Dining out is all about relaxing and enjoying good food without worrying about its preparation. We walk into a restaurant, make ourselves comfortable at the table and order the food. What we see around us is a perfectly run show, one that takes a lot of planning and organisation that we rarely think about.
If you ask restaurant owners what makes their business successful, they will tell you that customer satisfaction depends on a coordinated team of professionals that make this complicated job seem smooth and easy. To an outsider the kitchen might look like a hectic place, but have no doubts, this is a well-choreographed scene where the magic happens.
Good food comes from an efficiently run kitchen and that means purchasing, preparing and preserving food in a timely manner. Staying on top of what goes in and out requires an established system and impeccable managing skills.  Before you open the doors to your venue, you need to plan the menu, supply the food and organise the kitchen staff.

Menu Planning

Developing a menu that will attract diners is a complex task and one that requires a thorough understanding of the target customers. Knowing what kind of restaurant you want to run combined with what the potential guests’ would like to experience will lead you to a general concept of the menu.
Having a long list of items that you can’t produce will create confusion and dissatisfaction among your guests, so keep it simple and memorable. People don’t like to go through pages of complex dishes and they don’t spend more than a couple of minutes reading before they order.
Use the strengths of the kitchen to your advantage. What can you do spectacularly well? That should go on the menu and that will make you stand out. Give short and specific but mouth-watering descriptions so the customers know exactly what they are going to get.
Categorise the items into different areas such as appetizers, soups and salads, chef selection, specialties, desserts, etc., and price them. This will require a list of core ingredients and knowledge of the supply chain.

Food Suppliers

Where do you find the necessary ingredients? Sourcing your essential ingredients and finding the right suppliers might seem like a daunting task at first. The majority of your food will come from local suppliers, so doing some research into the area, comparing prices, and finding a dependable supplier should be a priority. This is the life-line of your business, if you don’t have the ingredients, you have nothing to serve your customers.
Make an inventory list and keep track of the things you need to order on a daily or weekly basis. This will allow you to see if certain items need restocking more regularly, or if there are ingredients you are buying that are not used. Planning ahead is key to a successful kitchen.
Since the supply chain can be complex and going out to check the local market or local farmers can take a lot of your time, you might want to consider partnering with distributors like Complete Food Services. They are an independent food distribution business that specialises in supplying restaurants, hotels, and cafes with an extensive range of products. And because they have an extensive network of different producers, you don’t have to worry if your preferred vendor has run out of stock. 
Working with distributors such as Complete Food Services allows you to compare prices and save time because you can supply everything in one place. They are more than just a logistical chain, they ensure that foods and food-related products are prepared, tracked, and delivered safely. Most of them also integrate directly with inventory management software, saving you hours of administrative work. This is a life-saver for restaurant managers who have to maneuver too many things. 

Staff Coordination

What customers expect for their money is delicious food and good service. Your staff is the machinery that keeps the business running, so you need to have the best people working in the roles that suit them. The smooth and efficient back-of-house is what keeps diners coming back.
One of the first people responsible for all that’s happening behind the scenes is the kitchen manager, then the head chef who creates the specials for the menu, and the sous chef who is next in charge.Bigger restaurants have multiple line cooks who divide their work by station or type of food, prep cooks who prepare the ingredients, and other kitchen staff.
Coordinating all these people is not easy, but it’s necessary if you want to make it. It’s a team effort and the goal can only be achieved with the cooperation and support of every member.

Use of Technology

Enhancing the speed and quality of the service can be a great help when technology is used wisely. Modern kitchen equipment, food processors, mixers, choppers, you name it. They can cut the food preparation and cooking time and allow you to get the orders out a lot faster. However, they can not serve as a replacement for the fine personal touch of the chef.
The point-of-sale systems provide a platform for front-of-the-house staff to keep in close communication with the kitchen, passing on orders, messages, and cancellations. While this can save time and running around, it also leaves room for errors and miscommunication.

To Sum Up

As customers today are niche and have a higher ‘food IQ’ than ever before, they demand authentic experience. Food that resonates with their lifestyle, diet, their values…This, in turn, demands restaurants to follow the trends and adjust. 
Running a restaurant takes perseverance, organisation, delegation, creativity, and next-level people skills. And you can’t have a restaurant without the backbone of success – the kitchen. To put it in the words of a chef, “It’s orchestration, everyone has a part to play and when they are doing a good job, the ‘music’ is quite delicious