​Where can you flex?

Other than labor, the top challenges for restaurant operators right now are escalating food costs and short supplies, according to recent commentary from Larry Reinstein, industry consultant and president of LJR Hospitality Ventures. (And of course, labor shortages can impact both costs and supplies.) When you look at your operation, where might there be room to flex when the foods you are known to offer are priced out of your budget or are simply unavailable? First, consider what dishes and ingredients on your menu are more variable and adaptable. You may be able to be more flexible with ingredients than you think. Case in point: When Wingstop, which literally has chicken wings in its name, had to keep business going amid a wing shortage in recent months, it offered the alternative of chicken thighs, the National Restaurant Association reports. For every dish you serve, consider how you might reinvent it without a perceived loss of value for the guest – or if you should temporarily replace it until cost and supply challenges shake out. Of course, you may have some room to raise your prices – media reports are spreading the word to consumers that they have not been paying sustainable prices for restaurant food in recent years. But if you must raise prices, look for other ways to elevate the experience you’re providing guests – particularly if you’re already short-staffed and out of popular menu items. This is where the human side of the restaurant business has an opportunity to demonstrate its worth.

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