Between noon and one o'clock it's decided whether a guest leaves happy or tries the place next door next time. Five practical tweaks that save seconds at the register on every bill.
The lunch rush often lasts just an hour and a half, yet it decides a big part of the day's takings. Every second at the register is multiplied by the number of guests in the queue. Here are five tweaks you can make in a single afternoon.
1. Best sellers on the first screen
Check the statistics for what sells most at lunchtime and put it on the first page of the catalogue. The daily menu, the soup and the most common drinks shouldn't be two taps deeper. Less searching means faster bills and fewer mistakes.
2. Get payments ready in advance
- Make sure the card terminal is charged and paired before you open.
- Keep small change ready.
- Set up meal vouchers and gift vouchers as separate payment methods, so nothing has to be counted by hand.
3. Orders straight to the kitchen
As soon as staff ring up an order, the kitchen can see it on the kitchen display. No more running around with slips of paper, and nothing gets lost. The cook sees what came in first, and guests don't wait needlessly.
4. Keep quick and slow bills apart
Takeaway guests pay right away at the register. Guests at a table have an open bill and pay at the end. When these two flows don't mix, the queue at the register moves faster.
5. Look at the numbers after the rush
Five minutes after lunch is enough. Which items ran out, where did people wait, and how long did the average bill take? A small change to the catalogue or to how staff split the work makes a big difference tomorrow.
Tip: try a new catalogue layout on a quiet afternoon first, not on the first day of the rush.