When opening a restaurant, it’s important to consider all the equipment and supplies you’ll need, even the items that may seem obvious. The point is to make the customer experience as smooth as possible, but if your servers have to explain why certain items aren’t available or something’s not operating properly, it will affect the customer’s perception of your business. Make sure you have all of the necessary equipment when opening a restaurant to avoid any potential problems. 

Here are a few things that are often overlooked:

Staff amenities

Keep your staff safe and comfortable by providing employee-only parking, a secure place to keep their belongings, and safety equipment such as first-aid kits. Wet-floor signs, rubber mats, and fire extinguishers are also important safety supplies.

Guest amenities

Bathroom supplies are fairly easy to forget, but their absence is quickly noticed. Ensure that the bathroom is stocked with cleaning products and items such as towels, toilet paper, soap, a mop, and a bucket. If you own a family-friendly restaurant, consider providing booster seats for children and utensils of different colours. You should also stock different-sized takeaway containers for patrons who might not finish their meals.

Back-of-office supplies

Ensure that your back office is well-stocked. The fact that customers can’t see this area doesn’t mean it should be ignored. It is a good idea to have some shelves there. Movable racks will come in handy when you are cleaning around them. Ensure your dishwashers have access to cleaning supplies such as detergent, waterproof dishwashing aprons, gloves, and drying racks. It is also very easy to overlook the kitchen’s need for adequate waste management solutions.

Smallwares 

Smallwares are those small but essential equipment that make food prep and service easier. They include tongs, cutting boards, plates, utensils, etc. Often, new restaurateurs focus so much on the big equipment like ovens and fridges that they forget about all the smaller items they’ll need. 

Tabletop Items 

In addition to smallwares, you’ll also need to consider all the tabletop items your customers will need when dining in your restaurant. These include salt and pepper shakers, sauces, sugar packets, straws, serviettes, etc. Again, these might seem like obvious things to have on hand, but you’d be surprised how many restaurants forget about them until it’s too late. 

Restaurant software

When the business owner’s focus is on opening the restaurant, little attention is often paid to software like Point of Sale. But this is like your business’s backbone – it literally holds everything together. A Point of Sale system is fundamental to the success of the business. But not just any system will do, you need one that includes:

  • Employee scheduling software
  •  Complete inventory and order management
  • Payroll and accounting software integration
  • Mobile Point of Sale at table options
  • Meaningful reporting

Partner with a Point of Sale provider that knows its products and how to make them work for your business. Pilot Point of Sale is the supplier of choice for many of the country’s leading  franchise restaurant brands, such as Ocean Basket, Rocomamas, Cape Town Fish Market, Simply Asia, Col’Cacchio, Cappuccinos, Spur, Hennies, Bossa and Sweetbeet, and has helped them to achieve continued success. Pilot also supports thousands of independent restaurants.

Opening a restaurant is a huge undertaking. There’s so much to think about, but it’s important to notice all the details, no matter how small they may seem. The food and beverage business may be challenging, but the right combination of restaurant suppliers can make all the difference. Arm yourself with the right business partners to ensure your restaurant is on the right track from day one.

Read our brochure explaining what Pilot brings to the table and why  our software has been trusted for over 30 years.

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