Every time I visit a newly opened restaurant, I find myself analyzing every aspect of the business.
I can often sense whether a new concept will have longevity or if it might shut down within a year or two.
Today, I went to buy Shawarma sandwiches from a newly opened shawarma place that appears to be popular.
Here’s what I observed at a glance: They have an elaborate menu featuring three types of shawarma—beef, chicken, and sujok—along with sides, mezza, rice, two types of fries, salads, party platters, and options for sandwiches served on pita, saj, or baguette breads. They also offer burgers, chicken brochettes, poutine, and drinks.
While it’s great for customers to have such a variety of choices, you can imagine what it takes to consistently serve all these items to returning customers during their 12 hours of operation, from 11 AM to 11 PM.
Notes on this place are :
1. A Large Team of Skilled and Well-Trained Chefs:
A sizable team is needed. You’d require enough staff to cover about 14-15 hours of work, as someone must come in early to open the restaurant and prepare the shawarma stations. Additionally, a team must stay after closing to clean and prepare the mise en place, marination, and setting of shawarma for the following days.
During my visit, I counted eight chefs working across three stations, along with two managers/cashiers and likely two other chefs in the back of house who were not visible. These chefs/staff need to be from specific nationalities that understand the culture and can communicate effectively, which poses a significant challenge in expat countries like Canada.
The first major challenge is staffing; a turnover in a position can take months to replace and train a new employee. If two staff members leave simultaneously, it increases the risk of inconsistency in service.
If a similar concept were to open in its countries of origin—like Lebanon, Syria, or Turkey—it would be much easier to recruit and replace chefs quickly.
2. Relatively Large Menu:
The menu contains 10 sides and salads, three types of protein, five types of bread, toppings, and two types of fries. This is a relatively high inventory to manage in a small shawarma place that typically has limited kitchen space.
Here are my questions regarding the menu choices:
- Why not offer just one type of fries? - Why not specialize in just one type of bread, like saj? - Why include mezza and various salads? The focus should be on shawarma. - Why offer burgers? It seems better to stick to core business products. - Why include sujok shawarma?
My experience and market observations suggest that chicken shawarma sells the most, beef is less popular, and sujok is more of an accessory item than a high-demand product.
By considering these menu reductions, the restaurant could achieve the following benefits:
- Reduce the number of staff and preparation time.
- Lower inventory costs, which would improve cash flow.
- Create more storage space for inventory and mise en place.
- Enhance customer service due to improved efficiency and fewer mistakes.
- Increase profitability as a result of these changes.
In addition to the staffing challenges, cash flow issues, high waste, and increased production costs related to the menu will likely affect the store within six months to a year. Right now, during the opening period, traffic may be high as people come to try the new place. However, when the traffic diminishes, and staffing and mise en place levels remain high, the business owners will need to reevaluate their menu and consider ways to improve profitability by reducing expenses.
Lastly, less is more in the restaurant business. I believe in the success of a "single-item menu,” where one product can be featured and excelled in sales. For example, offering "charcoal-grilled chicken" without additional meats or a dozen salads, but instead providing the product with different marinades/flavors, accompanied by a few sides and toppings, is a straightforward and effective offering.
I will be happy to hear your opinions and wishing you all a happy new year 2025 !
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