Fifth roundtable in the F&B series organized by Inturea and moderated by Pablo Torres (TSA Solutions). This time, the panel focuses on F&B Strategic Planning from four perspectives:
-Bars
-HR
-Financial
-Restaurants and events
The format was innovative: four short interviews, followed by a discussion of concepts.
Carlo Proverbio, an international F&B consultant, opened the panel to talk about strategic planning in bars:
As main points, he highlighted:
SWOT analysis
360 analysis, from all points of view (environment)
Be clear about the type of service you offer and the type of audience you're targeting: What do we want to be? A casual bar?
Times and movements
As for the small details that are often overlooked when planning a bar, but later prove to be decisive:
Bar organization: coffee and beers are not the same thing
They are not prepared/designed to do what they are supposed to do.
Winery: where and how they are located
Stock control
Have a shaker for cocktails
Have a refrigerator to cool glassware
On strategic team planning and bar training, his advice:
Know the product well (even soft drinks are served poorly in many bars)
Internal development program, for ongoing training
To plan reopenings, here are some guidelines:
Ensuring the break-even point
Sales method and technique
Team building
Surprise the guest
Negotiate with suppliers
Implement new ideas: pairing dinners, workshops…
Jose Contreras, recruitment expert and General Manager of JCI Talent Search, focused his talk on team and talent development.
When asked about where we should prioritize when rebuilding teams and boosting their capacity, José commented that we're almost facing reopenings, new scenarios, so we need adaptable profile types. Dynamic organizational charts. Well-trained, standardized workforces. Well-crafted job descriptions. Creating manuals.
Branding is built from the ground up. You have to make the team feel secure and represented by the brand. You also have to implement performance policies, both for continuing (career plan) and changing roles.
How can we strengthen our sense of belonging and work environment in times of crisis?
There's a lack of communication: you need to feel part of the project. You also need to learn to delegate, so the team feels empowered. Empower. Business development and corporate branding are important. Group and individual goals are all important. You need to foster team spirit.
Luis Manuel Rivera, CEO of PowerPeople (Mexico), focused his intervention on the financial sector:
It is important to be clear about the path, where we want to go.
It must be a structured plan, with order: Mission, vision, values
Be clear: What is your product, what is your service, the focus of your business
Have a monthly forecast.
Many people didn't make a plan for 2021. I recommend making a projection between now and the end of the year. Not just sales, but also profitability. Cost, expense, and profit management.
Use USALI accounting management (cost is the Achilles heel of many businesses).
Having ERP systems, with a back office that provides information, inventories, purchases, invoices, etc. There's a lot of information, and it needs to be analyzed in depth.
Tools to use?
The break-even point is key. The popularity of each dish. Negotiating with suppliers. The proper use of indicators: planning, average ticket, capacity, staff turnover, cost of staff turnover, etc.
Final shift for Angelo Vassallo, Director of F&B at the Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I in Barcelona
Angelo discussed the importance of implementing systems like Stop/Start/Continue. It's the classic banquet system. All departments meet, and with feedback from everyone, you adapt, deciding which action to continue, which to stop, and which to try again.
Planning can also include suppliers, partners who sometimes want to invest in new concepts. And it also impacts the indicators: They all need to be aligned, everyone needs to be involved.
A new opportunity to learn from these great professionals in the sector.
