Филологические науки/3. Теоретические и методологические проблемы исследования языка

Spahi N., Rasolova L.V.

Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after M. Tugan-Baranovsky, Ukrainia

Restaurant logistics

For the majority of restaurants, food cost is second only to labor in terms of an overall liability. It goes without saying that steps need to be taken and measures employed to ensure that this element of the budget does not get out of control. As in any business, it's all about the bottom line.

While every business has its operational costs and most retail establishments have to carry stocks of some kind, restaurant inventory control is particularly important as in this case the goods are very perishable. It is not uncommon to have several hundred different types of raw food product in storage at any one moment and with poor management, you can end up wasting a lot of this.

Good restaurant inventory control starts and finishes at senior management level. It is important not to get too many people involved in the process, as this by itself can lead to an overall waste. Delegate, by all means, but make sure that you have a very strict procedure in place to account for the oversight, for measurement and for the ordering process.

While a good eatery will stand or fall on the quality of its food and it's important to have all your menu items available at all times, remember that all this food represents a cost until it is prepared and delivered to the client. You need to practice the process of containment and come up with a system to ensure that you are stocking just the right amount, not too little and not too much.

It is unfortunately true, but as human beings, we tend to place less value on anything that we have an abundance of. This is true when it comes to restaurant inventory control and your primary goal here should be to ensure that you could train all your workers in the values of portion control. This is also another reason why you should not have to much of any particular item in stock at any time.

If you calculate to have just enough of each type of food in the storage room, you'll end up having less spoilage, less waste, less theft, better portion control and a better overall net result to your bottom line. Make sure that you reduce the excess inventory by proper oversight.

Did you know that chain restaurants tend to be 2 to 3 times more profitable than independent restaurants, across the board? This is in good part due to the policies and procedures that they have in place, including stringent restaurant inventory control. All operators should try and ensure that they do a full food calculation cost once per week and after a period of time they will not come up against any sudden panics when a particular item is very low or even runs out.

Restaurant inventory control is only one element of overall restaurant management and marketing. Those who are new to the business, or even those who have been "around the block a couple of times," would do well to seek the services of industry consultants to help them understand the intricacies of this competitive business.

References:

1. Пархаева Н.В. «Логистика». – Донецк, 2010.

2. Алесинская Т.В. «Основы логистики. Общие вопросы логистического управления». – Таганрог: Изд-во ТРТУ, 2005. – 121 с.

3. Шумаев В.А. Логистика товародвижения. – М.: Издательский дом "Новый век", 2001. – 194 с. : табл. – (Сер. "Экон.современной России").