Restaurant SOPs: Why are they important?

Vacations and good meals are more than what meets the eye. People are making memories they will cherish forever. Customers remember your restaurant not just for good food. They remember it for the service, the ambience, and the overall experience they had. You are in the business of turning someone's dreams into reality. That is why it matters to have set processes in place to deliver delightful experiences every time.

Restaurants must consistently follow their processes to meet the targeted standards for food, service, and environment. That consistency in quality and service is what keeps a restaurant ahead of its competition. But how does one ensure consistency?

SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) can be a powerful tool for restaurants in maintaining consistency and delivering stellar experiences every time. A well-designed restaurant SOP drives the consistency and discipline that makes a restaurant business succeed.

What is an SOP?

Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, are written processes that define a standardized way of running day-to-day operations. A restaurant has many SOPs, from washing the dishes to flipping burgers and everything in between.

Your front-of-house staff, for example, follows a script when greeting and welcoming guests, which expresses your specific brand of hospitality. Likewise, the back-of-house staff at large food chains build a burger in the kitchen following an SOP, so taste, look, and packaging stay consistent across every outlet. SOPs help restaurants function like a well-oiled machine.

SOPs should be well-documented and put into practice through proper communication and training, or else they are ineffective. Well-documented SOPs paired with a detailed training manual make a solid backbone for your training program.

Why do SOPs matter for restaurants?

SOPs let restaurant owners clearly outline their expectations and standards for the various jobs that make up day-to-day operations. They are a proactive step toward a smooth transition of duties from one shift to the next. Your staff will thank you for having an SOP, because there is nothing worse than trying to figure out the right way to do something in the middle of a busy weekend brunch.

An SOP can do more good for your restaurant than you might imagine. Here is how.

It brings consistency to the way things are done

We often hear restaurant managers giving staff instructions on how a certain task needs to be done. Yet, more often than not, the task gets done a different way. Take an example. Lizy and Mary are both responsible for setting up flowers on guest tables every morning. Lizy puts a bunch of five roses on every table she sets, and Mary puts a bunch of three. This is a classic case of improper training and underused SOPs. Without well-defined SOPs, such mistakes are bound to happen. It also shows how SOPs help even with tasks that may seem insignificant.

SOPs are the secret behind a consistent experience and taste across giant food chains. SOPs offer an effective way to document the smallest details and the method of doing the job, then communicate them to your employees. They leave no room for confusion or miscommunication and bring consistency throughout your restaurant. An app such as Delightree is a good way to keep this in order. As a restaurant owner, you can create one-page SOPs and give access to the staff who need them.

It helps reduce food waste and improve taste

Walk into the same coffee chain in two different cities and you get the same taste, the same quantity, and the same quality. Knowing the exact proportions for brewing a cup also minimizes waste in the form of overstocked supplies.

Restaurant food waste can be classified as pre-consumer and post-consumer waste. Pre-consumer waste is essentially unused raw materials lost to a lack of proper storage. Post-consumer waste refers to leftover food a guest could not finish, often due to large portions or poor taste. SOPs can help curtail both kinds of waste. A documented procedure for how a drink is made and what quantity is served keeps the result consistent across every outlet. It also helps staff estimate how many servings come from a single batch of supplies, so they know how much to stock and when. SOPs play a significant role in cutting food waste and keeping food fresh.

It is a great way to identify and fix issues

As your business evolves, so should your processes. A process that is already broken and inconsistent is hard to fix. With a process in place, though, identifying and fixing an issue is much faster and easier. For example, here is how your SOP says a server greets a guest:

“Hey, welcome to [restaurant name]. How can I help you today? Would you like to have a drink?”

Your employees then give you feedback that not all guests are comfortable with a drink offer right away. Many would prefer a greeting without the immediate offer. Changing the greeting SOP and communicating it to your team can be done quickly.

It aids in managing staff and frees managers for higher-value work

SOPs simplify the duty manager's job. The consistency and direction they bring to processes significantly reduce errors in daily operations. Managers can then focus on important work such as designing incentive programs, running regular feedback sessions with team members, and studying new management models, all of which lead to a happier and more satisfied team. In short, managers no longer need to micromanage.

It is a great way to cross-train employees

A restaurant always needs more hands for the smooth execution of tasks. It is one industry where the show must go on. You cannot close the bar or stop serving your signature pasta because your bartender or Italian chef is on leave. If you have an SOP for all your signature bar drinks, your front-of-house staff or one of the kitchen staff can keep the party rolling while your bartender is out sick. SOPs are also an effective tool for cross-training your staff. Cross-training helps employees acquire new skills, supports their career growth, and gives you a backup.

SOPs are not about imposing a rigid set of laws. They are about standardizing the way you do things and simplifying life for both your employees and yourself. Stay flexible and open to change. Employees deal with guests first-hand, so take their feedback from time to time and update SOPs as needed. Most importantly, communicate well with your staff. Involve your star performers and longtime employees when designing your SOPs.