concentrates on the delivery of effective business coaching - with an emphasis on usable strategies and tools - for the small business owner. The International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education Founded in 1946, the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education is the global advocate of hospitality and tourism education for schools, colleges, and universities offering programs in hotel and restaurant management, foodservice management and culinary arts.
Publications My articles and opinion pieces have been featured on several industry websites, magazines, blogs and forums including: Building Better Restaurants.com RestaurantOwner.com RestaurantEdge.com FoodService.com Ezinearticles.com RestaurantReport.com Restaurant Startup & Growth Magazine American Express' Briefing Newsletter Nation's Restaurant News and tons more!
Education/Credentials I hold degrees in Economics, English, Culinary Arts and industry certifications in Hospitality Management and Restaurant & Catering Management.
Past/Present Clients Here's a list of some of the teams Jeffrey has coached! Hardee's Super X Drug Stores Connie's Pizza Burger King Chili's Long John Silver's The Purple Sage Bistro Applebee's Shoney's T.G.I. Friday's Century 21 House of Realty La Dolce Vita Pastries & Catering Wal Mart 5 Seasons Sports Clubs Wendy's Bennigan's Riverside Publishing Godfather's Pizza Ovations Dining & Entertainment Romaine's Stew's Microbrewery & Eatery Xerox Food Service Double D's Sourdough Pizza and literally hundreds of other Independent Operations.
Question I'm currently working on re-opening what used to be a successful barbecue restaurant in my home town. I have a lot of experience in the food and beverage industry, however, I lack a lot of experience in buffet style restaurants. My largest concern right now is trying to determine my food costs and food wastes.
The buffet will consists of typical southern bbq foods: Pulled Pork, Hash, different steamed vegetables, potato variations, and pasta (mac and cheese). Generally, these are cheaper foods as far as costs goes, however, I guess its the waste combined with typical amount used on buffet.
The Dining room seats 120 with a banquet room that seats from 50 - 75. The place was pretty busy when it was open before, so I anticipate it to be busy again.
Any advice or help that you could provide would be amazing, thank you so much.
Joshua Nicholson.
Answer Buffets use what is referred to as the "ABC" inventory method. This method holds that you have three levels of food cost. "A" is the most expensive and is usually the proteins - 20% of available items on your buffet should come from this category.
"B" is less expensive and includes moderate priced vegetables and sides - 30% of your available items should come from this category.
"C" is your least expensive items(rice, etc...) and 50% of your available items should come from this category.
As for food cost, for a buffet that is usually based on some historical data, but since you do not have any, nor do we know your PPP (price per person) You will have to use typical avgs. which can run from 28-35%. This can be adjusted daily for the first 3-6 weeks as your traffic counts level off after the open.
You will need to also track CPG (cost per guest). This is an simple ratio that is an actual cost per person based on your actual food $ usage and your actual number of guests served. This ratio will help you understand profitability and the appropriateness of your pricing.
As for waste, that will weigh heavily on what food production factors and tracking systems you use and obviously usage which cannot be calculated until you have actual data. Waste is not as much a concern during the opening as you want to make sure you can accommodate your traffic.
There is a lot of information missing from your post so not much more can be talked about.
