Restaurant consultants are people who have far-reaching experience with all aspects of the restaurant agency. Often, they are former restaurant managers or owners who have past experience cooking, serving, and bartending. Furthermore, they have experience opening new restaurants and coordinating all the activities that go into that process. It is because of their expertise that so many restaurants hire them to direct the restaurant-opening process.
Before a restaurant opens, restaurant consultants train department managers on their job responsibilities and set up operational equipment. For instance, they show kitchen managers how a safe and effective kitchen workplace functions and what they need to supervise during their shifts. Moreover, consultants order restaurant equipment from reputable vendors and help the restaurant establish contractual relationships with those vendors. In addition, they set up computers throughout the restaurant that process food and drink orders.
Besides demonstrating operations-related job responsibilities, consultants also train managers in human-resources duties. They often help managers establish a payroll and benefits program, as well as train them on conflict management principles. They also help the owner write the employee handbook, helping the restaurant identify its work credo and objectives.
Besides supervising a restaurant’s opening, these consultants also troubleshoot problems occurring at existent restaurants. For example, a restaurant manager may contact a restaurant consulting firm asking for advice on how to avert budget inflation. A financial consultant then visits the restaurant and looks over the accounting records, pinpointing which areas produce needless waste. The consultant then advises the restaurant owner to cut costs in order to regain profits. These cost-cutting operations usually include firing extraneous workers. The solution may also involve setting up new technology that, while initially expensive, will pay for itself in the long run.
Occasionally, restaurant managers contact consultants to request their performing operational analysis on the entire restaurant. They often do this when they feel the restaurant is inundated by costs and has a fair chance of going bankrupt. A consultant’s operational analysis consists of inspecting each facet of the restaurant for flaws. The consultant also evaluates the wait staff’s performance, food and drink quality, kitchen operations, office administration, and accounting procedures. After taking detailed notes, the consultant addresses the general manager or owner about the restaurant’s most serious shortcomings and provides feasible solutions for them. The consultant may advise payroll readjustments or changing vendors, drawing on his previous experience to give weight to these suggestions.
Many consulting jobs also provide ''mystery shopping'' services. ''Mystery shopping'' entails a consultant’s posing as a guest and visiting a restaurant, with the managers and staff having no idea of the consultant’s real identity. During his visit, the consultant takes notes on his experience at the restaurant, from service to food quality. When his visit concludes, he later visits the owner and general managers to provide critique and suggest helpful changes to the restaurant’s administration.
A restaurant consultant may also systematically evaluate the performance of staff. At the owner’s request, a consultant may conduct interviews with the restaurant’s managers, determining areas at which they excel and areas at which they lag. The consultant’s insight helps the owner delegate job duties more effectively. It may also prompt the owner to exchange positions among managers if a manager shows more skill in another area. The owner may also ask the consultant to perform exit interviews, in which the consultant interviews recently resigned managers on why they left the establishment. These interviews help the owner reform aspects of the restaurant in order to reduce turnover.
Most restaurant consultants have spent practically all their professional lives at restaurants. They are familiar with all branches of the foodservice industry and know the formula for restaurant success. While some restaurant consultants are well-versed in all restaurant aspects, most consultants specialize in one or two aspects. For instance, at restaurant consulting firms there is often a department of bartending experts and another department of kitchens operations experts. These specialty consultants are recruited by restaurants to share their expertise if the restaurant is experiencing problems related to their area.
Furthermore, many national consulting firms maintain consultants who are proficient in restaurant chains or family-style dining, to name only two types of restaurants. There are also consultants who specialize in luxury dining establishments. For every type of restaurant, there is a corresponding consultant who can give knowledgeable counsel to managers.
Restaurant consultants are paid well for their work. On average, they make about $54,000 per year. If they belong to national firms, they may easily make double that salary. To qualify for entry level consulting jobs, they have bachelor’s degrees in hospitality or business administration. A number of consultants, especially directing consultants, have master’s degrees. Nonetheless, all of them have lengthy, hands-on experience with the food-service and restaurant industries.
Restaurant consultant jobs are on the increase because the restaurant business is booming. By default, however, consulting job opportunities are hugely selective because candidates have to demonstrate expert-level knowledge of restaurants.
