For any restaurant entrepreneur who has opened a shop until the point where the business results are stable and the profits are consistent, they may look to expand branches to continue the success. But there are many who when expanding branches, it becomes a problem for the business, affecting both the first and new branches because they cannot control the quality standards and cannot manage the branches until it becomes a turning point for the business. Any entrepreneur who is planning to expand branches, let's follow up to see what matters need to be given importance and must be done in order for the branch expansion to be successful.
Brand and concept must be clear.
The first thing that I would like to leave you with to consider when thinking of expanding a branch is the branding and the concept of the store must be clear first, whether the branch to be expanded will still be the same as the first branch or will be different in some way. One factor that must be considered is the target customer group in the location where the branch expansion is planned. If the customers in the location to be sold to are different groups from the customers in the first location, then you have to look at the behavior and preferences of the customers. Will the concept of the first branch still be able to be used or will it have to be adjusted to meet the needs of customers in the location?
Because it is not necessary that the second branch must copy the first branch 100%. It can be changed, but it must be under the branding identity. It must not change to the point of becoming a different brand. For example, a ramen shop branch that is going to expand must still have the ramen shop identity, but may have additional menus, a shop atmosphere that is different from the first branch, etc.
Standards must be consistent, systematic, and everyone can follow them.
Standards are a very important thing in expanding a branch. Many shops that have expanded and become problematic are because they cannot control the standards. And to have standards, it comes from creating an operations manual or SOP for each section first, whether it be each menu's recipe, cooking steps for each menu, steps for opening and closing the shop each day, steps for providing service from the time a customer arrives until they leave, how the employees must act, what sentences must be said, how must they smile, including employee uniforms.
It is said that every department and every detail must be made into an operations manual to cover every section before expanding branches so that every branch will have the same standards of practice, which will allow standards to be controlled and learning how to control the standards of store management to have consistent quality, from welcoming customers, service, preparation, cooking.
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Crystallize the kitchen layout and the shop layout first.
Because the location to be expanded to may have a different size from the first branch, it is necessary to give importance to the kitchen layout and the shop layout, especially the layout. The kitchen must be given priority. For example, at the first branch, the kitchen area may have been large, allowing for many menus, hundreds of menus. But in the new location, the kitchen area may be smaller, so it is necessary to decide how many menus to have so that the work in the kitchen is not interrupted and the food comes out quickly. Or if the area is larger, it is necessary to plan what equipment to add and how to position different things to create a work flow.
For example, in terms of the shop layout, you need to determine the work plan, such as which stations to have, what type of tables to place, how many tables to have, 2 tables, 4 tables, 6 tables, 8 tables, etc., so that you can easily move and adjust when it is time to use them, etc.
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Make a list of equipment that needs to be purchased and used.
Don't think it's not important to make a list of products or equipment because many times problems have occurred. When you open a shop and can't find anything, the equipment is not ready, causing the work to be interrupted. Therefore, don't forget to make a list of the equipment that will be used in the kitchen, shop front, bathroom, every area. Make a checklist so that everything is ready.
On this point, I would like to leave a note: Before going out to buy equipment according to the list, you should go back and look at the first branch a bit to see if there are any equipment that you bought before that are still unused and are the same items on the list of items to be purchased for the new branch. Use them to save money because there are many times when branches are expanded and you buy things but don't use them. It's a shame.
Prepare your employees
This is another very important matter that needs to be planned well because it can cause problems, both in terms of unnecessary expenses, such as recruiting employees too early or not having enough employees because recruiting is too late. Therefore, there must be a recruitment plan before opening a new branch, such as recruiting employees for all positions 60 days before the store opens because there is a fear that if the employees are recruited late, there will not be time to train them, which is unnecessary and causes unnecessary hiring expenses.
It is advisable to hire in some positions first, such as store managers and kitchen supervisors. They can be hired 60 days before the store opens so that they can help us manage the work. As for kitchen staff, hiring them 30 days before the store opens is sufficient because we already have standard recipes. The staff just need to be trained to become familiar with the store's menu and kitchen systems. As for service staff, hiring them 15 days before the store opens is also possible because we already have a manual of work standards, which helps to speed up training. This will save on staff costs before the store opens to some extent.
And if any entrepreneurs want to learn how to manage employees professionally, including techniques for managing employees, recruiting employees and the right number for the shop, the difference between Service Charge and Incentive, the negative effects of adjusting employee salaries, and employee management and promotion, click to learn for free here.
Overall, this is about the things to consider when expanding a branch. These are important points that can affect the operation so that the opening of a new branch goes smoothly without major problems.
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