Adding to your P without the L

My hospitality degree was filed under “tourism,” tucked into the same umbrella as parks and recreation. Our one budgeting class focused on city recreation planning. We distributed imaginary tax dollars without a single conversation about how to raise them. I remember a few grant writing projects for nonprofits, but when it came to managing a restaurant P and L, which would have been the most useful thing for students like me, we got nothing.

Over the years, managing and owning restaurants taught me how to squeeze a few more dollars into the profit column without adding additional expenses. These ideas may be obvious to anyone with formal training, but if you came into this industry with little more than a desire to serve, you may find them helpful.

Staggered Shift Times

At one restaurant I worked with, there were two servers covering 16 tables. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was thoughtful, but the service was abysmal. Front of house staff had a lot of experience, but with eight table sections, they were set up for failure.

Both came in two hours before opening and stayed an hour after closing, working long eight-hour shifts. In a market with high hourly wages, the owner hesitated to add another team member. The servers were also hesitant, not wanting to divide up their already dismal tip pool.

Fortunately, the owner followed the recommendation to add a third server and stagger the shift times so each person worked about five hours. Labor hours actually decreased by one hour per day. With five table sections, guests ordered additional drinks and extra courses, sales increased, and tips improved. The team worked shorter shifts and earned more, while the owner paid less in labor and increased sales.

Upsell Items With the Best Margins

The first restaurant I ever worked in was a casual seafood place, but the owner ran service with precision. He understood his food margins clearly and knew the cost of every item relative to what the market would support.

When guests asked for recommendations, we shared our genuine preferences, but we were also trained to highlight five specific items that produced the highest net profit for the restaurant. Good managers teach staff to upsell with authenticity and confidence, while effective managers know exactly which items should be promoted.

Excel At Your Reservation System

That same seafood restaurant employed a seasoned hospitality professional at the podium, an absolute wizard. She managed 15 servers and 50 tables using only a plexiglass seating chart and a grease pencil, and she maximized seating without overwhelming the staff because she understood capacity and timing.

In the years since, most restaurants have relied on tablets and reservation software, yet few people truly master them. Last fall I observed front of house operations at a very successful restaurant to study their processes.

I learned several useful systems, but the most striking skill was the manager’s ability to operate the reservation platform to maximize seating. While I watched, he accommodated eight walk in tables during an otherwise fully booked evening simply by understanding pacing and turn times, and the restaurant captured roughly an additional thousand dollars in sales without straining service.

The best part about implementing these practices, and many others like them, is that they cost nothing but time and attention. Restaurants often look outward for growth through marketing, technology, or expansion, yet meaningful revenue is frequently sitting inside existing operations. Careful scheduling, informed recommendations, and thoughtful control of the floor can materially improve the bottom line without adding expense.

Small Plate Hospitality helps busy restaurant owners build a business they can love... and leave. Check out our online training here.