As a baker, you may focus solely on providing the best possible bakes from your oven with the finest ingredients, and tend to forgo paying heed to essential management functions. However, be warned, that doing so would be the demise of your business.
To run a successful bakery, not only do you have to be a good baker, but you also need essential management and business skills. A bakery, while known for its delicious treats, runs like any other business and requires sound human resource, operational, and management systems. If you are a baker hoping to improve your bakery and its operations to increase sales, given below are five ways how you can do so:
- Have impeccable customer service
All businesses that have great customer service are proven to be a hit with their target audiences. Think of it this way: if you aren’t making your customers happy, what even is the purpose of your business in the first place?
An important aspect of customer service in a bakery is providing convenience and customization for your customer. Your bakery should offer regular delivery services when requested, and scheduled fresh bread delivery for homes that are regular customers so that they can save a trip every week. You should also offer a wide array of customizations on request – however, it is always wise to tie customizations with a minimum order quantity.
- Maintain thorough and regular cleaning inspections
Regular and thorough cleaning inspections are a no-brainer for all businesses that serve or sell food in any capacity, and your bakery should be no different. Any place that serves food is always under the radar of local food authorities for cleanliness inspections, and even one bad report can affect your customer base.
Hence, your bakery should maintain regular and thorough cleaning schedules. While the waiting or seating areas and counters should be cleaned multiple times a day, kitchen equipment needs to be cleaned twice every 24 hours. All pantry items should be checked every four days for expired goods, and the pantry should maintain a first-in-first-out system. You should also consider getting pest control to keep pests at bay.
- Focus on your branding
There are several bakeries in every locality with little that sets them apart – almost all bakeries sound the same, have the same products, and taste the same. Hence, you should focus on your bakery’s branding to set yourself apart from the competition, and make yourself an attractive prospect for customers.
If your bakery produces a niche baked good that is either vegan, organic, kosher, or native to a particular nation, announces it on your marketing brochures and social media platforms. Focus on your product packaging to make it giftable and coveted among your target audience.
Conclusion
By adopting the above-mentioned practices, you will be able to lead your bakery towards business success in no time. In addition to the obvious consideration you place on your food, you are also required to pay heed to administrative, management and service-related tasks as described above.