If you have just opened a small restaurant, and you are finding it is taking a while to get your dishes from the kitchen to your customers' plates, you may want to take an in-depth look at some of the procedures you have in place when preparing food. In a restaurant, especially when you are first starting out and have not made an impression on many people yet, you need to get your customers' orders out quickly so they give you repeat business. Here are some time-saving tips to put to use right away so you shorten the duration of your customers' wait to get their food.
Enlist Some Help
Instead of making homemade bread products, which takes several hours to accomplish each day, order all of your bread, pastries, and bagels from a wholesale bread supplier or bakery such as Klosterman Baking Company. You will get a delivery in the early morning hours, usually before the sun even rises. This gives you plenty of time to bring the items inside, cut them, and place them out for presentation before your breakfast crowd arrives. Your customers will enjoy freshly baked products using high-quality ingredients, and you will save time in the kitchen.
Prepare Several Ways
Select items you can cook in a double batch to use for two meals. For example, cook a large amount of chicken and use half of the amount for your dinner special and half for sandwiches or soups. Make a double batch of chili and use half as a soup and half to pour over hot dogs to serve chili dogs. Double your spaghetti sauce recipe and offer spaghetti one day and eggplant parmesan the next. Preparing your menu a week at a time will allow you to make extra-large portions of a food to be divvied up in two different ways. Freeze one half if you plan on serving it later in the week.
Clean As You Cook
One of the worst part of cooking is the cleanup that needs to be done when you have finished. To save time in the cleanup, do as much as you can as you do your cooking. Fill a sink with soapy water and place your used utensils and cookware inside as you move on to another task. This allows you to quickly rinse the items, as soaking will help loosen the food from the items.
Take the time to place things back on shelves or in cabinets right after you use them for your recipes rather than placing them in a pile on your counter top. A few extra steps during your prep time will help keep your area cleaner as you work, making it easier to prepare your food, and saving you time as a result.
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