Restaurants have been having a hard time in this tight economy because fewer people are dining out, they tend to eat less when they do and in some cases food is still pretty expensive after 2008’s big price increases.<\/p>\n
But, as “Nightline” recently reported, there are people have made it their business to help restaurateurs pinch pennies, like Kevin Maul.<\/p>\n
He says people who are eating out now are different from diners from a year and a half or two years ago, mostly because they’re spending less money. And in a business where margins are so tight a restaurant has to sell as much as $100 in food just to make $10 in profit, it pays to look at every penny.<\/p>\n
Maul is an expert at finding ways for restaurants to save money and make more money from their diners. At a Mexican restaurant, for example, he said two-for-one margarita night needs to be scrapped and the restaurant should try to upsell drinkers with higher-quality ingredients they can also charge more for.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n Serving large beverages that customers don’t drink, for instance, may cost a restaurant 25 cents a patron. That doesn’t sound like much, but it represents $2.50 in sales. “A quarter is everything,” he says.<\/p>\n He says putting higher-dollar items into place on the menu where people look for can help sell more of that item. Using smaller scoops and making sure food isn’t wasted can also save big money.<\/p>\n At a barbecue restaurant, Maul says the restaurant needs a bigger, well-lit sign, the fryer needs to be set at 350\u00b0 so the oil lasts longer and bartenders need to measure liquor rather than free-pouring.<\/p>\n He says restaurant can also use bigger ice cubes or cut pricey ingredients like olive oil that customers might not notice but that can help restaurants save a little money on each plate that adds up to big savings.<\/p>\n (By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)<\/p>\n From the RSS feed of CalorieLab News<\/a> (REF3076322B7)<\/p>\nEasy ways to save<\/h3>\n