Restaurant Self-Assessment

Why is a Restaurant Self Assessment vital to your restaurant operation?

Use of the Restaurant Self Assessment pinpoints strengths and areas of opportunities. Once you pinpoint the areas that you need to work on then you can begin to build your restaurant’s reputation.

You can assess your restaurant as often as you like. We recommend that you use the self-assessments on a monthly basis. As a result, you can catch and correct issues before they become big problems.

How does a restaurant self-assessment work?

First of all, print out the restaurant self-assessment. Next, you will need a clipboard and a pencil with a good eraser. This assessment covers eight key areas of the restaurant.

The rating system is as follows:

Never/Poor, Below Average, Average, Above Average and Always/Excellent.

As you conduct your restaurant self-assessment place an (X) in the column below that rating. Remember that this needs to be an honest restaurant self-assessment to help you succeed. If you find minor issues you still need to address them, these minor issues will accumulate to larger issues. Write notes in the comments sections so you will know what needs to be fixed.

After completing the Restaurant Self-Assessment make sure you go over all discrepancies with your managers. Assign tasks to your managers and staff members to correct issues. It’s important to give them a timeline to fix the issues.  Follow-up in one month by using the previous Restaurant Self-Assessment. During the review, make sure the previous month’s issues were resolved. Post your results in view of the staff members and managers. Make it a big deal about the restaurant self-assessment. This should be a priority # 1 in regaining your restaurant’s reputation.  Once you have achieved the results, then schedule a Restaurant Self-Assessment every several months.

Follow this restaurant self-assessment by touching each area in your restaurant. When you consistently use this assessment, the results should be improved customer service and repeat business. A copy of this document will be available for free and will be located near the Restaurant Self-Assessment form. The Restaurant Self-Assessment form cost is $4.99.

$4.99

Price includes all restaurant self-assessment pages

Restaurant Self-Assessment

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How to do a Restaurant-Self Assessment is included

FREE Instruction Guide Only!

How to Conduct a Restaurant Assessment

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Restaurant Self-Assessment Instruction Pages are Free, even if you don’t purchase the Assessment.

The restaurant self-assessment touches every area in your restaurant.

FREE Instruction Guide Only!

Restaurant Operations:

What’s happening every day? Is the restaurant well-prepared? Assess during the busiest shift. You are grading the shift performance: teamwork, policies and procedures, the server steps of service, professionalism, uniform standards, and basic menu knowledge.

Is Management maintaining a better food cost and labor percentage?

Managers need to know the food cost and labor percentage goals for your restaurant. Some fast food restaurants may achieve as low as 25% food cost. However, table sit-down service may achieve a food cost of 28% to 38%. Overall, the food cost percentages are based on the menu and style of restaurant. The food cost percentage also depends on how well you maintain your food and drink inventory. Your best food costs are when you do a full inventory count, management checks-in all deliveries, there is minimal theft and menu prices are accurate based on the cost of the food. Maybe you can use the Menu Pricing form to get accurate prices for your menu.

Are sales and customer counts recorded and tracked?

If you are not recording sales and customer counts, then how can you begin to know your projected sales and customer counts? You need projected sales in order to make an employee schedule. You need to know when your peak times begin and end so that you can adjust how many employees are needed.

Restaurant Staff:

Monitor the professionalism of your restaurant staff.

• Staff members follow your policies and procedures
• Uniforms are clean and pressed
• Teamwork is evident
• Servers introduce themselves by their first name
• All servers are suggestive-selling and up-selling
• Food safety rules are followed
• The focus is on the customer
• The timing of guest orders is within the proper range from the order to delivery
• Servers should know how to recover customer complaints

Restaurant Management:

You need to monitor your restaurant sales by the hour: management needs to react to declining sales and send employees home to prevent high labor cost. Labor cost should be 25% to 35%. These percentages depend on how many employees are on the clock, menu mix and the rate of pay. Sales also play a huge factor in achieving your labor cost goal.

Management behavior:

• Dress properly for the restaurant
• Be professional when dealing with staff members and customers
• Manager’s time should be 90% on the floor and 10% in the office?
• Visit each customer’s table to ensure top-notch service?
• Give direction to the staff members and follow-up later
• Handle customer complaints with a positive attitude
• Manage the cash control
• Managers should be trained in each restaurant position in case of call-outs or if sales are higher than anticipated
• Managers should know how to approach employees whose behavior is not controlled

Restaurant Condition:

The condition of the restaurant depends on the entire restaurant from the parking lot to the back closets in the restaurant. You should do a walk-through of all the restaurant beginning at the parking area, going through the greeter’s area, dining room, server aisle, drink stations, bathrooms, kitchen, prep areas, the office, storage, refrigerators and freezers. While doing the walk-through, note any area that needs attention.

Even the smallest area can have an impact on your profits. If you have a dirty, smelly sink in the back of the restaurant maybe you think that’s okay. Unfortunately, that sink can breed insects or rodents and the smell could be evident to customers. Especially important, your restrooms are clean and stocked because dirty restrooms give a bad impression to the guests. When you subscribe to our mail list, you’ll receive the Restroom Checklist for free.

Restaurant Quality of Food and Drinks:

Next, you should assess the quality of the food and drinks. Are cooks and servers following food safety guidelines?

• Are they washing their hands often and wearing gloves when handling food?
• Is food being rotated by using the oldest items first?
• Are date dots being used effectively to make sure when food should be discarded?
• Is the right amount of food being prepped or are you running out of food during busy times?
• Is food being stored at the proper temperature?
• Are your refrigerators and freezers at the correct temperature range?
• Are all the storage containers on all shelving stored inverted and clean?

Restaurant Quality of Service:

Are the staff members providing top-notch service to all guests? Do the staff members and management possess excellent communication skills? Is the management staff interacting with the employees and customers in a professional manner? Are the servers following the restaurant’s steps of service? Is the owner or general manager on the floor during peak time business to ensure management and staff are following policies and procedures?

Restaurant Food Storage:

• Cooks properly portion all food
• Properly cooled down prepared hot foods in a six-hour period
  • 135°F to 70°F within two hours, 70°F to 41°F with an additional four hours, total cooling time six hours.
• Store raw meat, poultry and fish on the bottom shelves of the refrigerator
• Food date dots show the date the product expires.
• Rotate all food. First In, First Out (FIFO)
• All food stored in the proper containers, with lids or plastic wrap
• The walk-in refrigerator, freezer and dry storage should be clean and organized
• Refrigerators temperature should be at (41°F) or below?
• Freezers temperatures should be (-0°F TO -5°F)

Food Safety:

First of all, proper hand-washing is important. Ideally, wear gloves when handling food.

Test your cook’s knowledge, the temperature danger zone and food safety. The temperature danger zone is 40°F to 140°F. If the temperatures fall between 40°F to 140°F then it is unsafe and can breed bacteria quickly. Bacteria develops and reproduces rapidly in food stored at room temperature.  Always avoid leaving food to sit out at room temperature, especially for a four-hour period.

Every two hours verify the temperatures of all hot foods are at 135°F or above. If the temperature drops below 135°F reheat the product to an internal temperature of 165°F for fifteen seconds. As a rule of thumb, store, hot food on the cook line for a maximum of two hours.  If it is there longer, then you should discard it and record it on the waste sheet. To avoid discarding large amounts of food, you should “cook less, more often.”

In conclusion, use the Restaurant Self-Assessment on a regular basis to keep your restaurant running smoothly.