Surely everyone had a situation when, having come to a restaurant, he could not order the chosen dish. And the reason is very simple: today it was present on the menu only on paper. Most often, the waiter apologizes and offers an alternative. The reasons are different: the cook fell ill, the necessary ingredient was not delivered. It also happens that the supply turned out to be of inadequate quality, which is why it is impossible to make a decent dish out of it. And it takes time to replace.
Of course, no one will rewrite the menu every time. These are circumstances that may change throughout the day. And so that the waiter does not have to make excuses to customers, the menu simply contains information that some of the dishes are not available today.
What is a stop list in a restaurant
Immediately we make a reservation, it happens that it is not in all institutions. Even reputable restaurants sometimes prefer to provide waiters with information and apologies to the guests. But there are hundreds of items on the menu, and the waiter sometimes finds out that one or more will not be cooked only after he has accepted the order. At the same time, if the owners had become familiar with what a stop list is in a restaurant and how to use it correctly, then such situations could have been avoided. The client would immediately see that there are no dishes today.
Clearance requirements
The menu is an important document that determines the attitude of the institution to its customers. It requires daily attention, for this there is a manager and administrator. So, it’s already clear what a stop list is in a restaurant. This is a list of dishes that is relevant for a certain period of time, which customers cannot select and order. It will help to save the nerves and time of visitors. They do not have to wait in vain for their order and frantically seek a replacement for him. Therefore, place it in a conspicuous place. Sometimes the title cover of the menu is used for this, behind which there is a small transparent insert. Of course, it should be short and concise. If the stop list includes a dozen items, then the question arises as to why the menu was not reworked. Force Majeure is one thing, and outdated information is another.
Ease of change
Considering what a stop list is in a restaurant, it is worth noting this point. It is not always possible to foresee all the nuances when it comes to a large establishment with good traffic. Here in the kitchen work is constantly in full swing, everyone is in a hurry, in a hurry. Delivery, as well as cost of products, is inevitable throughout the day. It may happen that changes to the stop list also have to be made constantly. This should be done by the administrator, who connects the kitchen and the waiters.
Agree, it’s quite difficult. Indeed, in a large restaurant there are dozens of refrigerators, from which cooks constantly pick up food, and storehouses replenish supplies. To plan the process in such a way that at any moment there is everything that is needed to prepare the full range, it is possible, but there are overlays as well. Therefore, today automated systems are developed that calculate the remnants of products in the warehouse, and at the moment when they become insufficient for cooking, they issue a message to the administrator. Moreover, these systems can form a stop list that is attached directly to the menu. Then you can make adjustments very quickly, and customers will always be aware of what is now in stock.
For the highest category
Indeed, today only some elite institutions have a rule to regularly form a stop list. The sample in the restaurant is developed individually, in accordance with the style that is followed in this cafe or restaurant. This suggests that customers are valued here, as well as value their reputation.
If there is no automated system, the procedure is as follows. Workers in the kitchen (usually a cook) conduct a morning audit, draw up a stop list and pass it on to the hall staff for review. Now they can convey to the client information about what is currently not available, and also offer an alternative. During the day, the stop list form in the restaurant does not change. Even if the supply of the necessary ingredients has been made, usually there is simply not enough human resources to make a reconciliation of the available and consumed goods all day.
Customer convenience
We all love clarity and accuracy, especially when confronted with the service industry. Sometimes you can find reviews of visitors to various catering establishments, who are extremely outraged by the current situation. They spend a lot of time studying the menu and making a choice, but the waiter, having accepted the order and leaving the kitchen, soon returns and announces that the dish is not available. Now imagine that this happened two or three times in a row. You have already spent a considerable amount of time choosing another dish, then you had to look for an alternative to him as well. Now it becomes clear what the stop list in the restaurant means. If he was, the client just had to get acquainted with its contents.
Analysis tool
Moreover, not only for a responsible manager, but also for a visitor, the presence or absence of a start-stop list in a restaurant is also indicative. After analyzing its content, you can evaluate the work. And both the kitchen and the administration.
