Hospitality is the act of kindness in welcoming and looking after the basic needs of guests or strangers. It is one of the world largest industries. Restaurant is also a part of hospitality industry. The hospitality industry is first and foremost a people-business which requires a large pool of labour. The consequences of current and future restaurant development in the region will therefore result in an increasingly fierce competition for skills.
Lack of employees
Restaurants therefore are divided in different work segments, with managers in each segment. Classifying the whole work team in smaller groups make it easy to manage them. The number of workers in a restaurant depends on the size of the restaurant. The whole management of the restaurant is run by a number of managers. The number of these managers also depends on the size of the restaurant and the number of employees. There are lot of challenges that faces restaurant management the major challenge is finding employees because of trained skill persons are lack to find in Sri Lanka. Because of lot of peoples not knowing that this industries advantages and pool of jobs have. It is major concern that restaurant management faces.
The Sri Lankan population has been steady in recent years, with 25% under the age of 14, and over 40% below the age of 30’s. on the face of it, therefore there should be sufficient domestic labor available to meet the rising demand for employment. But the problem is labor migration a particular phenomenon not only in Sri lnaka but other parts of south Asia, over 250,000 srilankans move abroad each year for work, with nearly two mollion out of the country at any one time. This represent some 24% of the countries total labor force.
High Turnover Rate
According to Chron, the hospitality industry, more specifically the restaurant industry, has a 60 percent turnover rate, so restaurant managers
are required to train new employees every year. This causes ongoing stress related to having to retrain new staff in times where there's a not enough experienced staff to cover the restaurant.Competition in the market
The restaurant industry is highly competitive with respect to price, value and promotions, service, location, and food quality. There are a substantial number of restaurant operations that compete with us for customer traffic, some of which have significantly greater resources to aggressively market to consumers, which could result in our concepts losing market share. Consumers are highly focused on value and if other restaurants are able to promote and deliver a higher degree of value, our guest traffic levels may suffer, impacting revenues. In addition, with improving product offerings at quick-service restaurants and grocery stores, coupled with the present state of the economy, consumers may choose to trade down to these alternatives, which could also negatively affect revenues.
Food Hygiene
Food hygiene is must thing in a restaurant because of there is not food hygiene in restaurant it can’t survives in the industry, it will destroy immediately. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that approximately 76 million cases of foodborne illness result in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths annually. The yearly cost of lost productivity alone is estimated at between $20 and $40 billion in the U.S. so it is like same as the Sri Lanka numbers should vary but it’s happening same in Sri Lanka. So restaurant management has duty to keep food hygiene properly in their restaurant. So they have to follow standers in the food safety and HACCP system as well.
They have to keep foods freshly and healthy and use standard equipment’s also to prevent those food born illnesses.
Food Processing, Storing, Serving
Those are critical parts in a restaurant because of when any mistakes happen in this process whole restaurant demand can fall down. The major problem is that in food processing is restaurant haven’t enough delivery facilities they have to hire vehicles to deliver raw food materials. So they have to purchase lot of food in once then they can lower their delivery cost. Another problem is storing facilities have law in restaurant they have challenge to storing foods. They have to have enough dry and cold storage facilities. If not have enough facilities to store they can’t properly maintain PAR system. If they can’t to manage PAR system properly they are face more problems.
Maintaining sensible par levels means restaurant always have what they need on hand and NEVER buy at the last minute, which saves money. When management can wait to purchase until it’s on sale or have a coupon or BOTH, that’s serious money saving!. First and most obviously, restaurant avoid the inconvenience of running out of items. Don’t hate it when restaurant’s favorite place runs out of favorite menu item? Second, it helps control food costs. If run out of something restaurant really need, a trip to the grocery store to buy it means paying retail price, which is more than supplier charges. Third, par levels ensure that aren’t keeping too much stock, helping to manage finances and declutter life. Finally, maintaining appropriate par levels prevents from wasting valuable storage space that need for other things. Management can see how important par levels are to a restaurant’s success and if they work there, they’ll work for restaurant too.
Food Presentation
The major challenge in food presentation is that lack of employees experience and English knowledge. So in food presentation employees have to have good experience because in food presentation customer get idea what is this restaurant and quality foods they have in restaurant. The way of presenting they can get customer goodwill and satisfaction. That’s why it’s challenge to management. Employee must have the talent to attract the customer by presenting method. So, management have to train their staff properly. They have to build their employees English knowledge as well.
Menu planning
Menu planning is another challenge to restaurant management because of there are lot of competitors in the industry. So they have to plan competitive menus. They have to have specialized menu to that restaurant then the customers attract to that restaurant. Example of that the restaurant pillaws located in Bambalapitiya is specialized for cheese kottu. So guests attract t to that restaurant for get and eat cheese kottu to that restaurant. So they have to have unique specialized menus. Then customers will attract to that restaurant.
Complaint Handling
Complaint handling is another challenge that restaurant management faces. Because of restaurant management always have to take customers party. But also they have to look after their employees as well so it is most sensitive part that restaurant management faces.
They have not to argue with customers in bad way. Always try to keep calm in complaint handling. They cant use harassment words when complaint handling. Always remember to get customer side. You may or may not believe the customer is always right but the customer is always the customer. They pay the bills and provide your income. Right or wrong they deserve to have you listen patiently to what they have to say. Regardless of how the customer acts, short of physical violence there is no excuse for behaving in a less than courteous manner.In a great majority of situations a customer will be satisfied just knowing that you care enough to take an active interest in what they are saying.
