Key points to run your restaurant Kitchen more efficiently.
Being an owner of a hotel or even a hotel or restaurant manager there are several aspects that need to be looked into in detail for running a hotel successfully. Of the various things kitchen is the most primary and essential of all which needs to be uniquely managed and maintained. There are various methods and key points to be considered to efficiently run a kitchen and we shall discuss some of the basic yet most important of them all.
1. Exclusive workstations in the kitchen: Kitchen is the place where a lot of daily operations happen and also a place where there are always chances of major confusions that can happen. It goes without saying that kitchen has to be a place with utmost coordination should take place. Hence to prevent bottlenecks in the kitchen it is always good to have clear workspaces for different duties. The best would be to have separate doors for inventory to enter the kitchen and finished means to go out to be served to your customers. The workstations of the chefs should be equipped with all that’s required for him to perform his duties and should have easy access.
2. A well-streamlined menu: It is not at all a good idea to have a populated menu without rightly evaluating and being sure about what can be served to your customers. Though you would love to impress your customers with unique and various dishes, always take a consensus of your chefs and also the stock of the ingredients and equipment available. The items on your menu need to be what your kitchen can efficiently deliver and it should not be an added burden on the chefs and staffs. The best would be to prepare the menu in consultation with your head chef.
3. Daily preparations: Make sure you get a good guy assigned the task of preparing the kitchen before the start of the day or the start of a new shift. It should be his or her duty to see to it that the kitchen is well stocked with all the needed ingredients as well as other the other equipment all clean and neatly arranged. This will not only save time but also bring an order in the kitchen premise.
4. Some preparations to be done ahead of time: Cooking is one thing which cannot be prepared as if the food sans freshness it’s better not to be served at all. Freshness of the mean is very vital but yes there are certain basic elements in the kitchen which can be planned and prepared ahead of time. Identify such key duties that will help in not loosing time while you carry out the core preparations.
5. Inventory system: Inventory is the core of any kitchen and nothing is as bad as running out of key ingredients in the middle of the preparations especially when its peak time. A good and well-planned inventory is the key to an efficiently run kitchen and special care should be taken to restock the same but avoiding wasting food.
6. An employee manual: It is beneficial and essential to have a good standard operating procedure that all your staff has to adhere to. This not only brings a sense of operational streamlining amongst the staffs but also will make the staffs aware of their key responsibilities thereby maintaining the required standards.
7. ‘Staff’, the essential ingredient: One of the most important ingredients for a successfully Kitchen and for that matter any business is its staffs. It is imperative to say that one has to invest time, money and efforts in fetching the best staffs and provide them the required training so that they can perform to your expectations. Always have staffs who seem passionate in the hotel industry and are excited about carrying out the operations to their fullest abilities.
These are some of the basic elements which can contribute to run a kitchen efficiently and effectively and there are many more unique tips which and be add-ons. A well-planned kitchen will yield to a successful running restaurant and kitchen is the key to it of the many other factors. Hence its the first place where a hotel or restaurant owner should start investing in terms of money, time and staffs.
- Published in Hospitality Management, Hotel Industry, Uncategorized
Lighting is an integral part of any hotel
Lighting is an integral part of any hotel infrastructure and it’s very essential that it’s done well as this might influence the review of your guests. Dim and poor lighting will definitely not help in showcasing your hotel infrastructure and facilities to your guests. We shall discuss some very important aspects which need to be looked into for that perfect lighting at your hotel premises.
- Consult the Expert: When lighting is done perfectly well it’s rarely noticed but when it’s not then the first thing criticized is bad lighting. It is always better to consult a lighting expert and allow him to define the way the lighting has to be done as this will avoid mistakes that will attract negatives reviews.
- Blend with the concept: Always have lightings that blend with the concept of the hotel infrastructure and theme. There will be many key elements at the hotel like architectural or decorative aspects that needs to be highlighted or it can even be a painting. Lighting should be able to give an individual identify and flair to the hotel premises.
- Hotel layouts: Lighting should be able to adapt to the room or space and the time. Nowadays the concept of having a free-flowing area is more in common with many activities happening in one large space without demarcations. Hence it’s important that each space is lit up differently according to the primary use of the space.
- Flexible lighting: Having a flexible lighting is a must and most importantly lights need to be bright enough to work at the same time cozy enough to relax. Always have a reading lamp in your rooms and have a switch that would turn off all lights at a go.
- Bright and good lighting: All areas in the hotel should be good lit especially corridors. They are the walking pathway to the various other areas and rooms in a hotel and should have sufficient lighting to aid route orientations for the guests.
