Maximise Efficiency in Your Restaurant this Easter

Easter is fast approaching with thousands of Aussies looking forward to a 4 day weekend! Maximising efficiency in a restaurant over Easter requires careful planning, staffing, and operational strategies.

Here are some ways to boost your efficiency during this time:

Pre-plan the Menu and Specials

Offer a streamlined version of your regular menu or focus on Easter-specific specials. This minimises preparation time and allows your team to focus on high-demand items. Consider Easter-specific dishes that are easy to prepare in bulk (like roast lamb, hot cross buns, or Easter desserts). This can help reduce the number of unique orders and speed up service.

Optimise Staffing

Public holidays are always a double edged sword for restaurants with operational costs at an all time high. It’s important to anticipate high traffic and schedule extra servers, kitchen staff, and support team members. Focus on front-of-house and kitchen staff to minimise wait times.

Ideally you want to ensure that staff can handle multiple roles (e.g., servers who can also clear tables or bartenders who can help with food prep) to ensure flexibility during busy hours.

Use Technology for Efficiency

Make sure you are integrated with the right online reservation platform for your business. Encourage guests to make reservations online to manage the flow of diners and prevent overcrowding, which also allows for better planning of kitchen and front-of-house needs.

Ensure your point of sale (POS) system is updated with any special menus or pricing so orders are processed quickly, and your payment transactions are fast! Preferably, lock in a POS and Payments Bundle solution which can literally save you thousands of dollars in fees.

Research the best order ahead or order at table tech solutions for your business, whether Uber Eats for order ahead or a QR-code order and pay at table solution like industry leaders, me&u. Depending on your venue-type, making the right decision here can save you substantail time and drive strong growth.

Prep, Prep, and more Prep!

In the days leading up to Easter, prep as much food as possible to reduce kitchen workload during peak service hours. Items like sauces, soups, and side dishes can be prepared in advance and kept warm to be finished off quickly during service.