How to Improve Restaurant Operations in 2026: 11 Best Tips

Key Takeaways

• Running better restaurant operations means setting up systems for daily work, training your team right, and using tech tools to track how well things are going
• Growing your restaurant business starts with better inventory tracking, making staff more productive, and creating great customer experiences
• Using tools like Operandio helps restaurant owners save time on routine tasks, keep up with safety standards, and make smart choices for long-term success

Your restaurant has amazing food. A stunning interior. Prime location. So why are customers leaving frustrated and not coming back?

The hard truth: great food can’t save poor restaurant operations. When customers face confusing ordering systems, staff who can’t help them, and no clear guidance on what to do next, they remember the frustration more than the flavors.

The good news? You can fix these issues with the right systems. This guide shows you exactly how to improve restaurant operations so customers remember the amazing experience, not just the meal.

What Are Restaurant Operations?

Restaurant operations management covers all the tasks needed to run your restaurant business each day. It’s a key part of effective restaurant management, keeping everything working from food preparation to making customers happy.

Key parts include:

• Front-of-house work (greeting guests, serving, talking with customers)
• Back-of-house tasks (kitchen operations, storing food, inventory control)
• Restaurant staff management (scheduling, training, checking work)
• Money matters (budgeting, food costs, tracking sales)
• Following rules (food safety, health codes, restaurant policy, permits)
• Marketing and staying in touch with customers

When you get good at these aspects of restaurant operations, you can turn a decent restaurant into an amazing one.

Goal of Improving Restaurant Operations

The main goal of making your restaurant operations better is to build a profitable business that always gives exceptional customer experiences. When you improve how things run, good things happen in a cycle:

Efficient restaurant operations give you:

• Less waste and lower costs
• Staff who get more done and stay longer
• Food and service that’s always good
• Better customer feedback and repeat visits
• Healthier financial health and staying power

By making your operations smoother, you help restaurant managers and staff focus on what truly matters: creating visits that customers will remember.

11 Tips to Improve Restaurant Operations

Here are our best tips to enhance your restaurant operations:

Tip #1: Use Restaurant Management Software

Technology changes everything about your restaurant operations. With the right software, you:

• Keep track of food and supplies in real time
• Set up staff schedules without headaches
• Watch your food costs and sales numbers
• Create digital checklists for daily tasks
• Stay up to date with compliance with health rules

Restaurant operators who use technology save many hours on paperwork while seeing their business more clearly.

Tip #2: Get Better at Inventory Management and Reducing Stock Loss

Poor inventory control and lacking asset or stock monitoring are some of the biggest causes of food waste and extra costs in the restaurant industry. You should:

• Watch ingredients with short shelf lives very closely
• Check your food cost percentage often
• Plan around seasonal ingredients availability

A good restaurant inventory software and stock monitoring system cuts waste and saves you thousands of dollars each year. But don’t just take our word for it.

Abacus Dining Group streamlined their stock loss prevention with Operandio’s automated temperature monitoring sensor alerts, slashing waste and tightening control across multiple locations. It’s proof that smart inventory systems pay for themselves.

Tip #3: Train Your Staff Better

In a recent LinkedIn poll, 65% of people said “Culture, Training, New Hires” is the hardest part of running a restaurant.

Putting time and money into comprehensive training programs for your restaurant staff pays off big time:

• Create clear training manuals for each job
• Set up standard ways to do tasks
• Hold regular briefings before shifts start
• Give staff opportunities for training beyond the basics
• Let staff get hands-on experience with new menu items

“Culture must be seeded from day one, not fixed later.”– Eddy Massaad, Global Restaurateur

Remember: people don’t want to visit a place where staff seems unhappy or angry. Nothing drives customers away faster than bad customer service.

Tip #4: Watch CPLH Instead of Labor Cost Percentage

Many restaurant owners worry too much about labor cost percentage, but experts suggest a different approach:

“The most profitable restaurants ignore labor cost % almost entirely. They focus on CPLH (Covers Per Labor Hour) instead.” – Jim Taylor, Consultant

CPLH shows how well your staff serves customers:

• Figure it out by dividing total customers served by total work hours
• Track it during different meal times and peak times
• Change staffing based on past CPLH data

This number helps you make smarter staffing choices that balance good service with keeping costs down.

Tip #5: Create Better Kitchen Workflows

Smooth kitchen operations make a big difference in food preparation times and overall restaurant performance:

• Create standard recipes with exact portion sizes
• Set cooking times guidelines for each dish
• Make prep lists that put high-margin items first

Check out these operations execution tips to make your kitchen run even better.

Tip #6: Plan Your Menu Smartly

Your menu is a tool for making operations better:

• Use Menu engineering to highlight items that make you more money
• Keep your menu small enough for your kitchen staff to handle
• Think about cost of ingredients when setting prices

Tip #7: Make Customer Service Better

Exceptional service creates loyal customers who come back and tell their friends:

• Train staff to smile, say hello to everyone, and make personal connections
• Collect and use customer feedback
• Set clear service standards

Tip #8: Use Digital Checklists

Replace paper with digital checklists for:

• Opening tasks
• Closing tasks
• Food safety checks
• Equipment upkeep
• Cleaning schedules

Digital checklists make sure nothing gets missed and hold everyone accountable across all restaurant operations especially when paired with a solid server sidework checklist to streamline daily routines.

Tip #9: Make Food Safety Easier with Automation

Food safety isn’t just about avoiding foodborne illnesses but building trust with your customers:

• Set up food safety compliance systems
• Use tools that check temperatures automatically
• Get digital food labeling software

Tip #10: Use Customer Data to Your Advantage

Modern restaurant operations dashboard uses information to drive business growth:

• Consider loyalty programs to track customer ordering behavior
• Use email marketing to bring customers back
• Track which menu items sell best during different times

Restaurant analytics and reporting tools give you valuable customer insights for making smart choices. Choosing the right restaurant operations software can centralize these tools, making it easier to manage key processes like staff scheduling, inventory control, and compliance.

Mauro O., Head of Operations at The Abacus Dining Group, agrees: “If you haven’t incorporated Operandio into your operations, you’re overlooking a valuable tool. The reporting access has been a game-changer for our verifiers, saving them at least an hour during onsite visits.”

Tip #11: Improve Communication with Customers

Customers value convenience more than almost anything else:

• Set up mobile ordering apps
• Think about adding delivery services options

The easier you make ordering and paying, the smoother your operations will be.

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Common Challenges in Restaurant Operations

But even well-run restaurants face problems in their day-to-day operations:

• Staff leaving and training issues
• Food quality or service that isn’t always the same
• Rising costs of food and labor
• Managing time and juggling many tasks

These challenges hurt your restaurant business if you don’t tackle them early.

Operandio’s real-time insights, digital checklists, and automated alerts help restaurant operators stay in control even on the busiest days.

Don’t wait until your team burns out or customers walk away.

Try Operandio for free and see the difference

Improve Your Restaurant Operations With Operandio Today

Exceptional restaurant operations aren’t about working harder but smarter through systems, technology, and consistent training.

Operandio offers:

• Digital checklists and task management
• Automated food safety compliance
• Staff training and communication tools
• Inventory and stock loss prevention systems
• Detailed reporting and analytics

Stop struggling with slow, outdated processes and start building a more profitable, customer-focused restaurant.

See how smarter reporting fixes your daily ops headaches.