If you’re serious about maximizing the success of your restaurant(s), you’re tracking restaurant KPIs to learn where you need to make changes to improve service and boost profitability.
Here’s an easy and relatively inexpensive change that pays off across your operation: invest in regular HVAC & refrigeration maintenance. HVAC maintenance improves the comfort of your dining room, making customers more likely to spend more and visit again. Refrigeration maintenance impacts food costs, safety, and quality.
Here are 10 restaurant KPIs you’re probably tracking, and how maintenance can improve your performance.
Boost these 10 restaurant KPIs with HVAC & refrigeration maintenance
1. Revenue
Revenue is your top-line earnings or sales. This number is directly related to customers’ satisfaction with their dining experience, and that is directly related to the comfort conditions in your restaurant.
When looking at revenue, pay attention to changes over time. Can you correlate revenue fluctuations with weather conditions? If your HVAC is under-performing, customers may be avoiding your restaurant when it’s too hot or too cold.
You may be avoiding the problem because you assume the repairs will cost too much. But temperature variance problems can often be improved with simple maintenance or inexpensive design changes (like rerouting ducts or adjusting fans).
2. Cost of Goods Sold
This KPI measures how much you spend each month on food ingredients and supplies. A big factor here is how much food you throw out each month due to spoilage.
Refrigeration maintenance impacts this KPI by helping maintain the ideal temperature of your refrigerators, chillers, and freezers, which can significantly reduce spoilage and the money you spend replacing wasted food.
3. Table Turnover Rate
Sometimes a high table turnover rate is a good thing: when you’re busy, it maximizes revenue. But if you’re not busy, it can mean that people aren’t staying long. If customers are too hot or cold to enjoy their meal, they’re eating quickly and getting out of there. They’re not staying long enough for another couple of drinks, dessert or coffee. That’s reducing your revenue.
HVAC maintenance helps keep your dining room and customers comfortable and happy to stick around and spend more money (not to mention return for another meal).
4. Average Check (or Sales Per Guest)
How much money are your diners willing to spend? Just like Table Turnover, this KPI can be significantly reduced by an uncomfortable dining room. People won’t stick around for the extras if the temperature is too hot or cold, or there’s an annoying draft blowing directly on their table.
HVAC maintenance can remedy comfort problems and encourage customers to stay longer and spend more.
5. Customer Retention Rate (or Repeat Visitors)
Have you noticed that your (formerly) regular customers aren’t coming back lately? And new customers trying your restaurant for the first time aren’t returning either?
The problem might not be the food or the service (especially if those things haven’t changed). It might be the comfort of your dining room. Especially here in New York City, where there’s so much top-notch competition. Why should customers return to you when there’s a great restaurant on the next corner that’s not freezing cold?
Investing a little bit in HVAC maintenance can solve this problem and improve your Customer Retention Rate.
6. Customer Feedback (or Customer Satisfaction Score)
How are your reviews and online customer feedback? This is data that you can never ignore. It pays to stay on top of customer satisfaction metrics daily, and respond ASAP to any negative comments.
If people are complaining about the quality or freshness of your food, it’s time to take a look at your refrigeration equipment. Maintenance can ensure that you’re properly storing food so it lasts longer and remains safe to serve.
What can you say when people complain about the comfort of your restaurant? You can tell them you’re addressing the problem immediately, and get a trusted HVAC expert to service your equipment and evaluate the situation for possible design improvements.
Learn more:
5 Ways to Stop Negative Reviews of Your Restaurant
7. Energy Consumption
Did you know that your HVAC system accounts for 40% – 60% of your facility’s total energy usage? That’s why HVAC maintenance can make a noticeable difference in your energy bills. Regular cleaning and tune-ups make your equipment work more efficiently and use less energy.
The same holds true for your refrigeration equipment.
Learn more:
How To Cut AC Power Consumption Without Replacing Equipment
8. Health Inspection Score (and Food Safety Violations)
Food safety violations and disappointing health inspections can do serious damage to your business. That poor Health Inspection Score is prominently displayed in your window, discouraging everyone from coming in and hurting your reputation.
Refrigeration maintenance helps to prevent this potential disaster by keeping refrigeration and freezer boxes at the required temperatures for food safety.
Learn more:
Restaurant Health Inspection: How Neglected Refrigeration Fails You
9. Capital Expenditure Budget Variance
This KPI measures the difference between planned and actual capital expenses. By now, you probably can guess the impact of HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance: it reduces unplanned repair expenses. Also, maintenance keeps your equipment working reliably and makes it last longer, putting off the expense of replacing equipment.
10. Profit Margin (Gross or Net)
Gross profit is your revenue minus cost of goods sold. Net profit subtracts other expenses like labor. Either way, HVACR maintenance factors into the equation:
- HVAC maintenance improves restaurant comfort, resulting in higher revenue
- HVAC maintenance keeps your system in peak operating condition, reducing breakdowns and the need for expensive repairs
- Refrigeration maintenance reduces food waste and cost of goods sold
Arista can help improve your NYC restaurant KPIs
Getting regular HVAC and Refrigeration maintenance is the easy way to boost a bunch of your critical restaurant KPIs. Arista has decades of experience serving the top NYC restaurants. We can take care of all your equipment maintenance needs, including maintenance of kitchen equipment, and we can provide service around your busy schedule.
Learn more:
Refrigeration Service & Repair