Dante’s Inferno – Business Fixes to Put Out the Fire

Where last we left off with Dante, we were discussing the ways in which his business needed repairs, outlining all of the issues that his restaurant had. Now we will look at the business fixes that helped Dante revive his restaurant and get back to growing at a successful rate. Hopefully they will help you as well.

Our Business Fixes for Dante

After diving deeply into the problems of Dante’s restaurant, we came back to him with a plan. The great news was Dante’s food wasn’t the issue. Since Dante’s financial situation was a stumbling block for additional financing, we needed a plan that could be implemented cost-effectively. Fixing a business isn’t the hardest job in the world, but it takes time and skills so we wanted to start Dante off right.

The Turnaround plan

We recommended that Dante fix his business in a few key areas:

His talent

Conduct a top-to-bottom review of his servers outlining the specific expectations of the role. After secret dining a few nights, we had some immediate recommendations.

Implement a consistent hiring process, plus a performance evaluation for servers at 1 mo., 3 mos., and 6 mos., immediately

His product

Keep the existing menu but add either a creative special or a creative evening to keep his current customers while attracting new ones. No need to fix something that isn’t broken in your business

His pricing

Change the pricing on a few of the menu items, cut back a few hours, and clear a few tables.

His Marketing

Stop advertising and offer discounts for Yelp! and Google reviews. Consider using alternative forms of marketing that can be done inside the business, like through social media

The Price Tag

This cost next to nothing to implement. There was extra management time required for the reviews, but knowing they would be reviewed by customers, immediately improved service. Unfortunately, time is an important resource, but in the end Dante made out well.

The Results

It took a few months, but Dante was able to turn his business around.

I can’t thank ProStrategix enough. I really didn’t know what to expect. They explained everything to me so I could understand why the recommendations were important. I honestly didn’t think these small changes could have such an impact.

Dante is still in business and doing well. He took our business fixes to heart and has been able to thrive since.