Overview
The hospitality industry may be experiencing a long-awaited revival, but survival is far from guaranteed. Despite renewed demand, most restaurants and cafés still fail within their first few years, often due to rising costs, staff turnover, and changing customer behaviour. This guide sets out seven essential restaurant and café management tips to help owners adapt to today’s realities, protect margins, and build a business that lasts in a competitive, tech-driven environment.
Why Restaurant and Café Management Has Changed
Customers are returning to cafés and restaurants, but they’re spending differently. Research shows diners are cutting back on extras like desserts, drinks, and appetisers while becoming more price-sensitive overall. At the same time, online ordering, delivery platforms, digital branding, and restaurant technology have reshaped expectations.
In short, good food alone is no longer enough. Modern hospitality success depends on strong systems, clear pricing, consistent service, and a seamless customer experience across physical and digital touchpoints.
1. Get Your Pricing Strategy Right
Price isn’t the only factor in restaurant success, but poor pricing can quickly undermine profitability.
As a general guideline, food costs should sit at around 30% of menu prices, though this must be balanced against market expectations and perceived value. Pricing too low can be just as damaging as pricing too high.
To protect margins:
- Highlight higher-margin items such as signature drinks or small plates
- Simplify menus to reduce waste and complexity
- Regularly review ingredient costs and adjust pricing accordingly
Clear, confident pricing supports sustainability and customer trust.
2. Keep Employee Turnover as Low as Possible
Few things damage hospitality businesses more than constant staff churn. High turnover increases training costs, reduces service quality, and disrupts customer experience.
Strong restaurant and café management depends on:
- Hiring carefully rather than quickly
- Offering fair, competitive pay
- Creating predictable schedules that avoid burnout
- Cross-training staff to build flexibility and resilience
Most restaurant managers started in entry-level roles. Providing development pathways helps retain talent and strengthens your internal culture.
3. Create a Clear Quality Manual
Consistency is essential in hospitality. A quality manual provides a single source of truth for how things are done.
A strong quality manual should include:
- Food sourcing, storage, preparation, and service standards
- Food safety and hygiene procedures
- Clear role responsibilities for each position
- Customer service expectations and complaint handling
- Cleaning, maintenance, and equipment care processes
This document supports training, reduces errors, and ensures quality doesn’t depend on who happens to be working that day.
4. Embrace Technology That Improves Operations
Technology won’t replace hospitality, but it can remove friction.
Today’s customers expect:
- Online reservations
- Digital menus or QR-code ordering
- Efficient online ordering and delivery
- Fast, accurate payment systems
Behind the scenes, point-of-sale systems, inventory tracking, and staff scheduling tools help owners manage costs and reduce stress. Technology should simplify operations, not complicate them.
5. Leverage Dedicated Platforms
There are many platforms available on the market that are dedicated to the restaurant industry. These platforms can help with more efficient restaurant management.
One such platform is being developed by OysterLink.com, which is dedicated to restaurant jobs and networking. It is set to launch in September 2024.
This platform will help restaurants and cafés streamline their hiring process by providing access to a pool of potential candidates from across the industry.
Moreover, OysterLink’s platform will provide dozens of job description templates for all restaurant and café positions, from bartenders and servers to behind-the-scenes positions like chefs and managers.
For current and prospective restaurant and bar staff, OysterLink will offer in-depth career resources covering topics like resume writing, salary negotiation, legal compliance, and application strategies.
Additionally, the platform offers comprehensive insights into salary trends. This will help employers offer competitive pay and job seekers secure fair wages.
6. Invest in the Right Equipment
Reliable commercial kitchen equipment is a foundational part of successful restaurant and café management.
High-quality equipment:
- Improves speed and consistency
- Reduces downtime and maintenance issues
- Supports food safety standards
- Helps staff work more efficiently
When setting up or upgrading, choose equipment that suits your menu, space, and volume rather than buying based on price alone.
7. Design an Excellent End-to-End Customer Experience
Customer experience extends far beyond the dining room.
It includes:
- Your website and online booking journey
- Social media presence
- Ordering and delivery experience
- Packaging and presentation
- How complaints and feedback are handled
Customers remember how easy and enjoyable the experience felt. Friction at any stage can undo the goodwill created by great food and service.
8. Actively Manage Your Online Reviews
Online reviews significantly influence where people choose to eat or drink. Ignoring them is a mistake.
Effective review management involves:
- Encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews
- Responding calmly and professionally to criticism
- Addressing issues publicly to show accountability
Handled well, even negative reviews can enhance credibility. Proactive review management builds trust and strengthens your reputation over time.
Final Thoughts: Managing for Survival and Success
The hospitality revival has brought opportunity, but it has also raised the bar. Restaurants and cafés that succeed today are those that treat management as a discipline, not an afterthought.
By applying these restaurant and café management tips, pricing wisely, retaining staff, using technology intelligently, and focusing on customer experience, you give your business the structure it needs to survive and thrive in a demanding market.
