Profitable Kitchen Manager

Profitable Hospitality systems are built around six Key Performance Areas. To measure success and be alert to changes in your business, it's essential to have a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - measurements and benchmarks that you can watch constantly to see how your business is going.

For working out the real profit a baker makes after taking into account waste and returns

To be used on Invoices received by the Kitchen. A formal approval process ensures someone is seen to be in charge.

Just in case you're feeling rusty on how to use all the calculator functions.

When there are many functions at once and a number of standard lines being used across them, put the numbers in this spreadsheet to see your total daily preparation requirements.

Keep track of equipment, crockery and utensils - space for them to be listed, signed out and signed back in.

For planning your preparation before a big event - managing the timing and who's doing what.

Used for working out the overall profitability of a function menu.

Used for recording a verbal or telephone complaint, especially if it involves foodborne illness.

Used for working out the loss percentage and the final cost of the portion you serve. Can be used for meat, seafood or vegetables.

The sections for your Food Handling Rules. A detailed Food Safety Plan is becoming increasingly important - here's a start.

Set up a routine for cleaning all the easy-to-forget parts of the kitchen. Extra tasks for the quieter periods. Can be adapted to your business needs and design.

A complete check-list so everything is closed down and cleaned properly, ordering handled and nothing left to chance for the next day.

An easy to use one-page summary for the Head Chef to report on the events of the week. Fill in the details and the numbers - much easier than starting with a blank page!

A checklist of all the small things that need to be done to get ready for a busy and efficient shift.

A system for standardising ordering and an essential reminder of all the ingredients that should be on hand. Proper ordering systems mean fewer expensive trips to the local shop when supplies run out.

Work lists for the start of the shift - nothing gets left to chance.

Reminders to make the hand-over from one shift to the other smooth and efficient.

Team meetings are essential for good management, but they are usually too long and go off track easily. A tight agenda keeps everyone on the topic and makes sure nothing is missed.

A simple format for recording the discussion about each topic.

A unique and powerful profit calculator that shows the entire profitability of your menu and charts it according to gross profit and popularity of each item. You can see at a glance the strongest and weakest performing items on your menu, making improvements much more logical. With this tool 'menu engineering' will follow the numbers rather than guess-work.

Once you have the cost of each individual item on your menu, you can prepare the Menu Profit Calculator. Then to check the results of a week or day, just enter the number sold - the total profit is then worked out automatically.

A checklist format to analyse the popularity, profitability and ease of preparation of all the items on your menu. A way to make menu changes systematic rather than last minute and emotional.

Don't be defeated by recipes written in a system you don't understand!

A useful reminder for when supplies should be ordered and received. Essential if costs are to be contained.

Fax or post this to a supplier. Having this done in a routine way means there is a proper record of every order.

Theft and error are widespread in the hospitality industry, usually because of poor receiving and stock maintenance practices. Adapt these rules to the needs of your business - a few more rules at this stage of the production cycle will bring costs down considerably.

Combines recipe costing and a format for writing down instructions, Print them off and keep them in the kitchen, with a back-up copy on the computer.

A good place to start, giving you accurate information about the portion costs from a recipe. A simple spreadsheet format allows you to enter the ingredient names, weights and costs and the rest is done automatically.

Written rules mean everyone knows what's allowed and what is not. Adapt these and put them up on the wall, and reinforce them with regular discussion.

All recipes should be written down. This is a form to allow typed or hand-written recipes to be kept in a standard format.

How to write clear and easy-to-understand standards - measurable and observable so everyone knows what is expected.

Used for when a staff member starts work - so there is no misunderstanding.

Use in conjunction with the Kitchen Ordering Sheets - the orders each day are recorded so there is a complete over-view at the end of the week.

Works out the serving cost of meat, chicken and seafood after it has been trimmed and boned. Just enter the cost of buying it and a few other details and the exact final cost is worked out.

Head Chef
Chef or Cook
Apprentice Chef
Kitchen Hand