Always print your info on your packaging / bags

If you decided that instead of a plain generic packaging, you choose to print your logo on your packaging / plastic bags / paper bags, etc.

Don't forget to also print Contact information
(Address, Phone number, Website)
Yes, again, people tend to forget.

I sometimes got frustrated when trying to Contact a Restaurant but can't find their number,
(this also applies for all kinds of businesses, actually)
Reasons : since it's a new Resto, the phone's not yet listed, or none of your friends know the Resto's phone number, etc etc.
And when I found it's packaging / plastic bag / paper bag, somewhere on the floor in my house, I get so excited and literally run and try to find a contact info.
*I do need to get a life don't I ?*

Anywhoo.....
So have those infos printed as well.
I mean, you're already spending money to have your logo printed on the packaing, why not add contact info, right ?

So there.... :)

Drunkards

yesyesyes, still cashier, still fast food joint.

I sometimes get scared when I get night shift.
some people are so drunks, you can smell the alcohol on their breath over the counter.
But the guys and the managers are always so protective of you anyway, so It's safe for me.
and it's always busy at night during weekends.
So....

There was this drunk guy, he couldn't barey stand up straight, and he taking a lot of time asking me what to order, what's nice, bla bla bla while there are 5 other people standing in line behind him.
I didn't care about people waiting, but I was afraid that he was gonna kill me.
.... ok a tad bit paranoid there.
Anyway.... a guy next to him, was saying "ohh everything's nice, you should order this and that bla bla bla"
So drunk guy ordered 5 burgers for himself, luckily he had money. So no problems there.
I then handed him his orders and the change of 45 cents.
And he said "Oh I don't need that money, you keep it, that amount don't mean nothing to me"
Okay sir, but no thank you, so I tried to return the money to him.
So he replied even with a louder voice "No... really you should keep it, it's nothing for me"
and coz I was still afraid that he was gonna kill me *man i do have a problem*
So I said thank you and put the money below the counter.

So.......... after my shift's done,
the manager counted the money on my till
and I told him about the 45 cents that I got it from the drunk guy earlier.
and I was about to drop the coins to the rest of the coins in the till, but mister manager said "no no, it's yours, you keep it"
"but but....."
oh man, I was so tired of arguing with mister manager after 4 hours of standing as a Cashier.
So.... I went home with an extra 45 cents in my pocket.
Woohooo......

I give out free stuff for cute guys

So.... me still cashier, Fast Food Joint.

So Mister Manager, not the Indian guy, this time it's an Australian guy.
He told me water is free.
Of course, free with purchase.
So if you buy burgers, soft drinks, and you ask for water, then it's free.
It's Tap water anyway.
And it's drinkable in Australia.

So....
One afternoon....
there was this extremly good looking guy who ordered two giant glasses of water.
He was so good looking if you put a wig on him, he'd look like a girl ;)
Anyway, his girlfriend was waiting outside, super hot chick.

So I took 2 giant papercups and filled them up with water, aka tap water.
and was looking for mister Manager.... or anyone else at the back.
But hey, there was no one else back there.
What ? Was I the only one in this Joint ?
So.... giant papercups filled.
I walked to the guy and handed him the 2 giant papercups of water.
And he smiled and said "How much?"
And I looked at the back, and couldn't find anyone.
I couldn't charge him the price of soft drinks for tap water.
and since mister manager said "water is free"
So I said "It's free"
He was kinda surprised "Really ?" , he's still smiling.
I said : *nodded*
so He politely said thanks and left.
Man, I felt like one of those girls who give out free stuff for cute guys.
Where was everyone anyway ?
Manager sir ?

My experiences in a Fast Food Joint

I once work as a cashier in a Fast Food Burger Restaurant in Australia.
and I had this Indian Manager who was very strict.

It was a quiet afternoon, usually we get customers at lunch time and late afternoon.
So I was just standing there, staring at the people passing by outside.
And he came up to me and started talking really fast.

"Don't just stand there."
"You have to keep busy."
"Fill up the straw container and fill up the ice cream cones."
"Then go to the tables and wipe them with this." *handed me towel-wipe thing*
"then sweep the floor" *pointed to where the broom was*
Oh... he totally made me feel like Cinderella.

in my defence, It was my second day there, so I didn't know much about anything and where everything are anyway.

But hey, he was a good guy and he's just doing his job.
and it was fun to be Cinderella in a Fast Food Burger Joint anyway.
So... all is good :)

Always print on the Flyers

Just in case you change your price in the future.
Then at least it's written on the flyers that are now in your customers' hands.
So any price change are acceptable.

"All Prices are subject to change without prior notice"

"Prices are subject to change without further notice"

Change of Information

Telephone number Change
So, you wanna add a new Telephone number,
or no, the Telephone company makes you add an extra number in your phone number.
dat's always great, since you have all of those name cards and flyers printed.
So you have to manually add an extra number with a marker / pen on each of those name cards and flyers.
It's not pretty on those newly designed namecards and flyers,
plus the manual labour........ Hoooooooooooyeahhh....
It's a good thing you have the waiters to help you, right ;)

Price change
Or you wanna change the prices on your menu.
This is even more work.
Let's see,
1. you have to change the price on the Menu, you might even have to get another set of newly printed Menu if necessary.
2. then, change the price on the Computer, sounds simple right, try inputting hundreds of codes and changing the prices. Oh.. it's not dat bad really :)
3. Change the prices on the Flyers / printed-giveaway-Menu if necessary.
But it's not necessary if you have this printed
"All prices are subject to change without further notice"

Ok... dat's about it for now.

