What Can Restaurant Operators Do to Better Prepare for Short Supply While Being Responsive to Guests?

3 Min Read By Wade Winters

"Ask the Expert" features advice from Wade Winters, Vice President of Supply Chain for Consolidated Concepts Inc.

Please send questions for this column to Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine Executive Editor Barbara Castiglia at bcastiglia@modernrestaurantmanagement.com.

Q: What can restaurant operators do to better prepare for short supply while being responsive to guests?

A: We have all experienced the guest that asks why something isn’t on the menu.  It’s embarrassing, and your response is critical to maintaining the credibility of the restaurant and keeping the guest coming back.  While the explanation might have valid reasons, the guest doesn’t really care.  They just want the item they ordered.  The obvious solution is to never be out of anything on the menu, but the reality is there are challenges sourcing products, mismanagement of inventories, delivery and distribution issues, and insufficient preparation at the restaurant level. 

So how can restaurants…