London’s food culture is something that the city takes pride in. In the present, it has a wide array of cuisines and is home to 67 Michelin Star restaurants, which means tourists and locals alike are in for an exciting adventure.
This, however, means that restaurants across the city have to deal with some challenges and requirements daily, in order to maintain their efficiency and serve their patrons as effectively as possible.
To help achieve this, many restaurants rent self-storage facilities in London with the help of comparison websites like WhatStorage, which helps them filter out the storage facilities which can cater to them based on their location and requirements. Such facilities provide restaurants with several benefits that, in the long run, help establishments improve not only their efficiency but their operations as well.
Here are some advantages that London restaurants experience when they use mini storage services:
Provides Extra Space For Perishable Inventory
Storage facilities traditionally do not allow perishable items in any of their units. However, as food establishments are more than likely to go through their supply of perishables before they go bad, some facilities make an exception and get into agreements with restaurants and other food establishments.
Climate-controlled storage units, in particular, are great for keeping surplus inventory offsite. This means that even temperature-sensitive items can go into offsite storage. Because of this option, restaurants can now order in bulk and get their supplies at lower costs without the worry of anything going bad due to improper storage.
It Eliminates The Risk For Kitchen Mishaps and Injuries
A crowded kitchen is a huge hazard as accidents and injuries are more likely to happen when there is little room for the staff to move around. Combine that with the restaurant’s naturally busy state especially during peak hours, and you could have a huge disaster on your hands.
This, however, can easily be remedied by getting unnecessary stuff or surplus equipment out of the way in the meantime. And one thing that restaurants usually have a surplus of is non-perishable inventory.
With the extra storage space, they can get unused equipment like chairs, tables, benches, dishes, silverware, backup appliances and other supplies out of the way, thus giving their staff more room to move around in the kitchen and in the back room.
Restaurants Are Given The Ability To Adapt To Sudden Customer Volume Changes
Most restaurants plan out their inventory based on the predicted or expected customer volume at certain days or periods. However, sometimes, an unplanned customer rush occurs. By having offsite storage space, a restaurant may easily and quickly adapt to the change in customer volume by simply pulling out whatever they need out of storage.
Quite similarly, when a restaurant has surplus chairs and tables in offsite storage, they may easily pull those out to accommodate unannounced big parties who want to dine in.
Makes Way For Storage Of Seasonal Items and Supplies
Restaurants are sure to have a lot of equipment that is not vital to day-to-day operations. For example, an establishment would need to have additional space heaters to keep their patrons warm and toasty during extremely cold months. However, they would not need them during the warmer months. Getting them out of the way and into storage does not only clear the restaurant’s dining area but also ensures that the equipment stays clean and safe while waiting to be used again.
Storage spaces may also be used to keep patio tables and chairs, garden umbrellas, and outdoor decor that would otherwise be used during the summer months.
Moreover, if a restaurant is one to put up decorations during the holidays, then a storage unit is also a good place for their decorations to stay during the off-season!
Helps Streamline Restaurant Operations
When a restaurant’s operations are streamlined and efficient, chances are the restaurant’s costs will go down, while the profits will go down. On the other hand, when there is a lack of efficiency, then an establishment’s expenditure is much likely to go up, while their earnings will go down.
Oftentimes, business owners and restaurant managers fail to take into consideration the physical space or working environment of their staff while planning for the operations and computing the productivity of their team. They fail to take into consideration the fact that clutter and the lack of space to move around can directly result in less productivity, which in turn will lead to more expenses and less profit.
By maintaining a storage facility, a restaurant is .essentially streamlining their processes and improving its efficiency. That is because by clearing up the clutter and appropriating the existing restaurant space for quick and straightforward day-to-day operations, one will also be optimising their business for more profit.
Additionally, a restaurant’s efficiency will go a long way, especially with its patrons. When customers are happy with a restaurant’s service, they will keep coming back and even tell people about their experience! After all, the best way to get more customers is by word of mouth!
If you, too, are looking to maximise your restaurant’s potential and improve its efficiency, then you may want to consider looking for a storage facility which would allow you to use one of their regular or climate-controlled units as an offsite storage area.