At the best institutions, the stop list will be either absent or very short. But if you see a long list of inaccessible dishes, then the question arises as to why there was no work on the menu. In any case, the impression will be greatly spoiled. Similarly, as if you start making an order and you hear in response that most of the selected dishes are not available today. Next time, most likely, you will try to choose another institution, and you will not advise your friends to come here.
Recommendations to restaurant managers
If you want customers to leave satisfied and come back, it is necessary to create the most attractive conditions for them, to surround them with care. In light of this, you need to think about whether you need a stop list in a restaurant. What is it, have already been disassembled. Excessive red tape, you say? Not at all. Let's see how you can put it into practice.
The first option is informing by chain or the old fashioned way. That is, from the starting point (from the cook), information that the dish is ending or has already ended should go further to the hall staff. It seems nothing complicated, very many have used (and still use) this scheme.
But in practice, everything turns out not so smoothly. Of course, the cook cannot walk and inform each waiter that, for example, the fish is running out. To do this, use the bulletin board on which he must attach a note. The stand is located in the kitchen or at the checkout. But here the human factor is already interfering. If the cook loaded with work does not manage to place a note? Or the hall workers will not read it? And it happens that a note is lost, it comes off the stand and falls to the floor. Now let's remember the rush hour in the restaurant. It’s easy to imagine what confusion might arise from these notes.
Moreover, photos of restaurant stop-lists make it possible to understand that this is an important tool for a manager. Notes on leaflets do not allow the collection of analytical data on stop positions. And that means that you lose the chance to correct mistakes, grow and improve.
Modern solution
Digital technology is coming to the rescue today. If the institution is equipped with an automation system, such a situation can be easily avoided. Today, there are many varieties of software that makes it easy to solve the task, that is, automate the "stop list" mechanism in a restaurant. What is it, you do not even have to think about it. The program itself considers the remnants of the products and the issuance of the number of servings that can be prepared from this. If the vacation of dishes passes through it, then the program simply will not allow the waiter to recapture the order, for the preparation of which there are currently no necessary ingredients.
If the reasons lie elsewhere (the cook who prepares exclusive dishes, is on vacation today, on sick leave), then it’s enough to just change the settings, and the program will take into account the division of labor in the kitchen and take into account whether all employees today went to work. That is, you can solve the following tasks at any time:
- Quick access to information on the availability of individual items in the menu.
- Display messages about changes to all terminals of the system.
- Sending waiters to personal devices.
- The ability to control the remains of dishes or products.
Advantages of Automated Systems
This is a simple and reliable way to maintain the necessary level of employee awareness. What is convenient, the administrator can always register the rights of each user. For example, the waiter does not need to have the right to make changes, this will only increase the likelihood of errors and confusion. But at the same time, they can quickly view the data. On the other hand, they do not have the right to add positions to this list, due to which they are protected from errors. This avoids unpleasant situations that can cause guests irritation.
Length of stay
This is another important detail that should be analyzed by a thoughtful manager. A universal sample of filling out (blank) a stop list in a restaurant is given in the article, but you can upgrade it at your discretion. First of all, they enable the manager to debug deliveries. But upon closer examination, it turns out that there is additional information that is also important.
If you use specialized software, then the reports will also show the number of times they hit the stop list and the length of stay of a particular dish there. But this is the time when it could be ordered. Consequently, lost money. That is, the manager gets an additional opportunity to work with suppliers and cooks.
Instead of a conclusion
The restaurant business is very complex and multifaceted. In order not to lose regular customers, you have to constantly improve the system, find flaws and quickly eliminate them. The stop list is an excellent tool that allows you to smooth out force majeure circumstances, avoiding the situation when the client was not satisfied. In addition, it is an analytical tool. Your business will only win if you decide to use the idea and take it into service. Otherwise, do not avoid dissatisfied customers and negative reviews.