What to prepare Extra ?

Order forms, and Menus.
I'm secretly guessing that customers steal our Menus.
hahaha.... not really, well some do.
coz we're always missing our Menus.

I went to a Restaurant once and in their menu, they print "this Menu cost 1000 US$"
I'm like "huh?" and asked the waiter about it and He just smiled secretively.
and that made me wonder even more.
Have people offered to buy the menu at that Restaurant ?
I mean, it's a normal looking Menu, nothing special about it.

Anyhoo.....
You need order forms, just stack em up somewhere near, just in case.
And Extra Menus, Customers tend to wanna keep the Menu on their table so it'll be easier for them to re-read the menus if they wanna order more food, so that leaves the new customers Menu-less and your waiters have to wander around looking for Menus on tables.
It's not good to keep new customers waiting,
So Have more Menus available.

What do Waiters need ?

Pens...........
They're always losing their pen or running out of ink on a daily basis.
So always store pens in drawers.

What kinds of Computer Software do I need for the Cashier ?

What kinds of Computer Software do I need for the Cashier ?
What kinds of cash register should I use ?

I can't answer that, what you need might differ from what I need.
So you really need to look around and find what's best for you.
but I have Tips :)
scroll down for the word "TIPS"

Okay, speaking about these kinds of equipments,
there are so many options out there.
Cash registers, a PC plus computer software, Touch screen connected to waiter's PDA, etc etc.

What do I use ?
I'm using a traditional way.
a PC plus a Computer software and a table with a regular drawer to store cash.
there :)

So , if you choose to use a regular PC with Computer software for your Cashier.
There are Windows based one and DOS based one.
Most people nowadays probably use a Windows-based one since they look nicer.
The DOS-based one basically have a black background with colourful letters.
But both are good enough to use.
Just choose whichever is right for your budget and has a complete features.

Mine is connected to a Dot Matrix printer.
It's a bit loud when it prints, but it works well, so.


TIPS
Just a little advice :

- Always have extra printer ribbons for your dotmatrix printer.
and extra printer paper to print all those receipts.
(or whatever's suitable for your hardware)
Yes we all know to always have supplies ready in hand.
But we tend to forget, so I'm just reminding you :D

- It's better not to connect your Cashier's computer to the Internet.
Yes you have Anti Virus protection, and it's relatively safe.
But you don't want to have a Virus attack on a busy day at the Resto, do you ?
plus you don't want the Cashier surfing the net while handling customer's order, right ?

- Always have your Resto's name and info (address, phone number, website) printed on the receipt.
Either by ordering a pre-printed paper or have the Cashier software print those information.
Customers might want to call you for their next reservations and it's just annoying not to be able to find those infos on the receipt.


So, Happy software-hardware hunting :)

How to start a Restaurant / Cafe Business ?

Do I need a Marketing / Accounting / Cooking skills ?
What utensils do I need ?
How many chef do I need to hire ?
Where do I get all the supplies ?
Do I need this and that ?
So many questions....

You know what.... If you wanna start your own Restaurant business.
The best thing to do is just jump right in.
Providing of course, you have the right funding and are aware of all the risks.
Yes....Restaurant businesses open and close just like that.
So.... if you know all the risks and you're willing to go ahead coz it's always been a dream of yours to have a Restaurant.
If you're passionate about running a Restaurant biz.

Here we go.
> Yes you'll need all that stuff you're wondering in your head.
Just set up your priorities first, the rest can be added later on.
For example, that Chandelier or that Water Fountain to decorate your Restaurant can be put on hold till you've purchased all the basic necessary stuff.
> Set up the price of your food.
Compare prices with nearby Restaurants and Restaurants that serves similar type of food.
> Get great chefs !! If not, get skillfull chefs and train them to become great chefs.
> Always innovate !
Don't be afraid to create new delicious dishes !
Having a special-surprise-seasonal menu is also good, the customers always wonder about them.

If you're creative in this field, then you can do these things yourself, otherwise :
> Yes you're gonna need to hire a graphic designer for your Resto's logo, your menu, etc
> you're gonna need an Interior designer to decorate and help you choose furnitures for your Resto.
> You're gonna need to choose the model / color of the waiter's uniform
but in the end, you can always do these things yourself anyway, coz it's the quality and taste of your food that matters the most.
We've all eaten some of the best food we've ever had in one of those simple-humble Resto anyway, so.

Don't worry
> You'll eventually find the right cashier software,
just ask friends who's already in a Restaurant biz, call those advertising in Newspapers,
Try em out and choose the best one that's most suitable with your budget.
> You'll eventually own a Buffet set / Stainless steel Chaffing dishes.
When we first started, we rented chaffing dishes from a caterer, we even borrowed them from a relative who's also in a Restaurant biz. But eventually we started having more guests and Buffet reservations that it's just reasonable to get one.
> You'll eventually form the right team in your Restaurant.
Your waiters, captain, manager, chefs, helpers, cashier, etc will eventually form a solid team that'll back you up in your biz.

Some tips
> If you know you're Restaurant is gonna be a big success.
Get a big kitchen !! coz you'll eventually need a bigger space.
You don't have to fill your entire kitchen space with equipments, but just know that you'll be able to add equipments when you need a bigger kitchen to cater for your ever growing customers.

There are millions of other stuff to list here and I'll add more stuff in the blog as I come up with them in my head. So keep on reading :)

And yes,
Customers is always right.
It's the basic number one rule of anyone working in a Restaurant.
So smile :) *yes, to them, not at yourself*
You're in a Resto business now.

Cheers,
MyRestoLife.com

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