Throughout the pandemic, the hospitality industry took a huge hit, and many establishments didn’t make it through the multiple lockdowns and subsequent restrictions.

With the legacy of COVID weighing heavy on the shoulders of restauranteurs and café managers alike, it’s vital to continue to strive to keep costs as low as possible. We’ve put together a list of strategies for helping to make this a reality.

1. Train staff in cost-saving strategies: The key to keeping overheads down across the board is by ensuring that all your employees are on-board, and are aware of you’re the measures you’re looking to implement to reduce expenses. For example – remind staff to ensure doors to the outside are kept closed as this will help to keep heating costs low.

2. Optimise portion sizes: Another way to reduce expenditure is by keeping your portion sizes small, yet reasonable. One of the many ways food establishments unnecessarily lose money is by filling plates too much, only for customers to send back half-eaten meals. Not only is this an unsustainable practice, but it means you’re spending more than you need to on food supplies, only for large quantities to end up in the bin.

3. Use affordable delivery packaging solutions: If you offer take-away or home-delivery services, make sure that your packaging solutions are high-quality, yet cost-effective. Look out for bulk-ordering deals, or, alternatively, consider ordering in lower quantities, so that you’re only buying as much as you need during any one period. 

Here at PackGenie, we have a wide range of packaging solutions available to order with low minimum order quantities, allowing you to budget more easily. From custom burger boxes to printed pizza boxes, we’ve got you covered. Simply reach out to discuss your packaging requirements, and we’ll be happy to help advise you. 

4. Shop around to minimise number of suppliers: Consolidating a relationship with a supplier by practicing one-stop shopping for your supplies can lead to lower food costs as building a good relationship will allow you to negotiate better prices for large quantities or bulk orders.

5. Use seasonal ingredients: Not only do seasonal ingredients taste better, they’re also cheaper, as they haven’t been transported overseas. This will allow you to keep food costs low, and offer you the opportunity to diversify your menu in line with what’s on offer, which will keep your customers interested and encourage repeat visits.

 Tags: custom burger boxes, printed pizza boxes, cost-reduction strategies, improve bottom line