The restaurant industry is struggling first quarter in the economy. While March was a upswing in sales for the industry it still was quite lacking. Sales performances have been dropping year after year and they were down eleven of the last twelve months. This is a scary trend for many. There is so much competition out there and traffic has been down over 3% this quarter. Summer is a bit of a up tick so there is still hope but the trend overall continues.

Key Takeaways:

• Restaurant sales are still down in march despite an increase in sales from the previous month
• Staffing for restaurants proves to be a huge hurdle for all owners.
• The economy in 2017 is improving and the restaurant business is following along that trend

“March did represent an improvement versus the prior month. Although still negative, sales improved by 2.5 percentage points compared to February.”

Read more: http://www.nrn.com/sales-trends/q1-restaurant-sales-performance-disappoints-despite-march-improvements

An on site bakery faces unique challenges in operations management. Complicated equipment, recipe management, and inventory spoilage make it hard for bakeries to control costs. There are several things bakeries can do to make operations management less of a headache. Consistency is the key to maintaining recipes and inventory. Teamwork is also critical between teams as bakeries do not require all staff to be present during the entire production process. Lastly, controlling the environment is extremely important and proper investment in heating and cooling systems is necessary.

Key Takeaways:

• One bakery found that products intended for a specific customer, a school, was attracting outside interest and needed to find a way to fill these needs.
• Oftentimes recipes and procedures may need to be adjusted due to climate changes, or customer preferences.
• Team workers should be prepared to handle all functions, including cooking, prepping and delivery work.

“Though kitchens in general can be a minefield of issues, bakeries present some unique challenges thanks in part to the finicky nature of yeast.”

Read more: http://www.foodservicedirector.com/managing-your-business/generating-revenue/articles/challenges-of-opening-site-bakery