- Quality Matters: It’s imperative to imagine the number of guests that come and go and the most of all which is frequently used is the light fittings. This is one thing which is extensively used and this can very well lead to faster wearing out of the material. Always use quality lighting equipment which is robust and durable.
- Efficient Lighting: Today’s trends are LED’s and when it comes to being economical it is the perfect choice without compromising on the efficiency and styles. The benefits are clear and many hotels are replacing all with LED’s.
- Light up according to occasion and events: Hotels and resorts can be a place where diverse events can be organized like a business meeting or a wedding. It is always essential that you ensure the right light for the event which is been held at the premise as every event requires a specific type of lighting and colors that befits the occasion.
- Natural Light is the best: Hotel interior and exteriors perceptions are evolving according to the tastes of the guests. Guests like to feel blended with nature even when they stay in a hotel and hence it is very much required that we understand such preferences. Create your infrastructure that encourages natural light to light up the premise in a very soothing yet bright.
- Simple Navigation: There is nothing as frustrating for guests to spend time finding out the switches to the light facilities in a room. Technology has evolved so much that more and more hotels are having touch panels and smart lighting arrangements for better navigation for guests via tablets and phones. But it’s also important that we provide proper guidance to our guests as we cannot expect everyone to be tech-savvy. Even if you have no such facilities installed in your premise keep the switches to be very accessible and visible for your guests.
Do you want to consult us on any aspect regarding Hotel Infrastructure or setting up a new hotel then feel free to call us at (91) 0484 2395833 or mail us info@marghotels.com.
- Published in Business, Hospitality Management, Hotel Industry
Key points you need to know about GST & Hotel Industry
India in the recent months seem to be gripped with a lot of discussions and debates on ‘GST’ and after a lot of contemplations and revisions finally, it is all set to be implemented. As per the latest reports, the finance minister Mr. Arun Jaitley has announced that GST will be rolled out with effect from the 1st of July 2017. Before we start off with our introspection of the implications and effects of GST on the hotel industry it’s important to get a quick perspective of what GST is all about and an understanding of the advantages of GST as a whole.
What is GST?
‘GST’, the acronym stands for Goods and Services Tax and in simple terms can be explained as an indirect tax reform to be implemented with an aim to remove tax barriers between different states and the centre thereby creating a single market and a single structure of taxation across the country and industries.
The existence of GST is governed by the GST council and the chairman being the Union Finance Minister of India – Mr. Arun Jaitley. To give you a quick picture of the taxation structure under GST henceforth the goods and services will be taxed under the following five primary tax slabs as 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28% irrespective of any state. Hence a uniform tax structure on goods and services across the entire country.
Now let us extract the key elements of GST pertaining to the Hotel Industry and access the implications GST has on the hospitality industry at large.
Key Highlights for Hotel Industry:
1. One of the key highlights and the biggest benefit of GST is that it is supposed to replace both the present service tax and luxury tax as hotels till date were suffering from the burden of multiple taxations. In order to bring in a uniformity and eliminate the requirement for unnecessary taxations in various states, GST will be implemented that will necessarily subsume excise, service tax, state VAT, entry tax, octroi and other state levies.
2. According to the council, the GST has set taxation slabs on hotel room tariffs under which an 18 % tax will be levied on rooms with tariff between Rs 2,500 to 7,500 which is a great relief to hoteliers. As per the current scenario, 21.3 % taxes are levied on this traffic range and with this decrease, to 18% the remaining 3 % of the tax discount will be passed on to the customers. There was a huge repercussion initially when the GST was first announced on these tariff as it was initially decided to levy a 28% taxation on room tariffs above Rs5,000. With much resistance and discussions and as a great relief to hoteliers it has finally been decided to increase the threshold from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500. Hence with this revision, the highest tax rate of 28% is assigned to tariffs of Rs 7,500 and above. This was finally decided by the GST council led by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a meeting held on the 17th of this month.
3. A big cheer is also certain for those who like to dine at 5 star and luxury hotels as bills are likely to get much cheaper with the GST. The GST on five-star hotels will be reduced to 18 per cent from 28 per cent which will bring it at par with standalone air conditioned restaurants.
All said and done accordingly to main trade analysts this is arguably a very welcome revision with the new GST but it also has to be noted that if India has to remain competitive as a tourist destination this surely is not enough. As rightly pointed out by HRAWI President Mr. Dilip Datwani almost all our neighboring countries pay 5 – 12 % GST or equivalent tax whereas at the same time hotels in India would be levying 18 and 28 per cent of GST. This surely will not augur well with foreign inbound tourists who are normally lured with super deals by our neighboring countries. Hence this is going to be a big concern to attract tourists around the world. It is just a matter of time as we need to wait and watch after the GST rolls out and is operational.
- Published in Business, Hotel Industry