Four people working in a restaurant kitchen

Identify time thieves and optimise restaurant efficiency

Working in a restaurant is fast-paced and fun but can quickly become stressful. It can be a challenge to manage the daily pressures and ensure great customer service. If you are a restaurant manager, you and your staff face time-related challenges on a daily basis. Time is money, and time thieves are hiding everywhere.

What’s a time thief? A time thief is something that consumes a large amount of time and has a negative impact on productivity. By eliminating the time thieves in your operations, you can improve efficiency and ease the pressure on employees. To do this you need to first locate, then identify and finally eliminate the time thieves throughout the operations of your staff.

Locate the time thieves

Time thieves can be found everywhere. The best approach to identifying them is to spend some time assessing every part of the restaurant. Observe the flows in the dining area, at the counter, in the washroom and in the kitchen. Watch your staff as they carry out their work. Ask a few questions to understand what they find most frustrating or time consuming and take notes.

Identify the time thieves

What makes things slow down? Which operations demand waiting times and loss of efficiency? Are any tasks causing staff to wait for each other? Is there a shortage of material or utensils that causes disruption? Make a map of the physical points where problems are occurring. From luxury, upmarket, midscale, to economy and extended stay properties; Tork has a broad product portfolio to help you elevate guest experiences. Our product range includes waste and consumption reducing solutions and refills that are third-party certified, responsibly sourced, 100% recycled and compostable. Let us help you boost your business.

Eliminate the time thieves

Once you have your list of possible time thieves, it’s time to focus on solutions and a list of changes to consider. For example, can you redesign workflows to eliminate situations where staff must wait for each other? Can you add material or utensils to avoid shortages? If you can’t rid yourself of the time thieves completely, is there a way to make them less impactful?

Common time thieves in restaurants and how to eliminate them

There are some common time thieves we hear our customers mention in their daily operations that can be easily avoided. Maybe you’ll recognise one or more of these when you review your own restaurant.

Time Thief No.1

Rush hour run-outs

In the middle of a lunch or dinner rush, the use of consumables is at its highest level. When orders are piling up, the last thing you want to hear is “we seem to be out of...”. Yet, you probably do. Often. Apart from making sure that the dispensers have enough capacity and are filled at opening, their placement is also essential. Extending the possibilities for guests to serve themselves might cut the staff some slack. Placing condiments and napkin dispensers on tables or an accessible service stand is a simple, but efficient measure you can make. It will be received by the guests well, because they don’t need to call the staff’s attention to get what they need. For a full-service restaurant, mindful prepping should always be done before opening. Prepare all side work, and be excessive, for example, roll a few extra cutlery-sets into napkins - just in case.

Time Thief No.2

Washroom checkups

Washrooms need cleaning, especially during busy nights or lunchtime peaks. This means your staff need to take time to clean or check stock levels when they are most needed elsewhere. How to make this more efficient? Schedule your checkups so they follow a strict routine and equip your staff with a checklist for efficient inspection. For restaurants with high traffic, there are high-capacity dispensers that can hold more towels and soap, which means that you can free up time from refilling.

Time Thief No.3

Long wait to order

Guests must often queue by the counter to order. Complex menus and guest indecisiveness are factors that might slow things down. Frustration with wait time can lead to potential guests giving up and going somewhere else for their meal. How to solve this? Display your menus in a visible and understandable way. Have your menu on your website and make sure it is easily accessible from a mobile phone so guests can check it before or even while they're waiting. Some restaurants make it possible for customers to pre-order their meals through an app, which makes preparation more efficient and minimises queuing even more.

Time Thief No.4

Slow kitchen

During busy hours, pressure in the kitchen is high. Many time thieves like to hide here. Efficient food prep is a key component in any successful kitchen. If ingredients haven’t been properly prepped, it can cause delays and frustration for kitchen staff. Hygiene is also a big concern for everyone working in the kitchen. When cleaning supplies and handwash stations are not easily accessible and well stocked it can cause disruptions. To keep a good flow in the kitchen, it’s essential that everyone has defined responsibilities. Cleaning products should be placed at every workstation, preferably reachable with one hand still on the handle of the frying pan. Clean and organise workstations regularly during calm periods. Unnecessary clutter makes everything take longer.